St Paul's 7s Win

On Wednesday, the St Paul’s Junior 7s team took to the field for the final round of the local sevens circuit at Hamilton Boys' High School. With six wins out of six in the previous rounds, St Paul's faced Hamilton Boys' High School in a highly anticipated final.

Right from the kickoff, St Paul’s set the tone with outstanding teamwork and skill. Great hands from Ollie Gordon combined with the speed of Dylan McLaren led to a try from the first play. Tayne Ingham then powered over the line for a second try, followed by a speedy half-field run from Zach Hopping, who scored the team's third try. Just before halftime, St Paul’s conceded a controversial yellow card, which allowed Hamilton Boys' to close the gap, bringing the halftime score to 3-2 in favour of St Paul’s.

In the second half, Dylan McLaren opened with another impressive long-range try after a relentless, try-saving tackle moments before. Hamilton Boys' responded twice quickly to level the score at 4-4, but St Paul’s then deployed a ‘bomb squad’ bench, who took control of the game in the final minutes. Caius Harris bulldozed his way through multiple defenders for a powerful try, followed by Paxton Tuhoro capitalising on excellent support play to extend the lead.

The final try of the season was a memorable team effort: Billy Swap launched a well-placed cross-field kick, leading to a rampaging run from Sam Allen, followed by offloads and tackle breaks, before being finished off by Jake Robinson to seal the victory. The team’s all-around effort and consistent performances throughout the tournament were rewarded with the Joe Webber Trophy. Congratulations to the St Paul’s Junior 7s team on an outstanding season and a well-deserved win.