On Friday 26 October the Roncalli Under 15 boys and Under 15 girls took part in the Aoraki Secondary Schools Rugby sevens tournament at Alpine Energy Stadium.

The Roncalli Under 15 boys team took on Timaru Boys firsts up, winning a nailbiter 21-19 after George Laing scored a try in injury time and Mitchell Walsh stepped up to kick the conversion and win the game. They then took on Mackenzie College, who had a strong line up with some talented individuals. After going behind 10-0 early Roncalli clicked into gear in the second half, running away with the game 29-10. The final game of the evening was against a Harlequins side made up of Timaru Boys and Mountainview High School players. Roncalli struggled to put this team away and after slipping behind 12-0 at halftime they fought their way back into the match to win 19-12. This team showed plenty of talent and perseverance to come from behind in all three games and go through the tournament unbeaten.

The Roncalli Under 15 Girls team played their first game against a combined Timaru Girls and Craighead team and after a courageous first half against a strong opposition they were overcome in the second spell. The team then played against St Kevin’s College, going down in a closely fought battle.

On Monday 29th October the Roncalli Boys Under 18 sevens team participated in their Aoraki tournament, lining up against two Timaru Boys teams. After struggling for possession in the first game and going down to a slick unit, the Roncalli team rallied in their second game and beat the Timaru Boys. They then played their 3rd game in a row as a final and were overcome by fresher legs in the second half, going down to finish the tournament second.

A big thanks to the rugby boys coaches Jonts McKerrow, Pene Latu, and Michael Eaton, and also to the girls coaching and management team of Deb Waldron, John Gregan and Brad Sandri for giving up their time to help out our players.