Auckland Rugby League: Players, coaches, managers and match officials from the 2019 College Sport Auckland Rugby League Season were recognised on Monday afternoon at an awards ceremony held at Mount Smart Stadium. St Paul’s College playmaker Michael Angelo Taufa was the big winner, picking up the Premier 1st XIII Player of the Year award after helping his school to the title last Friday. The 16-year-old also topped the competition in points scored. Taufa’s St Paul’s College teammate Jonah Palota-Kopa was acknowledged as the top try scorer, while Southern Cross Campus…
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St Paul’s claim Premier Rugby League title with big Grand Final win
Auckland Rugby League: St Paul’s College claimed their fifth SAS College Rugby League title on Friday night, with a commanding 28-6 victory over previously unbeaten Southern Cross Campus at Mount Smart Stadium. It was sweet redemption for the perennial heavyweights, who last year missed out on making the Grand Final for the first time since the new competition was launched in 2013. Hooker Vaka Sikahele was outstanding for St Paul’s on his way to Player of the Match honours, opening the scoring on 15 minutes and causing issues for the…
Read MoreSouthern Cross & St Paul’s through to Rugby League Final
Auckland Rugby League: After both picking up two competition points in the final round of the regular season last week, Southern Cross Campus and St Paul’s College have secured direct entry to Friday night’s College Sport Auckland Premier Rugby League Final. Southern Cross set the pace right through 2019 and qualified through as minor premiers, while St Paul’s finished second and are back in the grand final after falling one game short last year. The match will be played at Mount Smart Stadium on Friday, kicking off at 5.40pm, and…
Read MoreFirst ARL Gateway Programme wraps up
Auckland Rugby League: Sixteen Auckland secondary school students have this week become the first graduates of the Auckland Rugby League Growing Coaches Gateway Programme. The students came from Tamaki College, Western Springs College, Onehunga High School and Tuakau College, and had the opportunity to earn 12 NCEA credits by taking part in the programme. Across the three days, students were taught fundamentals of coaching and leadership at the Mt Albert Rugby League Club, before gaining practical coaching experience at the ARL’s Holiday Blast event held at Cornwall Park. On the…
Read MoreThird time lucky for Kelston Boys’
College Sport Media: It was a third-time lucky fairy-tale ending for Kelston Boys’ High School who were crowned National Secondary Schools title winners today at Pulman Park. The boys in red finally put the heartache of 2016 and 2017’s finals losses behind them, sealing a sweet 16-14 victory over St. Paul’s College. Kelston Boys’ High School captain, Kadiyae Ioka was named MVP of the Permiership final and was pleased his team could get the win to round-off his final year at the tournament as a year 13 student. “For two…
Read MoreKamu crowned at Rugby League Awards
Auckland Rugby League: Mt Albert Grammar School’s Sam Kamu has been named as the best Auckland secondary school rugby league player of 2018. At an awards ceremony held in Auckland on Tuesday morning, Kamu – who played both as a winger and second-rower throughout the SAS College Sport Auckland Rugby League campaign – was announced as the premier award winner, six days after taking the field for his school in a 14-6 Grand Final loss to Kelston Boys’ High School. The award caps a big year for Kamu, who also…
Read MoreKelston return to the top
Auckland Rugby League: Kelston Boys’ High School are the kings of Auckland Secondary School league once again, after powering past Mt Albert Grammar School to claim the 2018 SAS College Sport Auckland Rugby League title. The west Auckland school scored two converted tries in the first half and kicked a penalty in the second, to claim their first title in four years in front of a vocal crowd at Mt Smart Stadium #2 on Wednesday night. Centre Mark Rasmussen opened the scoring on five minutes, grabbing onto a looping Konrad…
Read MoreSouthern Cross High School’s Ken Maumalo
Auckland Rugby League: New Zealand Warriors centre Ken Maumalo found his love for rugby league in the heart of Mangere East at Southern Cross High School. A Papatoetoe Panther and Mangere East Hawks junior, Maumalo has now played 50 games in the NRL and said he was a late bloomer to the game. “I played 1st XIII late back in college, I was always a rugby union player but our school’s league coach Rod Ratu asked me to give it a go as they were short on numbers,” Maumalo said. It took one game for Ken to see…
Read MoreAuckland schoolboy Christian Tuipulotu weighs up his options
Central Leader: A 16-year-old Auckland school boy has some tough choices to make with professional rugby and rugby league clubs both showing interest in his ability. Christian Tuipulotu caught the eye of the Warriors early and signed a three-year deal with the Kiwi rugby league franchise when he was just 13. Since then, the St Paul’s College head boy has captained the New Zealand under 16 rugby league side, played New Zealand schoolboys in the 15-man game, all while upholding excellence level academic results. He was also invited to train with…
Read MoreFormer Blues first-five Tasesa Lavea believes too much pressure on young rugby players
Newshub: Former dual-code international Tasesa Lavea has weighed in on the Etene Nanai-Seturo debate currently causing chaos between the New Zealand Warriors and New Zealand Rugby (NZR). The 18-year-old has been subject to a tug-of-war battle between NZR and the Warriors, whom he is under contract with until the end of 2019. Lavea is currently the head coach of Kings College first XV. Nanai-Seturo handed in a letter of “resignation” to the Warriors last year, but he has not officially been released and is still contracted to the club. Despite…
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