Taieri College upset King’s 2nds to record their first win for the season in the Southern Schools Rugby Championship.
It is a coup for the co-educational school, who have found themselves on the wrong side of some lopsided scores throughout the years.
But not on Saturday.
They battled into a strong breeze at King’s to trail 14-12 at the break.
They owned the second half, running in three tries and adding 17 unanswered points to record a 29-14 win.
New coach Zane McTainsh was thrilled with the result.
He started the year as an assistant but found himself elevated to the top role when veteran coach Murray Roulston pulled the pin after a couple of weeks.
Beating a 2nd XV at one of the big schools is a huge deal for Taieri. "It gives us a bit of belief that we can compete, at least, against a few of these big teams," McTainsh said.
Powerhouse loosehead Charlie Such was phenomenal. "His post-contact metres were enormous for us."
No 8, Kupa Richmond, did some heavy lifting and tighthead Connor Jopson rolled up his sleeves as well.
Halfback Liam Lord was tidy. And centre Sam Robertson looked energetic and scored a cracking try in the second half.
In the other matches in the maroon pool, Mount Aspiring edged Cromwell 29-24 in Cromwell and Wakatipu beat Otago Boys 2nds 20-17 at Littlebourne.
Southland Boys’ remain unbeaten in division 1. They rolled King’s 38-12 in Invercargill and the school’s 2nd XV edged Dunstan 8-7.
Otago Boys’ rollercoaster season took another dip. They were defeated 29-26 by John McGlashan at John McGlashan College.
In the blue pool, Māruawai/Menzies held on to beat John McGlashan 2nds 12-10 in Wyndham, St Kevin’s travelled across town and beat rival Waitaki Boys’ 15-12 and Central Southland recorded a 15-7 win in Winton.
