De La Salle College in south Auckland won the NZRL Secondary Schools boys’ premiership grand final with a 42-6 win over Rotorua Boys’ High School in the final, played in Rotorua on September 3.
De La Salle raced to an early lead through left centre Kaylise Fatialofa, who scored two quick tries in the opening minutes. After finding success on the left edge, De La Salle kept up the pressure, which resulted in Rodney Tuipulotu-Vea scoring a double for himself as De La Salle started to pile on the points.
In the second stanza, the right edge of Rotorua Boys led to points, as MJ Sa’olele Tavae and Haami Herbert-Loza found success down that channel. A late consolation try for Rotorua Boys saw them on the score sheet as De La Salle ran out winners by 42-6.
Kaylise Fatialofa was named as MVP. Kaylise, as well as Tuipulotu-Vea, Malachi Tony, and Ieti Jeff Samuelu from De La Salle were named in the boys’ tournament team. Sio Kali, Keisaia Su’a, Alekolasimi Jones, William Piliu and Zackariah Stephenson from St Paul’s College, Auckland, were also named in the team, as were Ngaheke Nepata, Oliver Lawry, Noah Harmer-Campbell and Cooper Te Hau of St Thomas of Canterbury College.
Of the 39 pre-War Kangaroos that played for Australia prior to 1914, only three of these able-bodied league players volunteered for service overseas in the Great War. Two of whom were native-born New Zealanders. Bill Kelly who played one test for Australia against the 1914 England Team and 11 games for New Zealand and Charles Savory who played ten games for New Zealand and four for Australia. Savory returned to NZ and enlisted in the Auckland Battalion and died from wounds received at Gallipoli. Bob Tidyman the other Kangaroo representative enlisted in 1916 and was later KIA on the Western Front. A good number of the remainder stayed home and played club league while their mates were dying on the front lines.
It was much to the credit of the NZRFL that in June 1915, two months after the Gallipoli landings they would inform the NSWRL that their invitation to tour later that year to Australia was refused. There was a War on and like other sports, rugby, tennis, cricket and athletics(no Olympic Games 1916), their first duty was to fight for the Empire.
The Armed Forces would never forgive the professional game for their attitude and it is only in the recent few decades that history memory bank has long since parted ways and league is now played in the services both here and in Australia. The same attitude prevailed in the schools.
Admittedly a great number of former league players took up arms to fight on the fields of War but the damage to Rugby Union particularly in Australia had been done and never really recovered from the misery and after-effects of War. The Queensland Rugby Union for instance only came back into existence in 1929.
So when those pipes, flags and drums are brought out onto the fields at league games on ANZAC Day it would do well to remember the part league played in the First World War.
Lest We Forget indeed.