9 wins & 3 losses

1st XV vs St Thomas's College won 26-24

The 1st XV’s game against St Thomas was always going to be challenging. The opposition had dominated the points table for most of the season and had knocked over several strong teams. It was the 25th game for prop Liam Potts who has served the team with both power and passion over the last two years. The game was predictably physical but our team stretched out to a halftime lead of 23 to 10. The challenge this game presented was exacerbated by our players being handed three yellow cards. Competing with only 13 players for most of the last 10 minutes was a huge challenge. We did give St Thomas opportunities to kick themselves to victory but our boys were resolute and held out for a 26-24 victory. They retain the John McKendry Memorial Cup for which the two schools annually compete. The 1st XV thus ended pool play at the top of the table. The last time St Bede’s achieved this was in 2013. The team now has a home semi-final against Christ’s College next weekend. The man of the match was winger Iwan Merchant-Williams who is arguably one of the most improved players in the team.

Tries: Tanner Stowers-Smith, Isaac Hutchinson, Campbell Allison. Penalties: Isaac Hutchinson 3. Conversions: Isaac Hutchinson 1.

2nd XV vs Cashmere HS 1st XV won 45-5

A good performance and a good result for the team today. We needed a strong performance coming out of a disappointing experience last week and we got it. Though Cashmere are near the bottom of the table, they still have some strong players and never surrender. The score took concerted and sustained pressure. Big strengths for us was the defensive lineout, the running lines of forward carries, and the defense in general. On one occasion, in the first half, Cashmere had an attacking lineout on our 5m line and our strong defense pushed them all the way back to halfway. It was a game where most players had strong games, but notable mentions go to lock Kalani Griffiths, hardworking openside Jonty Blacklow, number 8 and defensive lineout extraordinaire James Methven, as well as a solid performance by midfielders Ben Hanrahan and Roan Brown. The team has a titanic game next weekend against CBHS 2nd XV. They are the only team ahead of us on the table. We have the opportunity to win the Challenge Shield for the off season and take bragging rights going into finals the following week. The game will likely be 1pm at home, and it would mean a lot to the team to get as much support as possible to tip CBHS over. 

3rd XV vs Christchurch BHS 7th XV won 30-29

The first half wasn't mighty at all. But the second half was all almighty. Down 22 - 5 at half time it wasn't likely that top of the table and unbeaten CBHS 7ths would succumb to any 2nd half pressure to be applied by the 3rds. But they did and after the 3rds clawed back the points difference it all came down to the last minute with a penalty awarded to the 3rds. Flynn Bainbridge might have been relieved it was within range and out in front. But having just kicked an excellent conversion from the sideline earlier he easily slotted this one for a completely unexpected and upset win.

Was it really an upset? Maybe compared to the first half. But on the back of last week's win and with glimmers of potential every match this season there was always a chance.

The tradition of the "7ths" dates back to 1985. The CBHS coach / manager yesterday played in the same team back in his day. He described the culture as Year 13s who could be playing in higher ranked teams but enjoy playing socially together in their last year.

A team with the advantages of this history, confidence and physical presence have ground most oppositions in the division down. They did this to the 3rds in the first encounter and looked liked doing it again yesterday. But the 3rds lifted their intensity and met the bruising and physical style of the 7ths head on to reverse the dominance.

It was an outstanding effort of all the superlatives. It reinforced that the mighty St Bede's 3rd XV also have their own history, culture and pride to play for.

Tries: Jake McIntosh, Jimmy Hastings, Andre Robinson, Revel Mumuta.

Conversions: Flynn Bainbridge (2)
Penalties: Flynn Bainbridge (2)

4th XV (BYE)

U75kgs "Red" vs CBHS U75kgs "Blue" lost 12-21

The U75kg Red team went into the game against the undefeated CBHS side looking for a result against the only side to beat them this season. Some late injuries and illness meant a reshuffle in the normal starting lineup, but the squad were still able to field a strong team.

Unfortunately, the game started in the worst possible manner with St Bede’s unable to secure the kick off and CBHS scored in the first minute to lead 7-0. The game was then evenly poised for 30 minutes with a much improved St Bede’s defence causing CBHS problems and preventing them finding any success out wide. St Bede’s managed to string together a period of possession with strong running with Lachie Daly and player of the day Samson Foley particularly prominent. This led to Elijah Butts crashing over for a converted try that levelled the scores. The half-time score was 7-7 and the game looked anyone's for the taking.

The second half was once again a close affair with strong defence from both sides making line breaks hard to come by. CBHS managed to win a penalty which they kicked to the corner. From this they set up a well worked maul from the line out, St Bede’s were adjudged to have brought the maul down and the referee awarded CBHS a penalty try. Fortunately St Bede’s hit back straight off the kick off and scored an unconverted try when Lucas Matheson forced his way over from close range. This brought the score to 14-12. The score didn’t change for much of the half but 4 minutes from time, St Bede’s tried to take the lead with a shot at goal from a penalty, but unfortunately it drifted just wide. CBHS then worked their way up field and a missed tackle saw them able to finish off a good try and make the game safe at 21-12.

St Bede’s were disappointed to lose a game they could have won, but with a semi final space booked for next weekend they know they have a chance to make amends and finish the season on a high.

U75kgs "Black" vs Christ's College U75kgs "Black" Won 29-12

Going into this game the goal was to put in a good performance ahead of next week's semi final and show improvement after a close loss to this team last time we played. With this in mind the team started well and put together some excellent phases to allow Josh Fraher to crash over in the second minute of the game.

From here on for the balance of the first half it was a tough battle and Christ's College put in some strong attacking plays, however, we were able to continue on from last week with some excellent defensive work when under pressure for long periods, with Lucas Wieblitz, Finn Parkyn and Luke McBrydie putting in some strong work around the rucks. Christ's College eventually crossed just on half time to level the scores at 5 – 5.

The second half was a different game with the forwards providing the backline with quick clean ball to allow them to put together strong attacking plays and ensure the game was played mostly in the opposition half. Not long after half time, Connor Stewart was able to slice through a gap and race away to score. Rheubyn Hunter was next to go over in the corner after some good build up work by the team.

Midway through the half, Christ's College managed to cross and bring them back in to the game. However, from then on St Bede's stepped up with great lineout work by Matthew Glen and Olly Meates providing crucial turnovers and the backline gaining good territory with slick backline plays and attacking kicks to turn them around.

Another clean break on the outside by Connor Stewart showing good pace was finished off by some excellent support work inside by Matthew Glen to score. Following on from a break out from our own 22 by Fraser Brown, the team continued with good support to put Christian Gilbert over in the corner to make the final score 29 – 12.

U65kgs vs StAC U65kgs lost 19-35

A top of the table clash between the two best teams in competition, the last 2 encounters have been great contests.

From the kick off the StAC team seemed more active than St Bede's, they were up faster in defence and dominated the tackle area through force of numbers. As a result the first quarter saw St Bede's camped in their own half. This pressure built and StAC scored.

The try had the effect of waking the boys up and they started to make their first time tackles, which forced StAC to make handling errors, from which Harry Croy put through a lovely grubber kick which Flynn O’kane dotted down. Although the St Bede's boys lifted their game the StAC forwards were still winning the contact area and their tactic of taking short balls into the inside channels next to the rucks, kept getting them good yards. Before the close of the first half StAC scored again, to lead into the break.

With halftime completed St Bede's started the second half much better and we saw them using the width of the pitch. Harry Croy took a pass in his own half and ran the length of the pitch to score a lovely solo try. From the kick off Mitchell Murtha took a deep ball and did exactly the same with another length of the pitch try. For the first time we took the lead, sadly this only caused StAC to raise their game and revert back to their forward play, and saw them score 3 tries to finish the match off. These two teams will meet again in the final, where we know if we keep our focus and discipline we can beat StAC.

U15 Red vs St. Thomas U15 A won 16-15

Coming off last week's hard fought win against top of the table Christ's College the Under 15 Reds faced a fired up St Thomas of Canterbury in a very entertaining encounter. STC had the upper hand in the first half scoring two early tries from our defensive errors. However, the boys lifted their efforts and began to apply some pressure of their own, getting very close to scoring twice and finally scoring just before the break. This brought the score to 12-5 going into the break. 

After halftime and with the introduction of some fresh legs, the boys were able to play for long periods in the STC half through some outstanding attacking kicking from the backs and managed to bring the score to 12-8 through a well struck penalty kick. However, in the next 10 minutes we created some excellent attacking opportunities, but were unable to capitalise, letting STC off the hook on several occasions. 

With 10 minutes to go St Bede’s were finally rewarded with a well worked try after a long period of possession and were now leading 13-12. The final 10 minutes were incredibly tense with both sides using attacking kicks affectively to gain territorial advantage. After a sustained period of play in which both sides showed some outstanding attack, STC gained the upper hand and were awarded a close in penalty shot which they converted giving them a 2 point lead. 

With 2 minutes to play our boys kicked off and managed to withstand some strong attacking play from STC, securing a vital turn over penalty with time up on the clock. We were then able to execute a long range shot at goal, securing a very satisfying and thoroughly deserved win. What was most pleasing about this win was the absolute grit and determination the boys showed throughout the game, they never gave up and showed what can be achieved when you play hard to the final whistle. Well done.

U15 Black vs StAC U15 lost 7-43

Bede's came up against the StAC A team that have been moved into Section 2 for this round and have some strong backline players. SBC started slowly and took 10 minutes to get fully into the game, by which time StAC had scored an early try. However, once SBC got going they dominated the forward exchanges and were structured in their plays. Though SBC had plenty of ball they struggled to get through the StAC defense, unlike StAC who scored two more tries to have a handy halftime lead. SBC gave up two soft tries early in the second half but then got down to work and had the better of the game with a strong period of play. This coincided with Tyler scoring from a lineout close to the StAC line and Max landing a tough conversion. The rest of the game was very active and physical with both teams going toe to toe and playing some excellent rugby. Forward of the day: Matthew Brown / Tyler Ikin Back of the day: Max Kirk Player of the day: Solomon Spanton 

U14 White vs Merivale Papanui / Belfast U14 won 53-0

Well done to the St Bede's U14 White team on a convincing victory against Merivale Papanui on Saturday.

It was a very clinical first half from St Bede's who were quickly on the board after soaking up some early pressure from the opposition. A well-worked backline move from well inside their own half saw them open the scoring with a runaway try, making the score 5-0. From this point on the opposition were constantly under pressure as the St Bede's backs and forwards combined with good passing and straight running. Another couple of long range tries brought the score to 19-0 and this was then followed by possibly the try of the match. Some excellent phase by the forwards was complimented by some good clean-outs at the rucks and then quick passing resulted in a try just to the left of the posts. Two more tries bought the halftime score to 34-0 to St Bede's.

Positional changes and substitutions meant it was a slower start to the 2nd half, however the boys took everything Merivale Papanui had to throw at them and restricted them from scoring with stout defence. It was great to see forwards and backs swap positions in the second half and whilst this saw them lose a bit of momentum, they will all be better for the experience. Merivale Papanui were unlucky not to score a try midway through the 2nd half with the ball being lost over the tryline and after defending for a good period of time, St Bede's got back into their groove and a late flurry of tries was a good way to finish the game.

Scoring stopped being recorded in the 2nd half with the official scoreline being 53-0 to St Bede's.

A good effort from the boys and the coaches must have had a hard time working out the after match awards. St Bede's never really let the opposition into the game and the way the backs and forwards combined throughout the match was terrific. The defence was outstanding at times and the technique the boys showed when making tackles was great to see. Congratulations on what was an excellent team performance.

Man Of The Match: Ladanian Davis

Tackle Of The Day: Nick Weir

U14 Black vs Hillmorton HS U14 won 34-22

Hillmorton started well against Bede's and early on showed they were a different team than the one we had beaten earlier on this season. They used some pick and go to good effect and it was only some good defence that stopped them opening the scoring. A couple of turnovers and it was evident that if we went wide we could make some good inroads. Oscar Cox made the most of this, playing in the mid field for the first time this season, with a strong run to open Bede's account. From the kick off we were a bit lazy at securing kick off ball enabling Hillmorton to keep the ball in hand for a sustained period. We weren’t helped by a period of ill-discipline leading to two quick tries to Hillmorton with one a well worked move from their scrum and strong running by their big No 8. It was starting to become a game of their teamwork up front, versus our ability to exploit space out wide so having the ball was going to be key. With Luke Spanjer, Alex Cowan and Dylan Jack starting to make their presence felt up front we started to get the possession we needed. We were probably helped by being on the right side of some refereeing decisions and with that outside space exploited again, we had two more tries added by Max Morris and Harry Gorman. The half finished with a try apiece so Bede's were up 20 – 15 at the break.

After the break the boys were able to play with a bit of pace initially and a well worked move saw Joel Harris running a good angle in the mid field to break through four tackles to score a converted try. The next 20 minutes were a real arm wrestle with neither side gaining any ascendency. Hillmorton started to put pressure on our line and some resolute defence was required. Our discipline started to slip, although during this period we probably played some of the better team rugby we have played this season by working together on some great close-in defence. This was evidenced by a try saving tackle by Connor Carroll 15m out which was followed by another, by Gethin Blair bundling the attack into touch 5m out. Our exit wasn’t the best and a resultant Hillmorton try meant the scores closed up to 27 – 22. The boys really went about their work on defence and despite numerous penalties against us were able to keep Hillmorton out. A turnover saw the ball out wide where there was space again. Harry was able to run strongly down the left flank to dot down under the posts. Final score 34 – 22.

Forward of the Day - Alex Cowan for showing plenty of fight up front

Back of the Day - Flynn Lawton for work on D and attack

U14 Red vs Otautahi U14 (played on Thursday) won 37-5

U55kgs vs CBHS U14 "Blue"  Won 24-17

St Bede's U55kg played their last round match against Christchurch Boys' High Blue team at Hagley Park.

It was an important match for us, we have played exceptionally well over the past two weeks and we wanted to keep the momentum going into the semi finals next week. We also wanted to beat this Boys' High team as they are the only team we haven’t beaten at least once this year. Things didn’t start well with the ref being a “no show” so both teams agreed to have Boys' High referee the match and we eventually got under way. 

After a torrid start, Mac Templeton scored in the corner and this try was converted with an excellent kick by Josh Snelgar. A short time later, the ref turned up and unfortunately disallowed the game to continue and ruled that the match had to be re started at 0-0. Once the game did restart we saw another fiercely competitive game between these two sides that went right down to the wire. Inaccuracy at the breakdown and some lazy tackling techniques and the subsequent high penalty count meant that this game was closer than it should have been. This lack of discipline is a real wake up call for us but gives us an area to really focus on before next week's semi. 

At times during the game we managed to string together some great phases of play that led to numerous team tries. There were also moments of brilliance at lineout time, in the tackle area and around the paddock. The challenge now for this young enthusiastic side is to put this all together next week. 

Tries scored by St Bede's went to, Joe Coyle, Josh Harnett, Jacob Fraher and Jimmy Ferguson. It was great to see George Lingard turn up to the game this week in his wheel chair after suffering a serious leg injury last week, George has become a great inspiration for this team and a real motivation for the boys to play well. George chose Joseph Coyle as tackler of the day, Joe led the forwards around the field with his aggressive tackling and great line out skills. Our student coaches (Jackson and Will) chose Joseph Whalley as Trainer of the Week. Well done Joseph. Another great team effort boys, everyone on the sidelines is so proud of you.