Hankins Shield champions College Old Boys invest in youth

RUGBY: Other clubs in Manawat should note that College Old Boys won the Hankins Shield with nine 18-year-olds on their roster.

That was the number that coach Bryan Matenga shook off as they defeated Old Boys-Marist 24-5 at the Arena on Saturday in one of the more lopsided finals in recent years.

In addition, COB won their 30th Hankins, despite not being able to field a full 23 players all season. Even for the final, three players from their B-team had to be called up.

“Playing Te Kawau and Kia Toa when we only had 16 players helped us,” said Matenga.

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Teens aside, there’s something in the COB DNA when it comes to finals, in such troopers as captain Jared Goodson, who took their most recent overall win in 2015, as did sturdy midfielder Cyrus Baker, equally hefty convert prop Cory Purton and fullback Andrew McDougall.

When prop Isaac Tupa’i went down in the middle of the week, high-tailed Matenga went to Purton’s home in Rongotea to summon him and, having not played all season, Purton held out for 73 minutes.

Among those teens, first five-eighth Isaiah Armstrong-Ravula and NZ Schools halfback Jordi Viljoen lavished the ball the attackers put on and led the game.

Each time OBM kicked, it was thrust down Armstrong-Ravula’s throat, and although he posed a constant threat, Viljoen’s quick serve and lob or box kicks confused OBM.

No wonder they’re in the Hurricanes’ long-term frames.

There is a lot about his uncle Richie Mo’unga in Armstrong-Ravula. If he wasn’t so young he would be an instant Turbo and how OBM missed the new Turbo’s first five Sam Clarke.

Armstrong-Ravula kicked the goals OBM’s Aidan Champion didn’t, most notably when COB led 10-5 after OBM’s new Turbo, Kegan Christian-Goss, scored against the course of the game through a solid COB defense.

It should have been 10 at halftime, if undeserved.

The ever-passionate Matenga was distraught as Te Kawau’s coach in 2011, when his undefeated side lost the final in the final seconds.

Despite winning three Hankins as a Te Kawau player, this win as a coach solved that nightmare.

“This team wasn’t as stacked as last year,” he said. “Next year I will do it again to get the fruit.

“I was afraid that we had played our final last week, but we went up a notch.”

COB sucked the oxygen from No. 1 qualifiers, Varsity, last week and put on an OBM outfit that missed a third of their starters.

When fast, young college wing Jayden Keelan scored attempts at the end of each half, as he has all season, it was game over for the Vatican men.

COB had melted Varsity’s lineout and had a similar effect on OBM, who lost six lineouts, four in the first half.

Matenga had changed the lineout’s defensive strategy four weeks ago.

“My two most important things were: keep it simple and discipline.”

Former Turbo Andre Taylor’s cameos were pivotal as they defeated Varsity in bogside on June 11 and in the center on Saturday, when he gave Keelan the lead after five minutes and later shot a penalty from 45 yards.

Then there was Manawatū prop Sean Paranihi who played 80, supporting the Hankins he won with Feilding Old Boys-Ōroua in 2018.

Loose forwards Te Anini Pardoe and Elyjah Crosswell finished it off.

COB gasped for the semifinals with a record 50%, which is probably a record for a championship team.

Goodson gave a clue: “I thought we were getting momentum towards the end of the year and that helped us through today.”

For OBM it was a game too far. They just had too many lead players absent after their smashing semi-final victory over Feilding and the pain continued when opensider Declan McCormack limped after 46 minutes.

OBM coach Reece Robinson took them to victory in 2017, but he made no apologies this time.

“It’s about the team that shows up and seizes its opportunities. We made too many mistakes today and that was because of the pressure from the university.

“They timed their run pretty well; two good performances in two weeks.”

It was Robinson’s swan song when he brought his handyman maintenance business and his young family to Masterton.

The undersized OBM missed good ball and game breakers, but skipper Matene Ruawai, lock Jay Rolleston and midfielder Christian-Goss gave their all.

Scorers:

College OB 24 (Jayden Keelan 2 tries; Isaiah Armstrong-Ravula con, 3 pens, Andre Taylor pen) OB Marist 5 (trying Kegan Christian-Goss) HT 10-5.

Horowhenua Kapiti semi-final results: Waikanae 36-24 COB. Rahui 23-23 Shannon. After extra time, the scores were even and as Shannon defeated Rāhui four times against three, they advance to the final.

Recent Hankins Shield Final:

2010 Varsity 11 FOB-Ōroua 10

2011 Varsity 29 Te Kawau 27

2012 College OB 34 Varsity 20

2013 Kia Toa 37Varsity 15

2014 College OB 21 Kia Toa 10

2015 College OB 32 Kia Toa 21

2016 Varsity 18 Kia Toa 17

2017 OBM 28 Kia Toa 27

2018 FOB Roua 24 Feilding 22

2019 Falling 16 Varsity 14

2020 Falling 27 Varsity 24

2021 Falling 22 Varsity 18

2022 College OB 24 OB Marist 5