Thames High humbled to make Coulter Cup final

Thames High School rugby players are patting themselves on the back after making the finals of the Coulter Cup for the first time in years.
Thames High’s first XV came up against Mercury Bay in the August 12 finals match, losing 14-32 but walking away with their heads held high.
The achievement was a culmination of effort from the coaching team, senior club supporters, and the players – who had been developing their craft behind the scenes.
“There used to be three levels of competition in the Thames Valley – the youth grade, the future first grade, and the first XV. A couple of years ago, David Harrison, coach of the Swampfoxes, decided to keep our boys in the future first grade, instead of pushing them and rushing them into a first XV competition,” Jen Fletcher said.
“The boys were all really young, so they wouldn’t have developed their rugby very well if we had put them into that first XV competition.”
Jen, who is the teacher in charge of rugby at Thames High, said keeping the players in the future first competition for two years enabled them to hone their craft and become better rugby players.
“We didn’t have the numbers to have both a future first grade and a first XV, but it’s paid off for the boys this year because they’ve made the finals. If we had pushed them through two years ago, I don’t know how many would still be playing rugby, for starters.”
Thames High has been producing some rugby talent of late, with two boys selected in the U19 rep team; one in the U16 team; four boys in the U14 team; one girl and two past students in the U19 women’s team; and three girls in the U16 team.
Other players will be participating in the Sevens competition, with the Condor qualifiers in Paeroa on September 20.
Jen, who is also the Thames Valley secondary school chairperson, said the latest achievement is only the start for rugby at the high school.
“We’ve got some good Year 8s coming in next year who are going to be our new crew, with about eight girls coming in to add to our girls’ space as well,” she said.
“I think that this is the start of a new beginning – the work has been happening for the past three or four years but it’s starting to come to fruition.”
She said the support of its senior club, Thames Rugby and Sports, had “made a massive difference” to the school’s successful season.
“The connection between high school and senior clubs is so important, and I think that’s what little communities need. If you’ve got a senior club and you’ve got a high school – connect, because it’s been wicked for us this year.”