After an exciting weekend of schoolboy rugby, four east Auckland schools are off to their respective 1st XV finals.
With an unbeaten round-robin season under their belt, Saint Kentigern College were clear favourites in their 1A semi-final against De La Salle College.
St Kents took the upper hand at halftime with a 17-15 lead.
The men in white and blue had to defend courageously in the second half with De La Salle scoring early and converting to take a 22-17 lead. In the dying minutes of the game St Kents crossed the line in the corner but were unable to convert.
After 70 minutes, the two sides couldn’t be separated, settling on a 22-22 draw.
VIEW PHOTOS: Saint Kentigern College VS. De La Salle College 1st XV Semi Final
With St Kents scoring the first try of the match, they have progressed through to the prestigious 1A 1st XV final this weekend against Sacred Heart College.
It has been six years since St Kents were 1A champions, ironically beating Sacred Heart 26-19 in 2017 at Eden Park.
Meanwhile, it will be an all-east Auckland final in the 1st XV 1B competition, with Howick College and Botany Downs Secondary College (BDSC) each winning their semi-finals.
BDSC made light work of Avondale College, storming to a 42-5 victory. As for Howick College, it was a bit more of a nail-biter, managing to offset Tamaki College’s home advantage and prevail 18-15.
VIEW PHOTOS: BDSC 1st XV vs. Avondale 1B Semi Final
The two east Auckland schools will do battle on Saturday for bragging rights and the 1st XV 1B championship.
Macleans College are also through to the final of the bottom 7 pool in the 1B competition after a comprehensive 26-5 win over Otahuhu College at the weekend.
Auckland 1st XV Rugby Semi-Final Results:
1A
SF1: Saint Kentigern College 22 – De La Salle College 22
SF2: Sacred Heart College 32 – Auckland Grammar School 8
1B (Top 8)
SF1: Botany Downs Secondary College 42 – Avondale College 5
SF2: Howick College 18 – Tamaki College 15
1B (Bottom 7)
SF1: Macleans College 26 – Otahuhu College 5
SF2: Sir Edmund Hillary Collegiate 20 – Southern Cross Campus 14
Auckland 1st XV Rugby Final Fixtures:
1B (Bottom 7)
Macleans College vs Sir Edmund Hillary Collegiate (Venue TBC)
1B (Top 8)
Howick College vs Botany Downs Secondary College (Venue TBC)
1A
Saint Kentigern College vs Sacred Heart College (Venue TBC)
