School News - Hamilton Boys' High School

Day One: 1st XV Sanix World Cup Campaign

2nd May 2011, 8:47am

9.30 am and we meet in No 1s at Auckland Airport. After months of fundraising and training, we are finally on our way to the Sanix World Schools Rugby Tournament in Fukuoka, Japan. A huge haka to our parents and loved ones, and we move through to the Departure lounge. Sean Maitland is traveling with the Crusaders to Perth; he comes over to see us. He talks about how his 1^st XV rugby experience at Hamilton Boys’ has been the most enjoyable of his career.

We get on the plane and movies, games and music help us to pass the 11 hour flight to Bangkok. We stop over for four hours before flying another five to Fukuoka. We all try to catch some sleep, then board a bus for the 40 minute drive to Global Arena, where all of the teams will stay and play. A quick orientation tour of the facilities and then off to practice. I’m named as a starter tomorrow – I am rapt!! A little weary from the travel, we start training poorly, but with a few encouraging threats from the coaches, we manage to pull things together. We have showers, a team bath (quite an experience) and dinner. We have rice, dumplings, chicken and salad. All good. The coaches have a special dinner with the other coaches, and they present our gifts to the organisers. We practice our team item which is a lipsync song and dance, and we are all in bed and asleep by 8.30 pm.

Sayonara

No 17 (and proud to take over from the Legendary No. 16)

Day Seven: 1st XV Sanix World Cup Campaign

4th May 2011, 9:09am

Woke this morning after an awesome sleep and it’s a rest day today. I must have been tired because the other boys were moaning about the Japanese ‘swappers’ keeping them awake. We have breakfast at 7.00am and then a light training session. Forwards work on lineout drives and defense while the backs have a good old talk…I mean discuss defensive policy.

We go back to the meeting room for daily agenda. Before that, Mrs Clark reads out the e-mails from yesterday. We have received hundreds of supportive messages by now but each one lights up the recipients eyes like it was Christmas. Mr Hughes sends a long message and manages to mock half the team. Hohepa finds himself missing home after a message from Mr Hotham’s brother. Tama finally gets out of the Lonely Hearts Club but we are all strongly suspicious that he sent it to himself.

Day Six: 1st XV Sanix World Cup Campaign

3rd May 2011, 11:55am

We’re up early for breakfast and training. Coaches walk us through the new plays again. There is half hour of downtime before pre-match routines begin. We’ve all become very competitive, trying to nail a starting spot for the games to come.

Usual warm-up and we’re back in the shed, jerseys on. Out of the tunnel and into the haka. Saga players are the first team to really challenge our haka and we end up nose to nose. Kick-off and we instantly show our game plan by

Day Three: 1st XV Sanix World Cup Campaign

2nd May 2011, 3:50pm

Another good night’s sleep and up at 6.45 for breaky. Game day, and over the hour after breakfast most boys are involved their own low key train-ons. 9.30am and we’re into pre-match. Our Doc Tiwini Hemi joins us and quickly assesses all ongoing injuries. He’s a top man, just like his bro Jojo, who lives in Japan and has helped the coaches with a lot of the tour organization.

The Hemi brothers quickly establish themselves as mentors to many players and can just about organize anything we need. Rubs, strapping, gear up then and we walk (very focused) across to the stadium. We can all tell that this will be an important match by the urgency in Mr Hotham’s and Mr

Day Two: 1st XV Sanix World Cup Campaign

2nd May 2011, 3:24pm

What a sleep! Up and showered before breakfast. It is game day versus Kugsyama H.S. and all the boys feel the excitement. There is definitely a feeling of expectation from the other teams here after last year’s HBHS team won. Hope we can handle the pressure. Team meeting, then strapping, rubs, showers, eating and gear on. I feel the pride in the jersey and have a huge respect for those who have worn it before me. We walk quietly across to the stadium, then warm up begins with our usual routines. By 11 am we are “all good to go”. A mean haka, much to the delight of the local crowd, then kickoff.

We start well, and with tries to Paea Fangufangu on the wing and No. 8 Jackson Baird Gillett, we lead 14-nil at halftime. In the second half, the game opens up with further tries to Hohepa Gibb, who has a great game at 2ndV and Luke Masirewa, the other wing. Paea adds a further two tries for a

Debaters Win Regional Contest

24th Aug 2012, 2:01pm

The Number One senior debating team successfully defended their position as Waikato Secondary Schools Debating Champions in last night’s final in the Debating Chamber of the Waikato City Council. Chaired by the Mayor of Hamilton, Hillcrest affirmed the moot “That this House would ban the advertising of prescription pharmaceuticals” while HBHS opposed. The HBHS team, comprising Thomas Simpson, Christopher Jury and Neeraj Khatri, supported by friends and families, argued that manufacturer’s advertising was a starting point for information about drug treatments while banning such advertising provided a conspiracy of silence for the general public, while the harms that advertising might engender were outweighed by the public’s right to knowledge and dialogue.