Defending national 1st XV champions Southland Boys High School have made a losing start to the Southern Schools Rugby Championship.
The Jason Rutledge-coached Invercargill school fell 33-24 to Otago BHS at Dunedin's Littlebourne Ground last week in their traditional interschool fixture, a repeat of the 2023 Otago Schools Championship final.
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Fresh off finishing fourth at the Sanix World Rugby Youth Invitational and only returning from Japan three days earlier, the Royal Blues simply ran out of gas after building a big lead.
Southland BHS led 17-0 at halftime after a composed first half and 24-0 after a try early in the second half. But then Otago BHS left wing Manaia Lesa and second-five Tevita Latu sparked a comeback.
Christopher Ure, Jackson Hughan, Latu, who booted four of five conversion attempts, and Sione Takataka scored second-half tries to lift the home side to their second win in five days.
In other Southern Schools RC results, Dunedin schools John McGlashan College and King's HS played out a 13-13 draw, while Queenstown's Wakatipu HS defeated the Otago BHS 2nd XV 31-5 in Frankton.
Contrastingly, last year's beaten Top 4 finalists, Westlake BHS have started their North Harbour 1A and Blues Region 1st XV title defences with three big wins.
Westlake have defeated Massey HS 44-10, Rosmini College 41-8 and Takapuna Grammar 71-0 to be one of three schools north of the Harbour Bridge at 3-0-0, alongside Whangarei BHS and Rangitoto College.
After two rounds of the Auckland 1st XV 1A competition, four schools - St Paul's College, King's College, Auckland Grammar and St Kentigern College - remain unbeaten, while last year's beaten Blues Region finalists Sacred Heart College have lost two straight.
In the opening round of the Mainland 1st XV Premiership, Nelson College avenged their loss to Christchurch BHS in the 2023 final with a 30-19 win at Waimea Road on Saturday, while semifinalists St Bede's College and St Thomas of Canterbury scored wins.
Hamilton schools St John's College and St Paul's Collegiate have started the Central North Island 1st XV competition with two victories, while defending champions Feilding HS thumped St John's College (Hastings) 90-0 in their opener.
The 10-team Wellington 1st XV Premiership kicks-off on Wednesday, with Wellington College hosting last year's beaten finalists St Pat's Silverstream, before champions Scot's College welcome Paraparaumu College to Monorgan Road on Saturday.
The Super Eight competition, featuring eight of the best boys' schools in the central North Island, also starts on Saturday, with Palmerston North BHS hosting Gisborne BHS and New Plymouth BHS welcoming Hastings BHS.
FIRST XV RESULTS
NORTH HARBOUR 1ST XV 1A - ROUND 3
Whangarei BHS 22 Mahurangi College 21 Rangitoto College 22 Massey HS 14 Westlake BHS 71 Takapuna Grammar 0 Rosmini College 61 Manurewa HS 0
NORTH HARBOUR 1ST XV 1B - ROUND 2
Westlake BHS 2nd XV 50 Rosmini College 2nd XV 12 Westlake BHS 3rd XV Green 29 Westlake BHS 3rd XV Red 19 Rangitoto College 2nd XV 14 Massey HS 2nd XV 5
Long Bay College 28 Northcote/Birkenhead/Glenfield 27
Kaipara College 38 Orewa College 14
AUCKLAND 1ST XV 1A - ROUND 2
St Paul's College 31 Botany Downs SC 6 King's College 31 De La Salle College 28 Liston College 31 Dilworth School 11 St Peter's College 22 Kelston BHS 19 Auckland Grammar 27 Sacred Heart College 20 St Kentigern College 35 Mt Albert Grammar 16
AUCKLAND 1ST XV 1B - ROUND 2
Pool A
Avondale College 17 Waitakere College 17 Tangaroa College 50 One Tree Hill College 0 Southern Cross Campus 17 Aorere College 12
Pool B
Macleans College 24 Onehunga HS 10
Tamaki College 20 Howick College 15
Pakuranga College 29 Sir Ed Hillary Collegiate 0
Mangere College 19 Mt Roskill Grammar 17
CENTRAL NORTH ISLAND 1ST XV - ROUND 2
St Peter's Cambridge 41 Whanganui Collegiate 24
St Paul's Collegiate 33 Rathkeale College 3 St John's Hamilton 41 Francis Douglas MC 10
Lindisfarne College 29 Wesley College 25
Feilding HS 90 St John's Hastings 0
MAINLAND 1ST XV PREMIERSHIP - ROUND 1
Marlborough BC 41 Shirley BHS 26
St Thomas of Canterbury 24 Selwyn Combined 7
Nelson College 30 Christchurch BHS 19
Christ's College 59 Timaru BHS 12
St Bede's College 21 St Andrew's College 18
MAINLAND 1ST XV CHAMPIONSHIP - ROUND 1
St Thomas 2nd XV 17 Waimea Combined 17
Ashburton Schools 17 Christ's College 2nd XV 0
Rangiora HS 40 Horomake Combined 12
Christchurch BHS 2nd XV 57 Roncalli Aoraki Combined 14
St Bede's College 2nd XV 78 Cashmere Combined 0
SOUTHERN SCHOOLS CHAMPIONSHIP DIVISION 1 - ROUND 2
Otago BHS 33 Southland BHS 24
John McGlashan College 13 King's HS 13
Wakatipu HS 31 Otago BHS 2nd XV 5
SOUTHERN SCHOOLS CHAMPIONSHIP DIVISION 2 - ROUND 2
Blue Division
South Otago HS 36 Cromwell College 3
Gore HS/Menzies 53 St Kevin's College 15
Maroon Division
Southland BHS 2nd XV 21 Dunstan HS 7
Mt Aspiring College 38 John McGlashan 2nd XV 3
Waitaki BHS 31 Central Southland College 15
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