St Thomas of Canterbury College Win Secondary Schools 9s

It was a case of quality over quantity at the Canterbury Secondary Schools 9s tournament on Thursday, held at Northern Bulldogs’ Murphy Park.

St Thomas of Canterbury College, Hornby High School and Haeata Community Campus were the only three entrants for the tournament, playing each other twice in the round-robin stage before the top two qualifiers squared off in the final.

St Thomas overturned their twin round-robin losses to Hornby High by pulling off a 20-8 upset in the final. Tactful half Braiden Maxwell-Smith was a standout for St Thomas, who also featured plenty of pace in the outside backs.

Despite falling at the final hurdle, Hornby High were very impressive and were perhaps disadvantaged by having to back up for a third straight game in the decider.

Haeata Community Campus can be proud of their efforts despite failing to register a win, boasting strong forwards and quick backs. Playmaker Tipene Corry was a clear standout for Haeata.

Final Placings: 1st – St Thomas of Canterbury College; 2nd – Hornby High School; 3rd – Haeata Community Campus

Game 1: STC 28 v Haeata 8
Game 2: STC 8 v Hornby 18
Game 3: Hornby 24 v Haeata 14
Game 4: STC 32 v Haeata 10
Game 5: STC 16 v Hornby 24
Game 6: Hornby 22 v Haeata 8
FINAL: Hornby 8 v STC 20

Haeata Community Campus were awarded the #BeASport Award. CRL wishes to thank Northern Bulldogs for hosting an outstanding day of 9s rugby league.

For a full gallery of the tournament, head to Canterbury Rugby League’s Facebook page.