Columba College’s touch team snapped up their ninth title in 10 years at the South Island secondary schools championships in Christchurch at the weekend.
They cleaned up Craighead Diocesan and Marlborough Girls’ College in the quarterfinals and semifinals respectively, before keeping a clean sheet in the final, beating Christchurch Girls’ High School 3-0.
It has been quite the triumph for Columba across the past 10 years, the team only losing in 2023 after falling 3-1 to cross-town rivals St Hilda’s Collegiate.
Columba director of sport and coach Dayna Turnbull, who is assisted by her father, PJ, was proud of her players.
"It’s always hard when you are trying to back up results from previous years — especially consecutive titles — and it’s easy to feel that extra pressure," Turnbull said.
"I am just grateful the girls take it all in their stride and focus on what we can control, rather than what we can’t.
"We always say ‘trust the process’ and at the end of the day, it really is just a game.
"Winning is great, but what matters more is the friendships made and memories created."
Turnbull, a former Touch Black, felt their inclusive game plan, where everyone had a role to play, helped with their execution in Christchurch.
But the key to their long-term success was their culture.
"It’s more than a team — it’s a sisterhood. We sing, we dance and we laugh — a lot.
"Creating a team vibe that everyone can be themselves means we get the best out of every player both on and off the field.
"Everyone understands our goals and wants to work for one another to achieve them.
"We have built a legacy around what the singlet represents — our students understand they are playing for more than just themselves.
"It is about gratitude to the families who helped us get where we are and remembering that playing is a privilege, not a right.
"We respect those who have worn the singlet before us and aim to set a benchmark for those who will wear it in the future."
Players will now shift into winter sport mode and will head to the national secondary schools event in Gisborne in December.
They will be hunting for more success there and the chance to go better than their runner-up status for the past three years.
King’s High School finished second in the South Island secondary schoolboys division, losing 8-7 in the final to St Bede’s College.
