Tokoroa High climb three places in league rankings
Despite no opposition to play outside the tournament week, Tokoroa High league team have jumped three places in the table.
As the fulltime whistle screeched at last week’s National Secondary Schools Rugby League tournament Tokoroa High School were a dejected group.
Having just been edged out 22-18 by Auckland heavyweights Papakura High School, the South Waikato outfit had missed the chance to crown themselves as the fifth best secondary school team in New Zealand.
But amid the tears and silence Tokoroa coach Tama Teaukura was immensely proud – this was, after all, a team who had no competition whatsoever to play against during the regular season.
“The only thing we can do to keep our guys conditioned is to have our players playing rugby in the Waikato Premier division, that’s not an ideal preparation,” Teaukura said.
“Preparation is extra hard, it’s one of the disadvantages we have got.”
The Waikato region currently has no secondary school rugby league competition, with many schools still refusing to embrace the game out of fear that it will take over from rugby union as the sport of choice.
Adding further pressure to the situation was the fact that Tokoroa were placed in the ‘pool of death’ having to face Auckland’s St Paul’s College, a school who have won 14 of the 18 national secondary school competitions held.
“It was a huge effort from the guys coming through a tough pool, I just feel for the boys after all their hard work over summer,” Teaukura said.
A number of players stood out for Tokoroa across the week-long tournament at Papakura’s Bruce Pulman Park, including young centre Isaiah Cooper-Tetevano, who is the brother of current Newcastle Knights NRL star and Cook Islands international Zane Tetevano.
Tokoroa have improved every year since starting to attend the annual tournament, and have jumped three places in the national rankings after finishing up ninth in 2012.
“Every year that we have come here we have learnt something and gone home to correct that,” Teaukura said.
Fifth and Sixth place playoff at the New Zealand National Secondary Schools Rugby League Nationals.
Papakura High School 22 (tries; Kameli Vasu x2, Frank Toutaiolepo, Arthur Crichton. Conversions; Crichton 3/4.)
Tokoroa High School 18 (tries; Isaiah Cooper-Tetevano x2, Charnz Ngatai, Brian Turia. Conversions; Axl Kingi 1/4.)
