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The crouching lion is rebuilding its ranks.
After a shaky preseason start, the Mahurangi College 1st XV rugby team has reached its second-round robin without having lost a single match.
As Mahurangi Matters went to press, the team had nine wins from nine matches.
Early in the season, Mahurangi made the decision to play in the 1B division, after a preseason loss to Orewa College.
Coach Ruan Prins says it was a difficult call to make as he believes Mahurangi is on a par with at least half of the teams in the top grade.
However, the team lost 40 players this year, due to students leaving school or having changed priorities.
“Most of the players this year are Years 11 and 12, with only five students in Year 13. The backline is the best I’ve coached in my life, but they are all Year 12s,” Prins says.
He says entering the top division ought to be on the cards for the next season or the one after.
“We have numbers and high competency at the younger level of the game. If we can keep them playing rugby, we could have three teams in a couple of years.”
“Definitely the aim is to be at 1A. Players learn more from playing the hard games in the highest level of competition than they do from winning.”
Mahurangi College appears to be comfortably headed to the 1B final, likely up against either Westlake College or Kaipara College.
Mahurangi had its first real test of the season against Westlake last month. It appeared to be Westlake’s game until the final quarter, when centre fullback Ty Connolly took a try in the corner for a final score of 28-24.
Prins says the highlight match of the season so far was against Kristin College, during which the team exhibited cool heads.
“In the first 20 minutes, the only mistake made was a single knock-on. Our aim is to play that kind of expansive clinical rugby in every game.”
The college is trying to line up some invitational matches for the end of the season – possibly even a rematch against Orewa.
