School rugby back in the headlines for all the wrong reasons

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CBHS v Christ’s has always bred a special kind of awfulness. Photosport (from 2010)

There has been a bunch of good stuff happening behind the scenes in Auckland school rugby over the past couple of years.

St Paul’s, a small Catholic school in Grey Lynn more associated with rugby league over the years, qualified for 1A for the first time.

Last year, a niche web series followed the preparation and fortunes of Tangaroa College, a low-decile school based in Otara, as they prepared to face some of the most moneyed and well-resourced rugby schools in the  country. 

These campaigns have provided a nice boost to the schools’ communities, which is what sport does at its best.

At its worst it looks like this ($).