The Star: May 03, 2018

34 Thursday May 3 2018
Latest Christchurch news at www.star.kiwi
The Star
Sport
Schools rugby championship
Round one
fixtures
Saturday (home team first)
Midday
Marlborough Boys
v Mid-Canterbury Combined
Nelson College
v St Andrew’s College
St Bede’s v TBHS
Roncalli Combined
v CBHS
St Thomas
v Waimea Combined
2.45pm
Rangiora High School
v Lincoln Combined
SBHS v Christ’s College
SPEEDSTER: Ryan Barnes will look to
win his third straight title with CBHS
after cracking the first XV as a year-11
student.
PHOTO: Martin
Hunter.
• By Gordon Findlater
CAN ANYONE stop Christchurch Boys’ High School from
claiming a third consecutive UC Championship title?
The defending champions come into Saturday’s opening
round as favourites and shouldn’t have a problem shaking
off any rust after an extended preseason which saw
them travel to South Africa to
take part in
the World Schools Rugby
Festival.
Two CBHS players also
have the
rare chance to win three
titles
during their time at school.
Halfback
Louie
man
Chap-
and
outside
back Ryan
Barnes will
begin their
final year
with the
team after
winning
titles after
cracking the
first XV in
year 11 and
winning titles
in 2016 and 2017.
Christ’s College
have looked the
strongest candidate
to knock CBHS off
their perch in recent
years. However,
they come into this
season without the
star of last year’s
competition and
New Zealand
secondary school
player, Isaiah Punivai,
who has moved
to Auckland to take up a
rugby scholarship with St Kentigern
College.
However, Christ’s may
have found the perfect
replacement.
They have secured the half-brother of former Crusaders
winger, Nemani Nadolo. Enosi Turanga has moved
to Christ’s from Marist Ashgrove College and is likely to
feature at centre in their opening match against Shirley
Boys’ High School.
Christ’s have had a short preseason programme. In their
only preseason match on Sunday they drew 24-24 with
Otago Boys’ High School in Dunedin.
After a rebuilding year in 2017, SBHS could once again
return as the competition’s giant killers. They produced
consecutive semi-final upsets to reach grand finals in 2015
and 2016.
“We’re really happy with where we’re at . . . we feel much
further on from where we were at this stage last year,” said
SBHS coach Andy Gibson.
St Andrew’s College come into their week one battle
hardened after taking part in a quadrangular tournament
in Auckland. They defeated Lindisfarne College from
Hastings 31-5 before being thumped by a star-studded St
Kentigern side 21-62. But coach Rod McIntosh says there
were still plenty of positives for the team after adjusting to
win the second half.
They face Nelson College in the biggest clash of round
one. Nelson will put the Moascar Cup - NZ secondary
school rugby’s version of the Ranfurly Shield - on the line in
what is expected to be a tight encounter.
Nelson College will again be a favourite to make the top
four. Many Christchurch school coaches are also expecting
Marlborough Boys’ College to be one of the teams to beat in
2018.
Timaru Boys’ High School will have a tough job backing
up their strong campaign last year - which saw them make
it all the way to the final - due to the loss of a number of
highly-rated players who were in their final year of school.
With just three core players returning from 2017, St
Bede’s are in somewhat of a rebuilding phase. Their young
exciting backline will prove a handful for opposition sides.
After strong showings in 2017, both Rangiora High
School and Lincoln Combined will want to show they can
compete year-on-year. Both country teams have made a
strong effort to tap into their local talent, and prove players
who have come through Canterbury Country clubs don’t
need to go to school in the city to compete at the highest
level.
Darfield unlikely to get Crusaders opener
Scott McIlroy
Spectator
mound
not viable
• By Jacob Page
THE CHANCES of Darfield
hosting the Crusaders and
Highlanders pre-season game
next year appears unlikely.
The Darfield Rugby Club
hosted the summer fixture last
year and wants to do so again.
But the Canterbury Rugby
Football Union’s insistence a
spectator mound be constructed
has proven an issue.
Darfield president Scott
McIlroy said constructing a
mound on the ground is not
viable due to summer sport use.
“The ground itself is not viable
to host the game and I have
looked at other options including
farmland where a mound already
exists, but that too will be
expensive,” he said.
More than 5500 people turned
out to watch the 2017 match,
including then-Prime Minister
Bill English.
Minutes from the Malvern
Community Board meeting last
week showed Selwyn Mayor
Sam Broughton was told the
CRFU “would not consider
viewing from a flat-level surface
acceptable.”
Mr McIlroy says he had
previously looked into building a
4000-seat temporary stand, but
at a cost of more than $100,000 it
was considered uneconomic.
“We’ve had to accept that the
ground is not a viable option and
we’ve left the farmland idea with
the rugby union for them
to consider but I wouldn’t
get my hopes up,” Mr McIlroy
said.
Crusaders chief executive
Hamish Riach said the venue
for the match was still to be
confirmed.
“But we are in the process of
planning for the match, and
once again look forward to
bringing this pre-season game
to fans with the support of
Farmlands.”