Pakuranga College 1st XV continued a tradition of high achievement with strong performances throughout its tour of the Gold Coast Rugby Tournament this month.
The team came away with five wins of its six games – winning the Open U18 grade for the second time in three years.
“Our only loss was to a New South Wales representative team, who I truly believe would compete and beat most 1A schools (top Auckland school sides).
“So the boys did well to front up and play as well as they did.” said Darren Jardine, head of faculty, Health and PE at Pakuranga College.
“The team had a great tour both on and off the field, and demonstrated the unique bond that you get when you head away with a team, which was great to see,” Mr Jardine says.
The team was also privileged to be asked to open the ceremony for the final night dinner in the main arena at the outback show, a first for any team.
Pakuranga College coaching staff say they are proud of the boys and that they represented their college, families and country well.
The full results of the team’s trip were:
Beat Mount Maunganui (NZ) 44-0
Beat Tasmania Division Rep team (AUS) 39-11
Beat St Pius X (AUS) 30-5
Lost to New South Wale Country Rep team (AUS) 33-0
Beat Downlands College (AUS) 28-24
Beat Stratford College (NZ) 39-0
Points for — 180, points against – 73