Rugby - U14 Blue team.

The 2018 rugby season was a highly successful and enjoyable season for the U14 Blue team.

It all started in Waikuku Beach in April where the boys went on a pre-season camp to train, bond and discuss our goals for the year. The short excursion was completed with a convincing preseason win over Shirley boys. This large win left us thinking that we have a special bunch of boys capable of making a definite mark in section one. Over the next two weeks the grading games were completed and it was confirmed after fine wins over Christs College and Christchurch Boys that STC Blue would be one of the contenders in section one in 2018. This dream was made to look unlikely when the following week our boys opened the season with a 29-26 loss to Kaiapoi U14.5. After much video analysis and some real hard honesty it was shown that we had a lot to do as a team if we were going to feature in the finals later in the year. 

What was seen over the next 10 weeks was nothing short of remarkable. With continual improvement week by week, STC Blue put away the top teams in Christchurch including Shirley Boys 64-21, Christs College 76-10, St Bedes 45-22, Christchurch Boys Black 84-5, St Andrews College 77-17, Christchurch Boys Blue 31-22. This good form continued into the second round with great wins against Oxford Saracens 81-12, Christchurch Boys Black 97-10 and a gritty return win against Kaiapoi 40-19. This amazing run saw the boys win and retain the Challenge shield and book a semi-final berth with Christchurch Boys High Blue who were the current section one title holders.

The semi-final was intense and some real pressure was applied from the opposition. Towards the end of the first half our boys started to gain some control and dominance over Boys high. STC Blue eventually ran away winners 55-15 completing an unbeaten season at home. This semi-final win set a final show down the following week with arch rival St Bedes College. The final was played at a furious pace and we found ourselves on the back foot early with St Bedes out to a 12 nil lead. With much of the possession belonging to St Bedes, the defensive effort from the boys was huge and allowed us to get back into the game with two tries to level things up at 12-12 at half time. Again in the second half the play did not go our way and St Bedes found some space and suddenly were out to a 17-12 lead. What happened in the next 15 minutes is something what makes this team so special. With the game in the balance and the expectation that our boys would tire, STC pulled of some stunning plays and ran in 3 tries and a penalty to effectively close out the game and secure the trophy 41-31. The boys had achieved an amazing result securing the title for the College which forever will be remembered by those involved in the season.

The following week the season was concluded with a quadrangular tournament against Timaru Boys, Southland Boys and John McGlashan in Dunedin. We saw this as a great opportunity for the boys to test their abilities against the best from down South. The boys managed to take their good form with them dispatching of Timaru Boys and Southland Boys by large margins. The final game was a show down against a much older team featuring U16 players from John McGlashan. This game brought out some incredible courage and spirit from the boys as they completed the season with a 41-22 win. On reflection, it was a very satisfying and impressive season and I cannot speak highly enough of these boys. 

The culture of the team was very tight and they were led very well by the Captain Jack Coulthard and his co-leaders. Much thanks to Steve Hart, Marty Taylor and Sora Horita for their contributions to the team. The future at STC looks very bright and I wish all these boys the very best in their continual development on and off the field.

Regards Hamish McCombie

Most Improved Player Niel McKie Under 14 Blue

Best Trainer Josh Lennon Under 14 Blue

Best Forward Heneli Mosaati Under 14 Blue

Best Back Richie Tupuailei Under 14 Blue

MVP Matthew Logopati Under 14 Blue

Player of the Year Jack Coulthard Under 14 Blue

Manawa award for grit and determination Cooper Te Hau Under 14 Blue