The Mid Canterbury Combined XV rugby team puts everything into a haka ahead of a UC Championship game last year. Photo Robyn HoodA plan has been hatched to put the shine back on schoolboy rugby in Mid Canterbury, but those behind it know it’s a case of one step at a time.

Last year the Mid Canterbury Combined First XV struggled to find coaches and players, and then found themselves on the wrong end of some pretty big scores during a UC Championship where they failed to win a game.

And turning that around isn’t going to be something that happens overnight, but the committee that had tasked itself with doing just that is determined it will happen, member John Galbraith said.

None of those on the committee even have kids involved in first XV rugby – they are simply passionate about the game and know how important schoolboy rugby is to the national game.

So, they have drawn up a template which they hope will lead to first XV again being something young players strive for in Mid Canterbury, and they hope the community will get behind them to help make a change.

Galbraith said both Mid Canterbury’s boys’ and girls’ first XVs are a big part of the plan, but it is also about providing a pathway for players in the second XV and under-15 teams, and it isn’t all just about rugby.

It is about growing good players who are also good people, and giving them vital life skills.

Part of that is bringing in new voices, and this week the man tasked with identifying young talent for the Crusaders region – Dave McLennan – was due to visit Ashburton to talk to players about potential pathways which could take them to the Crusaders Knights and beyond.

He was due to speak on everything from nutrition and planning, to personal wellbeing and training, but had to pull out at the last minute.

“We’re not just trying to make All Blacks, we’re trying to give the kids the best experience they can,” Galbraith said.

It is the first time Mid Canterbury’s rugby union, schools and clubs had come together and recognised the importance of school level rugby, Galbraith said.

“We don’t want to take anything away from club rugby, and we don’t want to take anything away from school rugby,” Galbraith said.

It is about working together towards a common goal – making Mid Canterbury a schoolboy rugby powerhouse again.

Galbraith attended Darfield High School and said back in his day Ashburton College’s first XV was feared, and he wanted to see it get back to that.

But to get there, it will take the community’s support.

Yes, part of that was getting sponsors on board but instead of finding one big sponsor, they are hoping to get a lot of smaller sponsors.

That, Galbraith said, will hopefully get more people to buy in to the team and put more people on the sidelines cheering Mid Canterbury Combined on.

The past few seasons hadn’t been great, but Galbraith said losing didn’t hurt quite so much when you did so in front of a decent-sized, supportive crowd.

They aren’t expecting Mid Canterbury to win every game this season – it was a case of small steps.

But, examples set by the likes of Lincoln Combined and Rangiora High School in recent years showed that things could change.

Both sides had made big alterations and last year Rangiora High School finished in the UC Championship’s top four, beating Christchurch Boys’ High School along the way.

They got there by playing for each other, playing for school pride, and playing for their community, and that was what Galbraith and his team wanted to see in Mid Canterbury.

There would still be age group club rugby across the grades, and the changes within the school rugby system were not about taking anything away from the club scene.

Galbraith said not everyone will want to play for the first XV, but he wanted to bring that prestige and respect back for schoolboy rugby in Mid Canterbury.

He said the schoolboy rugby competition in New Zealand was the highest level of schoolboy rugby in the world and could provide a launchpad for players to go on to much bigger things.

It had been a few seasons now that Ashburton College and Mt Hutt College had been coming together to put a Mid Canterbury Combined First XV on the field, but even with two schools to pick and choose from it hadn’t always been easy to get the numbers.

It was hoped that the new template being rolled out from this season would start the change, and in a few years there might be 60 kids trying out for the first XVs.

“It’s not purely results driven.

“It’s about laying a foundation and making for a really cool culture,” Galbraith said.

This year’s Mid Canterbury Combined First XV will be coached by Warren Donald, Andrew Morgan and Brent Middleton, who also coached last season alongside Blair O’Donnell.

O’Donnell would this year take on the manager’s role.

Within that leadership team there was a fair few Mid Canterbury caps, while Morgan also played for Canterbury. Between them, they knew what it took to make it.

“In Mid Canterbury we have all the resources available to compete with anybody,” Galbraith said.

The building blocks are there and if everyone made an effort, from players and coaches, to sponsors and spectators, the results on the field would take care of themselves, Galbraith said.

By Erin Tasker © The Ashburton Guardian - 23 February 2019

Ashburton College’s 3×3 basketballers are heading to Tauranga for the nationals next month. Photo Jaime Pitt-MacKayWhen Ashburton College’s 3×3 basketball teams head to the 3×3 nationals next month, they’ll be kick-starting a huge season of basketball for the school.

The school looks set to follow up a year where the number of kids playing the sport was bigger than ever before, with an even bigger year.

Ashburton College coach Mark Douglas said basketball has been growing in popularity to the extent that it is now the number two sport in schools, second only to netball, and it’s forecast to be number one by next year.

“We are definitely part of that trend, it’s been awesome,” Douglas said.

Last year, Ashburton College had 110 players trial for teams, and this year they’ve had 130.

“We had a 20 per cent increase in people turning up to trial and have got on board with Basketball Mid Canterbury, so we are now capturing all the kids who want to play, and giving them that opportunity to play,” Douglas said.

That will include running a local secondary school level competition which will not only give everyone a chance to play, but also be an opportunity to develop future referees, Douglas said.

He said a couple of years ago Ashburton College had about five teams, and this season they are likely to have 11 or 12.

That includes the senior girls who will again compete in the Canterbury secondary schools’ Whelan Trophy competition, and the senior boys, who will take part in the Thompson Trophy.

Those competitions won’t kick off until term two, but the college’s 3×3 teams will be in action next month.

Ashburton College has a senior A girls’ team, a junior A boys’ team and a development junior team heading to the nationals in Tauranga at the end of March.

“I have high expectations of the junior A boys as a pretty strong outfit, so we are going in with high hopes,” Douglas said.

The school will take four players in each team to the tournament, which will involve around 120 teams all up.

The 3×3 version of the sport is on the up all over New Zealand, with a Japanese league recently announcing New Zealand will be added to a global competition along with Korea and Thailand.

Auckland will host a North Island conference, while Christchurch will host a South Island conference, each of which will consist of six teams which will play over eight rounds from May to August.

By Erin Tasker © The Ashburton Guardian - 22 February 2019

Veronica Wall . Photo supplied.Ashburton’s first podium placings of the 2019 New Zealand Rowing Championships have been achieved.

In Thursday’s action at Twizel’s Lake Ruataniwha, Veronica Wall formed part of the Southern Rowing Performance Centre women’s under-22 coxless quad which won gold, while Ged Wall was third in the men’s exhibition intermediate single sculls B final.

After wind caused some delays to racing on Wednesday’s second day, improved water and wind conditions met the first semi-finals and finals of the 2019 event on Thursday, and a full-on day on the water ensued.

But the weather again proved to be a problem on Friday morning, with action having to be put on hold.

Mayfield’s Emma Dyke, rowing in her Timaru Rowing Club colours but for the Southern RPC, was due to hit the water in the women’s premier pair with Grace Prendergast yesterday, while a number of other Ashburton Rowing Club members were also due to hit the water.

Haxby Hefford was due to compete in the men’s under-20 single sculls A final after finishing fourth in his semi-final, while Grace Wilson and Mollie Gibson were set to compete in the A final for the women’s under-20 double.

Hefford was also due to combine with Mike Wall in the men’s club double B final, while Gibson was in the women’s senior single B final.

Among the other races affected by the weather forcing the regatta to be put on hold yesterday morning were Hefford and Ged Wall’s row in the men’s under-19 double sculls heat, and Gibson and Emma Stagg, and Aidan Elvines and Grace Adams’ women’s under-19 double sculls heat.

Veronica Wall’s under-22 single scull final was another that had been scheduled to hit the water yesterday morning, followed by the women’s premier double sculls final yesterday afternoon with Southern RPC crew-mate Laura Glen.

The duo won their heat, while Wall was second in her under-22 single scull heat.

The regatta was put on hold until 12.30pm on Friday, but conditions had still not improved and it was again put on hold until 1.30pm, and that ended up being the story of the day.

© The Ashburton Guardian - 22 February 2019