St Paul's went down in a hard fought semi-final at St Peter's on Saturday.
Played in wet conditions on St Peter's number one field, the St Paul's boys did themselves, their families, and the school proud. St Paul's started the stronger of the two teams, and should have taken a 7-0 lead in the first minutes, but the referee found a forward pass that halted momentum.
Throughout the first half we found field position hard to come by, and were pinned deep in our half for long periods of time. Eventually this took its toll, and St Peters scored two qualities tries to take a 12-0 lead. As has been the case all year, St Paul's showed character to fight back, and scored two tries before half time. The first on the back of a powerful forward effort - starting with a rolling maul, and then pick and go's to crash over close to the line. The second try a long range try by Ray-Ven Tipene, where he beat multiple defenders on his way to the line.
St Paul's were back in the game by halftime with the score 12-10 to St Peters.
The second half started much like the first, with St Paul's defending for long periods at their own end of the field. We showed a lot of heart and courage to hold St Peter's out, but eventually conceded two tries with 15 minutes to go. With the score at 24-10 and St Paul's still creating opportunities, we were still a chance to fight back, however a late St Peters penalty sealed their victory.
Final Score: 10 – 27 to St Peters
Man of the Match: James Waddell
