Monday Magic: Auckland's Girls' First XV Season Hits Full Stride

Monday afternoons have become appointment viewing for rugby families across Tāmaki Makaurau, with the 2026 Auckland Secondary School girls' First XV competition now past its halfway mark and serving up fast, joyful footy from Mt Albert to Māngere.

The season kicked off on 4 May, and Mt Albert Grammar School set the tone early. According to the official Rugby Xplorer match centre, MAGS ran in nine tries in their Round 1 win at Aorere College, with Maddisyn McGlone crossing four times and Angelina Craig adding two tries and two conversions of her own in a 57-0 result.

A week later it was Southern Cross Campus's turn to shine. The Māngere school's girls' First XV put on a 50-5 show at home in Round 2, per the Rugby Xplorer match record, while the same round of the draw also brought together Rosehill College and Epsom Girls' Grammar School, a sign of how widely the girls' game now stretches across the region.

By Round 6 on 15 June, McAuley High School were flying. The Ōtāhuhu side crossed for nine tries in a 62-7 away win, as recorded on Rugby Xplorer, underlining the depth of talent in South Auckland's proud rugby nurseries.

A special mention, too, for Aorere College, who have hosted plenty of visiting teams this season and keep fronting up round after round, including getting on the scoreboard against a rampant McAuley. Every one of these Monday fixtures needs two teams willing to have a go, and the Papatoetoe school's girls are doing exactly that.

The competition runs under the College Sport Auckland umbrella, with entry information for the 2026 girls' grades published alongside the boys' competitions, and community referees such as Himawari Ochiai and Anthony Links giving up their Monday afternoons to keep the whistle blowing.

There is plenty still to play for. Beyond local bragging rights, NZ Rugby's national schools calendar offers girls' teams a pathway to the National Girls' First XV Championship for the Hine Pounamu Trophy, while the Condor Sevens winner earns the trip of a lifetime to the SANIX World Rugby Tournament in Japan.

If you have a spare Monday afternoon, get along to a school ground near you, the girls' game in Auckland has never been in better heart.