Ash/Hutt players take on the Timaru Girls’ High School defence during Wednesday’s semifinal. Photo supplied.The Ashburton College/Mt Hutt College girls’ rugby team will get a chance to defend its Aoraki title after convincingly seeing off a challenge from Timaru Girls’ High School in Wednesday’s semifinal.

Given a home semifinal in the Aoraki Secondary Schools’ girls’ rugby competition for the first time, Ash/Hutt took to the field at the Ashburton Celtic Rugby Club in front of a good, vocal home crowd and were determined to keep their stellar season rolling.

They did just that, running away with the game 69-24 to secure themselves a spot in next week’s final against Timaru’s Craighead, after the season’s other top contenders downed Timaru’s Roncalli College in the day’s other semifinal.

It was the final that was expected when you looked at the formbooks this season, but just who will take it out in Timaru next week is anyone’s guess.

The two sides have already played twice this season, taking a win each. They met in the season opener this year and Craighead won 27-20, but when they met a few weeks later, Ash/Hutt turned the tables and won 17-10.

Ash/Hutt’s semifinal opposition on Wednesday was the school that they beat in last year’s final, Timaru Girls’ High School.

Ash/Hutt won last season’s final 64-40 to cap off a stellar season and they are hopeful of defending that title and adding another to their names next week.

Ash/Hutt had a strong recent history in the competition.

They were unbeaten in the 2017 competition, lost just one game in the 2016 competition, and were unbeaten in the 2015 competition.

© The Ashburton Guardian - 24 August 2018