Southland Boys' claim first-ever Alatini Skelt Cup with gutsy win over King's College

Southland Boys' High School could hardly have scripted a better start to their 2026 season, downing 2025 Auckland champions King's College 29-12 in Invercargill and becoming the first school to lift the brand-new Alatini Skelt Cup.

Writing for The Southland Tribune, Logan Savory described a "herculean defensive display" from the home side, who withstood wave after wave of attack from a big, talented King's College outfit on the school's famous No 1 field.

The new trophy adds a lovely layer of history to what is already a cherished annual fixture. As Savory reported, the Alatini Skelt Cup honours two much-loved rugby figures: Peter Skelt, the longtime Southland Boys' High School coach, and former All Black Pita Alatini, who is now head of rugby at King's College.

King's struck first inside five minutes and kept asking questions of the Southland defence. The turning point came around the 14-minute mark, when halfback Charlie Walker spotted an opening from a lineout and took off for what Savory called a brilliant try, locking the scores at 7-7. Finn Hurley crossed before the break to give the hosts a 12-7 lead, and in the second half Southland Boys' made their opportunities count, centre Caleb Harvey dotting down twice and fullback Jack Brock adding another to stretch the lead to 29-7 before a late King's College reply.

The Southland Tribune's match report singled out plenty of positives across the park: Hurley and Harvey impressed in midfield, Elliot Wilson stood tall at tighthead in the scrum, Hunter Newell led the defensive effort from No 8, and Cruz Swain enjoyed a fine debut on the blindside flank.

The result caps a build-up in which nobody at the school was getting ahead of themselves. In his season preview, Savory noted the squad of 30 finished 2025 as New Zealand's third-ranked school team, while coach Jason Dermody kept things typically humble: "It is hard to tell how we will go. That's why you coach first XV rugby, because you don't really know year to year; it also depends on what other schools are doing."

The wider rugby world is taking notice, too. In their national season preview for the NZ Herald, Bruce Holloway and Adam Julian described Southland Boys' as "an intimidating proposition", pointing to 28 consecutive wins in the Southern Schools Rugby Championship and a forward pack led by captain and openside flanker Ben Cairns.

Next up for the boys in maroon: the new 11-team South Island first XV competition, which kicks off in early May. On this evidence, the deep south is in very good heart.