The Press Cup Update
This season’s competition has been split into two pools; northern and southern. The pools play a round robin, with the top four teams from each qualifying for the championship round. Points from the round robin are carried through. After four rounds, Christ's College leads in the southern pool that includes Timaru Boys' High, Roncalli, Christchurch Boys' High, Ashburton College, Shirley Boys' High, Lincoln High and Burnside High. St Bede’s leads the northern pool consisting of St Andrew's, St Thomas, Nelson Boys', Nayland, Marlborough Boys', Waimea and Rangiora High. College beat Roncalli 36-27 on Saturday, in their toughest test to date. Coach Derek Martin says they have eased into the competition by playing lower-ranked teams in the opening rounds. “It’s allowed us to run our systems and patterns of play in a contested environment,” he says. “We haven’t played the big teams in our comp yet. Timaru Boys’ and Christchurch Boys’ are by far the top two teams in our southern pool.” A round three draw between Timaru and Christchurch shows there is “nothing between them”, Derek says. In his fourth season at the helm, Derek believes College are a team on the rise after some average Press Cup results in the past. “We’ve kept ourselves in the top four for the last couple of years, but at schoolboy level, it’s all about the guys you can put on the park. “We’re not like some schools, who can run lots of Canterbury representatives throughout their squad. We have one or two, if we’re lucky, so we just hope to develop a good team culture.” College last year produced a star in fullback Marty McKenzie, who broke two Press Cup records. The South Island schoolboys representative scored the most tries, 26, and produced the most points, 236, in another stellar season. Derek says producing regular stars is no easy feat for a fee-paying school. “Every week is a test match for our guys because a lot are stepping up to their first year of Press Cup rugby. Seven of the forward pack are in their first year and it’s a big jump from under-16s for them.” In other round four matches, St Andrew’s beat Nayland 113-5, St Thomas beat Marlborough 24-6, Nelson beat newcomers Rangiora 34-18, St Bede’s remains unbeaten following a 56-6 win against Waimea, Christchurch Boys’ shut out Shirley 36-0, Timaru beat Lincoln 41-14, and Burnside beat Ashburton 12-8. Locationhttp://www.canterburycommunityrugby.co.nz/main/index.cfm/1,607,3778,html Copyright © CRFU 2012 |
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Christ’s College and St Bede’s have continued their winning ways in the revamped Press Cup.Site by Orbital Ltd