10 wins 2 losses & 1 draw (one derby game)

1st XV vs Marlborough Boys' College 27-27 draw

Cracker day up in Marlborough on Saturday and preparation was excellent by the boys who were ready to play some good rugby. There was a good crowd to support/see the game and you could say the game did not disappoint with it being a draw at the end.

St Bede's dominated this game and felt like we had 80% of the pill, but we just could not finish off a number of attacks and we left a number of tries/conversions un converted. Marlborough Boys' on the other hand made most made the most of their 3 tries and scoring opportunities which made it an exciting game for their supporters.

Strong platform again laid by the forwards, who worked tirelessly to get us some good ball and scoring 4 of the 5 tries, but only converting 1 of these was the difference coming home with 3 points and not 5.

Some great contribution by the team with George Methven scoring 2 tries with a nice 40 metre side-line dash. The impact of our finishers was a key, with Andrea Sula adding great punch to the pack with his first game back and scored a fantastic, pure muscle up try and Suliasi Faiva adding more fire power that gave the platform for our last try in the dying minutes. Also Ben O’Donovan had a great game and took it by the scruff of the neck and added in the last 20mins a strong running game which was the go forward between the forwards and him, in which if there was 5 more mins, we would have scored more points.

Player of the day – Isaac Hutchy Hutchinson.    Hutchy was player of the day with another strong game at the back and took a number of high balls that came his way and for a small man knocked off some big men in the contact area with his strong runs. 

2nd XV vs Christchurch BHS 3rd XV "Black" won 31-7

The lads were keen to extend their unbeaten record to 8 games this week and hang onto the JAB U18 Challenge Shield as they faced off against CBHS 3rd XV Black. Whilst CBHS looked dangerous outside if given space, the team looked to close them down early on and really applied the pressure. This clearly worked leaving the opposition scrambling to try and stop our attack. Despite their efforts we managed to score three converted tries in the first 17 minutes. These went to Lorenzo Lelli, Sam Rochford and Ollie Lyons. With his proven accuracy Matt Boyle slotted all three conversions. Just before the half Charlie Stenberg crashed over the line and with Matt’s kick we led 28- nil. Whilst we felt good, last week we conceded our 21 point lead in the second half and only won by the 3 points picked up with a penalty. We did not want a repeat of this. On the resumption of play CBHS came out fighting and demonstrated they were not about to roll over. They were the first to score in the second-half after a mishandle lead to a change of possession just out from the try line. With a quick conversion they were keen to see if they could add more points to the chase. 3 points to us for a penalty would be the only further points added in the half, resulting in a 31-7 win.This week marked the last run for Valentin Gomez-Fornasari who returns home to San Juan, Argentina. Valentin has played In a number of positions in our backline covering 11, 15 and more recently at 14. It has been a pleasure to have him as part of our squad and as a Bedean, and we wish him buena suerte, hasta la vista Valentin.Player of the Day: Will Sparrow
Tries: Lorenzo Lelli, Sam Rochford, Ollie Lyons, Charlie StenbergConversions: Matt Boyle 4, Penalties: Matt Boyle 1

3rd XV vs STC U18 "Red" `won 22-7

U16A vs Bumside RFC U16 Won 73-3

Yesterday the young men played Burnside High at St Bede’s. After winning the round robin format of the competition unbeaten, we move into a two round super six format. This week was a chance for us to empty the toolbox and go out and have some fun, the reason why we play the game. It was great to see all the men showing their skill set laughing ,whilst having the most important thing required in the game of rugby ‘the ability to play what is in front of you “ not what the team structure/maps/patterns and all those other over complicated words that wreck the modern game of rugby. As the saying goes a simple game mad hard by idiots, forwards win the ball, backs get over the advantage line and go from there.

We won 70 – 3 with some great skills shown by all. Respect is a word over used or expected these days , it's not something you just give its something you earn, the Burnside team earned our respect by playing the full game with short numbers and never giving up, nice to have the complement returned by the opposition saying they respected our style of play but most of all our “humility ‘ the way we represented the school. So well done men thanks to Grandpa for the treats at the end .

Cheers Naps

U16B vs CBHS U1B "Black" won 38-12

Going into the game the U16B team were heavy underdogs and ranked sixth while Christchurch Boys' High were first. On opening kickoff Bede’s made a few mistakes leading to pressure within our own half, dropped passes and miscommunication. It looked as if this game would be all for naught as Boys High took advantage of these opportunities and scored two tries within ten minutes. Bede’s responded with a massive defensive effort that led to a try and conversion. At this point Bede’s began applying pressure and converting defense into an effective offense. Even more, Bede’s retained possession which was a struggle in previous encounters with Boys High. This led to a huge morale boost for Bede’s and another try and conversion by Mitch Pile right before half. During the second half Bede’s took it to the next level and kept structure on both ends of the ball leading to a fast-paced attack line able to exploit gaps and move quickly on penalties. Todd McDermott showed this with a chip and chase try created by quick ball and mental awareness. The game became a bit tense given the rivalry between Bede’s and Boys High, but in this case Bede’s channeled that pressure into defensive efforts leading to a potent offensive barrage. Bede’s came out on top 38-12 and with a renewed love for the game of rugby and a hunger for victory.  

U15A vs CC U15A won 41-21

Throughout the week we trained really well and worked on our line speed and dominant tackles. We arrived at the field early and warmed up to play at Christ College. The game had started and a few mistakes slipped through for us as a team. We then rectified those mistakes and controlled our discipline very well. With the score being 21-17 to them, there was some pressure on us and we knew we needed to perform in this second half.

With a whole half left to regather ourselves, we shot at them and scored a couple of needed tries. We found our way as we had the ball in hand more and spread the ball out wide. We worked harder to retain possession and used the entire width of the field. Our man of the match, Jack Hendren was a menace the whole game and was our star player in the rucks.

We won the game 41-21 and the boys were very happy. We will take the positives and negatives from the game and work hard at this week's training for our semi final.

During the game our hooker Alex Schupbach was unfortunately injured and got taken off by an ambulance. The coaches and team all wish him a safe and speedy recovery.

Christian Ioane- Captain

U15B vs CBHS U15C "Black" lost 34-36

Spirited revival leads to narrow loss
Someone forgot to tell St Bedes Under 15B the whistle had gone for the start of their game against Christchurch Boys High School Under 15C at St Bedes on Saturday.
The temperature of the day was forecast as 20 degrees, almost warm enough for sun lotion and a beach towel. CBHS had come to win. Scoring four tries and two conversions in 14 minutes they led 24-nil
A stunned St Bedes rallied and got stuck in.
They responded with a sweeping back movement for a Jimmy Hastings try followed immediately by a scoring burst from Tauvale Thomas Aupa’au and a try by Tom Lewis. Jack Dennehy-Coles took his turn and scored a well-deserved try followed by another scoring effort from Hastings.
The power was on and the St Bedes coaching call at the break was for sustained effort into the second half.
Blake Scott, playing at first five, kicked two conversions while Quinton Rattray had a good day and William McIntyre kept the forward pods intact.
Tauvale was a standout player of the day along with Lorenzo Fasi who made the most of his opportunities on attack.
A breakaway opportunity inside the final 10 minutes allowed Christchurch College to score and convert to trail 34-31. St Bedes rallied and held onto hope as the clock ticked. And then a last gasp try by Christchurch College left St Bedes the losers by two points.
To play so well and lose in the closing minute was a true test of character for a team that played so well.

U63kg "Red" vs U63kg "Black" lost 14-69

We were simply beaten by a better them. The U63 kg Black team were bigger and stronger and played very well. Our boys didn’t give up the fight, and it was very satisfying to cross the line a couple of times avoiding the donut. A highlight was when our smallest player Finn O'Kane was confronted with a significantly bigger Seth Matheson at top speed showed that size, and speed mean nothing when you have good tackling technique and a big heart.
I am very proud of the boys' effort and the fact they stayed positive and focused on what they could control. Well done to the Black team, you played very well and showed some exceptional skills.

U63kg "Black" vs U63kg "Red" won 69-14

U14A vs Shirley BHS won 46-14

A fantastic start to our game today – two tries in the first three minutes. The momentum continued and we were 24 nil at half time. The things we had worked on during the week were well executed today and the results proved it. There was no doubting that it was a team game today with everyone contributing their all. Two special mentions - our front rowers who played the full game and deserve a rest tonight and Stijn Lutters who had an outstanding game defensively and scoring three tries.

The final score of 46 – 14 was reflective of some of best moments of rugby so far this season.

U14B vs Merivale Papanui RFC U14 won 45-40

The Stags had a great comeback win, with a try under the posts on the last play, to win the game after being behind 40 to 17. The Stags were the superior team throughout - with good ball maintenance at the ruck and nice passing along the backs - but some weak tackling allowed the opposition to score some good long range tries to take a 23 point lead shortly after halftime. The Stags then managed to get some momentum over the last quarter and came away with a good win, and showed good self belief in their comeback.

In the forwards Daniel K (pod) played strongly and scored his first try, George K was busy, and Hugo T deserves mention for his 21 point hall.
In the backs Nick S ran hard, Kelby S was solid at 12 and Zac P had a strong second half on attack and defence.

U58kgs "Red" vs StAC U58kgs won 80-7

U58kgs "Black" vs CBHS U58kgs "Black" won 47-28

Crucial for the boys to get a win, this game against Boys' High was set to be a good one. After a slow start and some opportunist tries under the posts by them we found ourselves 14-0 down. Knowing we needed to score next we pieced together a nice try, which meant we went into half 14-5. Feeling like we'd weathered the storm the second half was ours for the taking. It proved to be a much more free flowing offensive second half. Dominance of the ruck allowed our backs to show off their silky skills as we score 6+ tries in the second half. The final score being 47-28 to us. A great team win that should give us the confidence boost we needed to finish end of the season strong.

Player of the Day: Andrew Burns