Auckland Grammar reclaim the Cooper-Greenbank Cup in 215th clash with King's College

One of New Zealand school rugby's grandest old rivalries produced another memorable afternoon in June, with Auckland Grammar's First XV winning 52-27 at King's College to reclaim the Cooper-Greenbank Cup in Round 6 of the Auckland 1A competition.

The fixture is a treasured one on both calendars. King's College's own match page calls it "one of the most anticipated matches of the King's College rugby season" and "a fiercely contested occasion and a highlight of the school rugby calendar", with the rivalry stretching back to 1896. The NZ Herald reported that 2026 marked the 215th game between the two schools, a staggering run of history for any sporting fixture, let alone one played by teenagers on a Saturday afternoon.

Grammar's attack was humming. According to the Auckland Rugby match centre, the visitors ran in eight tries, with Taye Thomson helping himself to a hat-trick and Marlee Jacobs, Tawa Frape, Sol Anderson, Connor Murdoch and Louie Du Plessis also crossing in the 52-point haul.

There was plenty for the home crowd to cheer as well. King's scored three tries of their own through Finn Thompson, Josiah Fifita and Leo Kirkland, per the Auckland Rugby match centre. The Herald's match report highlighted one of the moments of the day: a galloping 30-metre break by King's flanker Jamie Ludbrook from deep in his own territory, finished with an expertly placed centring kick that Kirkland gathered to score. For a young King's side the Herald described as rebuilding, those sparks of brilliance bode well for the seasons ahead.

The occasion itself remains a family affair. King's College welcomed supporters in person and online, with team line-ups published in advance and a photo gallery shared afterwards through the school's Rugby Supporters Club, a reminder that fixtures like this are as much about community as they are about the scoreboard.

The Cooper-Greenbank Cup now returns to Mountain Road, and both schools' First XVs march on in a tightly contested 1A season. On the evidence of this game, 11 tries, history everywhere you looked, and young players from both schools producing highlight-reel moments, the 216th meeting can't come soon enough.