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WESTERN NEWS Latest Christchurch news at www.star.kiwi<br />
Tuesday <strong>September</strong> <strong>19</strong> <strong>2017</strong> 11<br />
St Thomas’ league talent on trial<br />
• By Andrew King<br />
ST THOMAS’ Seth Tauamiti<br />
and Jordan Riki have been<br />
named in the New Zealand<br />
Resident 18s team.<br />
The team will compete<br />
in a trial against Taurahere<br />
– which is made up of<br />
New Zealand-born players<br />
currently plying their trade<br />
in Australia – on Saturday in<br />
Auckland.<br />
A New Zealand 18s<br />
team will be selected from<br />
the match to take on the<br />
Australian Schoolboys later<br />
this month.<br />
The last time a New Zealand<br />
18s fixture took place was in<br />
2015.<br />
St Thomas’ league coach<br />
Andrew Auimatagi said both<br />
lads have a heap of potential<br />
and it is great to see it being<br />
recognised.<br />
“They thoroughly deserve<br />
it and have done really well. It<br />
is great to see two young guys<br />
able to start to make a career<br />
out of it [league],” he said.<br />
Tauamiti plays second row<br />
in league and No 8 in union,<br />
while Riki is a utility back in<br />
both codes. Both play for the<br />
St Thomas’ league team and<br />
featured heavily in the school’s<br />
first XV.<br />
Celebration Lions second<br />
row/centre Daniel Sakisi was<br />
also included in the side. He<br />
also played in the Shirley Boys’<br />
High first XV team this year.<br />
SPORTS<br />
EMERGING<br />
TALENT: St<br />
Thomas’ Seth<br />
Tauamiti and<br />
Jordan Riki<br />
(right) have<br />
been selected<br />
in the New<br />
Zealand<br />
Resident 18s<br />
team. PHOTOS:<br />
BRENDAN<br />
BIGGS <br />
FINAL PLAY: St Thomas’ Tommy Taualai gave the ball an<br />
almighty boot.<br />
PHOTO: BRENDAN BIGGS<br />
Prop takes conversion<br />
in last game of season<br />
• By Andrew King<br />
ST THOMAS’ first XV prop<br />
Tommy Taualai was given the<br />
last opportunity of the season to<br />
put points on the board with a<br />
conversion attempt on Tuesday<br />
against Oamaru’s St Kevin’s<br />
College.<br />
In the dying seconds of the<br />
game, the year 13 student lined<br />
up a kick from near the lefthand<br />
touchline, as St Thomas’<br />
supporters ramped up the<br />
volume in an attempt to will the<br />
kick over.<br />
St Thomas’ won the game<br />
38-12, running in six tries in<br />
their final hit-out of the season,<br />
reclaiming the G. Airey Cup in<br />
the process.<br />
The two schools have been<br />
competing for the cup since<br />
<strong>19</strong>61 in what has been a pretty<br />
even tussle.<br />
Theo Fowler, Sione Afemui,<br />
Seth Tauamiti, Elisara Vaifale,<br />
Cormack Tarrant and Patrick<br />
Elia all grabbed five-pointers in<br />
the win.<br />
St Thomas’ attack coach Paul<br />
Burton said it would appear<br />
Taualai “really enjoyed the opportunity”<br />
to try slot the conversion<br />
from the sideline.<br />
“It is not a normal thing, you<br />
know, if there was a lot riding<br />
on the points our regular<br />
kicker would have taken it,” he<br />
laughed.<br />
In case you were wondering,<br />
Taualai’s kick only just missed.<br />
It was a great effort though, said<br />
St Thomas’ deputy principal<br />
Brendan Biggs.<br />
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