Last Thursday saw the inaugural sports exchange between some of our Rāroa boys and the year 7 and 8 boys from Wellesley College. Wellington once again turned on the weather to allow us to enjoy another great day of sport including Football, Hockey, Basketball and Rugby.

We have been trying to get this exchange up and running for almost two years now, so it was great to finally see it happen. Here are some short notes about each of our games.

Basketball

The boys played well together as a unit with the extra boys from the Tawa exchange playing really well alongside our boys. We got off to a great start, winning the tip off and scoring first. All of our boys scored during the game and they played within the spirit of the game, going easy on defense in the last quarter to allow Wellesley to put up more shots and score a few points.

Kael led the team well as captain and was the top scorer. Orlando was awarded player of the game by the Wellesley coach and given a Wellesley banner for his efforts. Final score was 76-7 to Rāroa.

Thanks again for allowing me to be involved in the game. I thoroughly enjoyed the opportunity.

Vinnie Sharp - Coach

Hockey

The game against the Wellesley boys hockey team was always going to be a tough match up. However, the boys played their hearts out and; with a couple of boys away on camp; put in a huge effort with having no subs for the game. They played a strong defensive game with special mention to Finn Fraser who was everywhere on the pitch… tracking back to defend and making strong attacking movements into the final third down the wing. Wellesley came away with the win, taking the Rāroa team 7-1.

Rugby

Our rugby boys went out full of heart and ready to take it to a strong Wellesley side. Although the scoreline showed our side go down 54-7, that doesn’t reflect the passion Rāroa played with. We made some great runs through the middle and down the wing with some stand out performances from Eamonn McCarron making some crunching tackles, Owen Egan with some outstanding carries, and Caleb Rawiri who was solid in our forward pack especially at the break downs. Well done fellas, you made your kura and yourselves proud.

Football

We were really lucky to be able to field two football teams in our exchange, with Wellesley bringing both their first and second XI teams. The first game kicked off with a hiss and a roar with our boys playing some really strong football. They moved the ball around the field, passing with accuracy and attacking with strength. The team played well together with some stand out performances from the likes of Max Lee who played his guts out in the midfield, Lachy Joe up front and an absolutely solid effort from Daniel Martinsen who was a rock in defence, clearing the ball and making lovely passes out from the back.

Our second game against the Wellesley first XI ended up being the decider for the exchange with the overall score at 2-2 before kick off. The boys showed no inkling of pressure at kick off and kept cool heads playing calm football, utilising the space and working off each other. Wellesley proved to be strong in defence which kept our boys from finding the back of the net on many occasions, despite some solid attacking football. We had a few stand out performances from Blake Porteous making strong runs down the wing, Riley Allison who was everywhere in defence making some solid tackles and clearances. Lucas Colon-Rivera was our go-to playmaker in the midfield with some beautiful footwork and splitting the defensive line on numerous occasions. It was fitting that Wellesley awarded him Player of the Match. Our boys snuck a couple of goals in to win the match 2-0, giving us the win for the exchange.

Special mention and thanks to Miss Clare Hartnell who gave up the majority of her day to don the whistle and referee both our football games!