Taieri College claim first win of season
Taieri College upset King's 2nds to record their first win for the season in the Southern Schools Rugby Championship.
It is a coup for the co-educational school, who have found themselves on the wrong side of some lopsided scores throughout the years.
But not on Saturday.
They battled into a strong breeze at King's to trail 14-12 at the break.
They owned the second half, running in three tries and adding 17 unanswered points to record a 29-14 win.
New coach Zane McTainsh was thrilled with the result.
He started the year as an assistant but found himself elevated to the top role when veteran coach Murray Roulston pulled the pin after a couple of weeks.
Beating a 2nd XV at one of the big schools is a huge deal for Taieri. "It gives us a bit of belief that we can compete, at least, against a few of these big teams," McTainsh said.
Powerhouse loosehead Charlie Such was phenomenal. "His post-contact metres were enormous for us."
No 8, Kupa Richmond, did some heavy lifting and tighthead Connor Jopson rolled up his sleeves as well.
Halfback Liam Lord was tidy. And centre Sam Robertson looked energetic and scored a cracking try in the second half.
In the other matches in the maroon pool, Mount Aspiring edged Cromwell 29-24 in Cromwell and Wakatipu beat Otago Boys 2nds 20-17 at Littlebourne.
Southland Boys' remain unbeaten in division 1. They rolled King's 38-12 in Invercargill and the school's 2nd XV edged Dunstan 8-7.
Otago Boys' rollercoaster season took another dip. They were defeated 29-26 by John McGlashan at John McGlashan College.
In the blue pool, Māruawai/Menzies held on to beat John McGlashan 2nds 12-10 in Wyndham, St Kevin's travelled across town and beat rival Waitaki Boys' 15-12 and Central Southland recorded a 15-7 win in Winton.
adrian.seconi@odt.co.nz
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Otago Daily Times
2 days ago
- Otago Daily Times
Commodore makes new record with role
Leading the way is nothing new for a Queensberry woman who has become the first female Commodore of a radio-controlled yacht squadron in New Zealand. Commodore Alexa Bell said she was the worst of the 13 sailors in the Cromwell Radio Yacht Squadron (CRYS) but was keen to learn and raise the profile of the club. Radio-controlled yacht racing was not a great spectator sport, Mrs Bell said. "It's a bit like cricket. You either get it or you don't get it." However, sailing them was highly competitive. The Cromwell squadron started with five members post-Covid. While there were a huge variety of vessels to choose from the 95cm ones were the preference at Cromwell. For the technically minded they are DS95 class 1 boats. Mrs Bell's introduction to the sport was through her husband Roy Goodwin, who was an enthusiast. The couple, who met on a flight from Auckland to Melbourne, and eventually sailed to New Zealand on a yacht, ending up in Kerikeri. While Mrs Bell had always been keen to move south, Mr Goodwin was convinced the best sailing in the country was in the Bay of Islands. However, two trips to cycle the Central Otago trails had him asking why they were not living here, Mrs Bell said. "I said 'I can fix that'," Mrs Bell said. Three months later they moved. Mr Goodwin joined the Cromwell squadron and Mrs Bell was happy to wave him off, she said. The then Commodore Jamie White, of Cromwell, suggested Mrs Bell give it a go. "I was like 'OK, then' and I got hooked." When Mr White decided he was short of time to manage the club he had a solution. "He told me, didn't ask me, that I was going to be commodore." A big part of the appeal of sailing was the competitiveness and the banter between the sailors, she said. "It's just fun. It's technical but it's fun, you know? I'm terrible, I'm the loser. I've just started but it doesn't matter." With her background it was no surprise competitiveness was the aspect that attracted Mrs Bell. Hailing from Montreal, Canada, Mrs Bell was a professional equestrian — riding, caring for and training horses, and in 1985 set the world record, which still stands, with a jump of 7ft4.5in (2.25m) for puissance — essentially high jump for horses and riders, she said. After representing Canada for about 15 years, while on holiday in Australia she landed a job coaching the Australian Showjumping Team at the 2000 Sydney Olympics — the youngest ever coach and first woman to do so. It was on a flight back to Melbourne from Horse of the Year in Hawke's Bay that she met Mr Goodwin. "I wasn't in the mood to talk, I thought. I was very tired, very grumpy. We hadn't won, you guys [New Zealand] had beat us, I was going home tail between my legs and this guy starts chatting away and I was like, I just want to go to sleep. But three hours later that was it." When she gave up working with horses Mrs Bell went to the Le Cordon Bleu school, in Paris and began a new career in food. She ran Pub Grub in Kerikeri, and brought the business with her to Queensberry. She offers everything from easy meal solutions to full catering service. CRYS was a young club with many members in their 30s, Mrs Bell said. That led to meetings on Sundays at 1pm in the winter and 5.15pm on Tuesdays in the summer. They share the Dunstan Boat Club rooms at McNulty Inlet and sail on the water there. Mrs Bell was keen to increase membership and encouraged more women to join up. Radio-controlled yachts were sailed all around the world and there were thousands of clubs sailing a huge range of vessels. "You could travel all over the world and every day go to a different club and sail somewhere. It's really, really large." The CRYS will host the Otago championships on November 7 and 8. Anyone wanting to find out more would be welcome at McNulty Inlet on Sundays at 1pm or contact the club at
Otago Daily Times
6 days ago
- Otago Daily Times
Kapa haka swansong poignant for student
King's High School student Archibald Valentine (left), 16, holds a tewhatewha, a Maori weapon, as he and his cousin Nikora Wiparata-Evans, 17, perform at Te Hautoka, the two-yearly Otago and Southland kapa haka competition, at the Edgar Centre yesterday. PHOTO: PETER MCINTOSH Performing at the Te Hautoka kapa haka contest felt a little bit sad for Archibald Valentine, 16, because he knew it was going to be his last time. The King's High School year 13 student took the stage for one final time with his peers at the biennial Otago and Southland kapa haka competition at the Edgar Centre yesterday. Archibald focused on just trying to the get his words out clearly. "I was nervous before, but when I got on the stage I was all calm," he said. His group — He Waka Kotuia, which includes students from King's and Queen's high schools — had been preparing since the start of the year for the competition. But Archibald has been performing in haka competitions since he was a 1-year-old. "I've been doing this my whole life." It meant the world to him to be able to represent his culture and speak on important topics. One of the the waiata the group sang celebrated those who had gone before them, another welcomed other groups to the competition, and another called out local government for "trashing the waters in Otago". Yesterday's performance ranked among the best he had been a part of, he said. "It was great — the energy was great. "One of the top ones, to be honest." He said his last-time performance was bittersweet, but he would be back to help put the show on next year. "Coming back and getting undressed for the last time was pretty sad." Te Hautoka organiser Cherie Ford said the day went well. It was hosted at the Edgar Centre as a standalone event for the first time this year. The centre had a bigger stage than the competition's former venue, the Dunedin Town Hall, and that allowed the groups to have a similar size stage to the one at the national finals in Tauranga later this year, Mrs Ford said. The competition had grown a lot, and it was "pretty special" to have a whole day of quality kapa haka. "Every group is competitive, and the prizes could go any way." Fourteen groups from secondary schools across the South took part in the event.
Otago Daily Times
6 days ago
- Otago Daily Times
Kapahaka swansong poignant for student
King's High School student Archibald Valentine (left), 16, holds a tewhatewha, a Maori weapon, as he and his cousin Nikora Wiparata-Evans, 17, perform at Te Hautoka, the two-yearly Otago and Southland kapa haka competition, at the Edgar Centre yesterday. PHOTO: PETER MCINTOSH Performing at the Te Hautoka kapa haka contest felt a little bit sad for Archibald Valentine, 16, because he knew it was going to be his last time. The King's High School year 13 student took the stage for one final time with his peers at the biennial Otago and Southland kapa haka competition at the Edgar Centre yesterday. Archibald focused on just trying to the get his words out clearly. "I was nervous before, but when I got on the stage I was all calm," he said. His group — He Waka Kotuia, which includes students from King's and Queen's high schools — had been preparing since the start of the year for the competition. But Archibald has been performing in haka competitions since he was a 1-year-old. "I've been doing this my whole life." It meant the world to him to be able to represent his culture and speak on important topics. One of the the waiata the group sang celebrated those who had gone before them, another welcomed other groups to the competition, and another called out local government for "trashing the waters in Otago". Yesterday's performance ranked among the best he had been a part of, he said. "It was great — the energy was great. "One of the top ones, to be honest." He said his last-time performance was bittersweet, but he would be back to help put the show on next year. "Coming back and getting undressed for the last time was pretty sad." Te Hautoka organiser Cherie Ford said the day went well. It was hosted at the Edgar Centre as a standalone event for the first time this year. The centre had a bigger stage than the competition's former venue, the Dunedin Town Hall, and that allowed the groups to have a similar size stage to the one at the national finals in Tauranga later this year, Mrs Ford said. The competition had grown a lot, and it was "pretty special" to have a whole day of quality kapa haka. "Every group is competitive, and the prizes could go any way." Fourteen groups from secondary schools across the South took part in the event.
