Western News: July 12, 2016

WESTERN NEWS Tuesday July 12 2016 13
St Andrew’s finals charge
• By Gordon Findlater
ST ANDREW’S College has
re-ignited their finals hopes in
this year’s UC Championship
going into the school holidays.
A 23-12 win over Burnside
High School has moved STAC
to sixth in the championship.
With four rounds remaining
in the competition, STAC went
into Saturday’s game five points
outside of the top four.
STAC hosted Burnside which
occupied fifth in the competition
and had the opportunity
to separate themselves from the
chasing pack.
Wins for third and fourth
placed Shirley Boys’ High
School and Nelson College at
the weekend means that STAC
will have to finish strong.
It won’t be easy with two
challenging away games to end
the round robin.
STAC will host bottom of
the table Roncalli when the UC
Championship resumes next
weekend.
They then face competition
favourites Christchurch Boys’
High School in their penultimate
game before a final round
match with top of the table
Christ’s College.
St Bede’s College’s push for
the finals is all but over.
St Bede’s lost 15-24 to last
year’s finalists Shirley and are
now seven points off the top
four.
GAME ON: St Andrew’s College kept their hopes of a finals
spot alive with a 23-12 win over Burnside High School on
Saturday.
Saturday’s UC Championship
results:
Shirley BHS 24-15 St Bede’s;
St Andrew’s 23-12 Burnside
HS; Nelson College 27-25 St
Thomas; Timaru BHS 18-7
Rangiora HS; Marlborough BC
48-20 Ashburton College;
Lincoln HS 12-19 Waimea College;
Roncalli 0-73 Christchurch
BHS.
UC Championship standings:
Top 10: Christ’s College
49pts, Christchurch BHS 47pts,
Shirley BHS 38pts, Nelson
College 36pts, Waimea
Combined 33pts, Burnside HS
32pts, St Andrew’s 31pts,
Marlborough BC 31pts, St
Bede’s 29pts, Timaru BHS
29pts.
Close call in
Moascar Cup
ST THOMAS’ of Canterbury
College came agonisingly close
to capturing one of New Zealand
rugby’s most prestigious trophy’s –
the Moascar Cup – losing to Nelson
25-27 on Saturday.
The cup is the school boy rugby
equivalent of the Ranfurly Shield.
St Thomas’ led cup holders
Nelson College 25-24 going into
the final moments of Saturday’s UC
Championship match in Nelson.
First-five Patrick Elia kicked what
looked like the winning penalty
for St Thomas with three minutes
remaining.
“The team were seconds away
from creating history before a penalty
allowed the home side to retain
the cup with a successful penalty
kick,” said St Thomas’ teacher and
former rugby coach Steve Hart.
“It would have been pretty massive
for our school. To come up
short like that was a pretty tough
pill to swallow,” he said.
Kicking was the difference. Nelson
kicked five penalties, while St
Thomas could only convert one of
their four tries.
It was the forwards doing the
job for St Thomas. No 8 Anetelea
SPORTS
Vaifale, prop Jakob Mangels, lock
Richmond Patea all crossed the
line, along with half-back Tapu
Uliano.
When Nelson claimed the Moascar
Cup from Timaru Boys’ High
School few would have highlighted
the defence against St Thomas as
their toughest.
Previous Moascar Cup defences
against more fancied opposition,
including St Andrew’s College and
Shirley Boys’ High School, were
seen as Nelson’s biggest threats
before the end of the season.
Nelson made easy work of them,
though, defeating St Thomas 25-14
and Shirley BHS 35-15.
St Thomas had a slow start to this
year’s UC Championship. However,
they were confident going up to
Nelson following a 31-17 win over
third place Shirley BHS the previous
week.
The top four may be out of the
picture for the team, but they will
hope to push their case for the plate
competition.
The UC Championship plate is
contested between teams that finish
from fifth through to eighth following
the round-robin.
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