Kelston Boys First XV champs of Auckland, Warriors farewell powerhouse trio

Fakaalofa lahi atu! It’s been another busy weekend of sports, let’s get stuck in.
1. Kelston Boys High School win 1A competition

It was a hard-fought win at the Garden of Eden yesterday for our next generation of rugby stars in Auckland. Kelston Boys High School secured the 1A championship for Auckland's schoolboys first XV competition, winning 30 - 24 against St Kentigern College.

The game was a back-and-forth battle between the first and second placed sides, with Kelston striking first in the opening minutes.

St Kents fought back and held on throughout most of the match, until the final 10 minutes where Kelston scored two tries extending their lead. As the final whistle blew, Kelston kicked the ball out and the players ran into their crowd in celebration as Auckland’s newest 1A champions.

Kelston Boys High School First XV after their win at the weekend. Photo/Auckland Rugby.

2. Warriors fall in farewell festival

My beloved Warriors season is over. And they were unable to win in the farewell match for three of their best: Addin Fonua-Blake, Jazz Tevaga and Shaun Johnson. The Warriors lost 34 - 18 to the Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs.

The Warriors first half was consistent with many of their performances this year, scoring quick tries early taking a 18-16 lead in the first half. The forward pairing of Addin Fonua-Blake and Mitch Barnett were damaging in the middle, getting good field position for the home side.

But again, defence was to the Warriors’ detriment as the Bulldogs ran in three unanswered tries in front of the roaring home crowd.

The biggest talking point from the game was the refusal of the refs to send Stephen Crichton off the field, after a shoulder to the head of Roger Tuivasa-Sheck. In the post-match press conference, Warriors head coach Andrew Webster expressed his frustration at the inconsistency of the refereeing decision for the Warriors.

Despite the loss, the Warriors are farewelling three of their best, who have contributed so much to the Warriors jersey. Go well in the next chapter boys!

Photo/Warriors media.

3. All Blacks prepare for bruising tests in South Africa

The Rugby Championship is in full swing, and the All Blacks are now headed to South Africa with a 1-1 record in the competitin. It will be a world cup final rematch for the ages, as the rugby’s two best sides go head to head once again.

The All Blacks made headlines last week for some off-field tensions, as assistant coach Leon McDonald quit his duties just days before the side went into camp.

Over the past few years the All Blacks have been in the spotlight for all sorts of drama, so their leaders and their new coach will need to pull their squad together quickly. They can’t go over to South Africa and lose two-tests in a row!

I reflect on the message Ardie Savea expressed to the boys in preparation for the second-test against Argentina about physicality and effort.

The All Blacks will need to front up physicality in the opening exchanges against the Springboks. If they are able to impose dominance with their forwards early, I think they could get an early advantage.

Their first match against the Springboks goes down this Sunday morning (NZT).

4. Solo Sikoa knuckles down on Bloodline

The Bloodline saga continues. After their beatdown on the ‘Original Tribal Chief’ Roman Reigns last week, Solo Sikoa and the new bloodline stood tall in the latest episode of Smackdown.

Despite chants of “OTC” from the crowd, Solo Sikoa proceeded to gloat after his beating on Roman Reigns’, proclaiming himself as the only Tribal Chief.

Sikoa is still insistent on chasing the World Heavyweight Championship from Cody Rhodes, after his match was spoiled by Roman Reigns at Summerslam a few weeks ago. He said in his promo he is determined to bring back the title to the Bloodline.

Sikoa was joined by Smackdown tag-team champions Tama Tonga and Jacob Fatu, with Tonga Loa standing idle in the background.

In an odd moment, Jacob Fatu was forced by Sikoa to hand his title to Tonga Loa, before Sikoa demanded Fatu to acknowledge him as the Tribal Chief. A strange interaction, given Tonga Loa is not the rightful champion.

There’s a lot going on at the moment with the Bloodline and its members, but as the weeks go by and the return of Roman Reigns is looming - it’s an exciting time to look forward to!

5. Overtime Podcast

Our Overtime Podcast is now on its twelfth episode, and what a journey it’s been so far.

We’ve been able to interview and platform some of our Pacific champions in the sporting community here in Aotearoa from content creators, athletes, self diagnosed “armchair coaches” and much more.

Our aim for the podcast is to inform, uplift and entertain with the latest sporting news in the world of Pacific sports. We've had talent with huge interest in sports and have heard some compelling stories from their journey into sports.

Mixed in with some laughs, the podcast has been an enjoyable journey.

I implore you to go and watch the episodes here and give us a review, we’re keen to keep growing the podcast and get more eyes and ears onto our people and their sporting pursuits.

You can find the podcast here: Overtime | Podcast on Spotify

Matty’s Golden Point

Matty’s Golden Point is a piece of advice shared on 531PI’s Pacific Grandstand show.

“My attitude is that if you push me towards something that you think is a weakness, then I will turn that perceived weakness into a strength.”

Michael Jordan