Samoan Schools Look To Repeat History In Under 18 Final

22 years ago, in 1994, a touring Western Samoan Schools team was invited to compete in the annual inter-provincial tournament for the Under 18, Trustbank Central Secondary Schools Shield, held in Napier that year.

Western Samoa won the Shield in the Final played against Hawkes Bay at Park Island. Included in the Western Samoan Schools team that year was Opeta Palepoi, who subsequently represented Manu Samoa and the Wellington Lions, as well as playing 100 games of Club Rugby for Northern United.

Fast forward to 2016 and in the 25th year of competition for the Shield, for only the second time in the history of the competition, a team of schoolboys of Samoan descent representing the Wellington Samoan Rugby Union, will attempt to win the Shield once more.

The first time the Shield was competed for was in 1992, at which time there were 13 players of Samoan descent in the Wellington RFU team: Tofiga Fepuleai and Gene Lutton from Rongotai College; Sam Leota and Graham Webster from Mana College; Joe Filemu, Paulo Savelio, Vili Kelemete, Michael Nui, Sio Thomas and Llaga Lokeni from Bishop Viard College; Shanu Vaeluaga from St. Bernard’s College; and Chris Vaoliko from Porirua College.

In the past 24 years, Wellington RFU has won the Shield 13 times (once jointly with Hawkes Bay), Hawkes Bay have won 10 times (including once jointly with Wellington), Taranaki have won once and Western Samoa once.

In 2016, the Shield has been competed for between Under 18 teams from East Coast, Horowhenua-Kapiti, Poverty Bay, Wairarapa-Bush, Wanganui and Wellington Samoan Schools. On Saturday, it will be Wairarapa-Bush RFU who will contest the Final, with both teams unable to be overtaken on the Points Table.

Included in the Wairarapa-Bush team is half-back Ben Renton from Rathkeale College who attended the Hurricanes Under 18 Camp earlier this season and six members of the Wairarapa College 1XV team who finished 4th in the Weltec Premiership. Rathkeale College who played in the Wairarapa RFU 1XV Final are also well represented in the side.

The Wellington Samoan Schools team includes a selection of players from Wellington’s Weltec Premiership Colleges, with Wellington College, St. Patrick’s College, Bishop Viard College, Aotea College, St. Bernard’s College, Rongotai College and Porirua College all represented in the team.

Kick-Off is at 2.30pm on the Petone Recreation Ground, on Saturday. The match will be refereed by Sam Couper (Manawatu), with Assistant Referees Jordan Price, Matt Thomas, and Marius Du Toit (Substitutions).

The match will also be live broadcast on Te Upoko O Te Ika Radio (1161AM), with delayed broadcast coverage from 5.00pm on Radio 2ZE in the Wairarapa.