Rotorua Boys' High First XV 2026: world champs set the pace in a stacked Super 8

Few First XV programmes in the country carry the mana Rotorua Boys' High School bring into 2026. As the NZ Herald noted, the boys in green and black are the reigning national schools champions, and in May they added a global feather to their cap by winning the Sanix World Rugby Youth Invitational Tournament in Japan. It set the tone for a proud campaign, played with a strong Māori rugby tradition behind it.

A long unbeaten run

Back home, Rotorua carried that momentum into the Super 8. In a mid-June thriller in front of a crowd of nearly 2000, the Gisborne Herald reported that Rotorua edged a courageous Gisborne 31-26 to retain the Moascar Cup, the historic inter-schools challenge trophy. It was closer than the world champs would have liked; referee Jaco Brouwer told the paper that "had the game carried on for another five to 10 minutes, Gisborne would have won".

The response was emphatic. A fortnight later, the NZ Herald's First XV wrap recorded a 25-5 win over Hastings Boys' High that again defended the Moascar Cup and stretched Rotorua's unbeaten streak to 18 consecutive matches. The same report named Rylin Rasmussen (two tries), Jimione Ratuere, Luke Worsp and Samuel Phillips among the try-scorers, a nice spread of contributors across the park.

A tightening race

The Super 8 has been a genuine arm-wrestle. At the end of June, the Herald's table had Hamilton on 18 points just ahead of Napier and Rotorua on 16 apiece, with Palmerston North lurking on 15, so barely a result separated the top four.

Then came the toughest afternoon of the campaign. On the first Saturday of July, the NZ Herald reported that a five-try Napier Boys' High side got the better of Rotorua 33-7 in Napier, with Samuel Howell crossing for the visitors' lone try. The result opened a five-point gap on Rotorua and, per the same report, left two rounds still to play.

What's ahead

So, heading into the run home in mid-July, the picture is a familiar one for Rotorua: a hugely accomplished side, a world youth title in the bag, and a Super 8 that will go down to the wire. With a couple of rounds left, there is plenty still to play for, and a squad this deep will back itself to finish strongly.

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