Christchurch Boys’ High School overpower Christ’s College in First XV rugby showdown
The Christchurch Boys' High School v Christ's College match resulted in a big win for the home side. Photo / CBHS Media Team
Christchurch Boys’ High School have again reigned supreme in the annual First XV rugby clash with Christ’s College – winning 55-26 in front of a raucous home crowd.
“School” were overwhelming favourites going into the match but it was Christ’s College that made the better start, scoring the opening try shortly after kickoff. The reaction from the “College” end was equal parts surprise and delight, before equating to belief.
It was a fair crowd, too – obvious even before entering Christchurch Boys’ High School (CBHS). Every marginal parking spot was taken around the neighbouring streets.
“You snooze, you lose – and you just lost it!” a woman on the phone says to a frustrated driver, trying to hold a car park with merely her body.
The 134-year-old match has the sort of pulling power that draws students from every secondary school in Christchurch, male and female. The fear of missing out leads many to risk punishment at their own schools to see these two old foes battle it out again.
“She can’t give everyone a detention,” one Christchurch Girls High School student says to another. Both are convinced that there will be no repercussions. They arrive just in time for the pre-haka stare-down, which is followed by the pre-game haka.
Christ’s break ranks first to begin their haka. Their hosts eyeball the challenge before gathering to begin their own challenge.
At one point, both teams bid their time in a mid-haka stare-down. College began their haka first and finished their haka last. If that’s a scoring play, early points went to the visitors. And so too, the actual points with the early unconverted try as CBHS struggled with their discipline.
Despite conceding the first try, the “blue and blacks” had already sounded a warning through the strong running of tall midfielder Dougal Grant.
The early College try only served to click the home side into gear and they mounted 38 unanswered points of their own before Christ’s bookended the first half with their second score.
The “College! College! College!” cries from the northern end were answered with “Scoreboard! Scoreboard! Scoreboard!” from the hosts.
The scoreboard read 38-12.
Among the wave of CBHS first-half points was an intercept by Grant, dotting down in front of near silence from the College supporters. The voices that dared to dream just 30 minutes earlier were now muffled by reality. It would take some kind of resurgence from the black-and-white hoops in the second half – and yet that’s what they bravely produced.
Christ’s scored shortly after the resumption and again shortly after that: 38-26, and the momentum was with the visitors.
From there, the home side dusted themselves off and, even with a yellow card to reserve outside back Isoa Vosa, produced enough to power clear.
Despite the high-scoring game, there was also bone-rattling defence, particularly from the hosts. Grant belted Christ’s hooker and captain Adriaan Pieter Van Wyk with a tackle that stopped him like a brick wall. Then first five-eighths Kaci Heath clobbered the dangerous Harvey Gubb. The defensive strength paid off on attack and Boys’ High captain Jonty Leary found himself in space more often than Jeff Bezos.
On at least three occasions, Leary burst through the midfield before scampering towards the goal-line. He may not have scored a try of his own – but he set up plenty. His last such run led to replacement pivot Sonny-Bill McAndrew putting William Brown away with a deft pass and effectively sealing the match in the 62nd minute.
The victorious whole-school haka rang out through the surrounding streets as the thousands of well-behaved spectators exited the school.
Christ’s will host the 2027 event in a bid to win the traditional clash for the first time since 2021.
Mike Thorpe is a senior multimedia journalist for the Herald, based in Christchurch. He has been a broadcast journalist across television and radio for 20 years and joined the Herald in August 2024.