BEYOND WELLINGTON: Silverstream took their rugby to a higher level in Napier.

 ST PAT’S Silverstream’s first XV not only defeated their three Wellington foes for the first time in a decade, but they inspired their school. 

Unseating namesakes St Pat’s Town, and beating both Wellington and Rongotai Colleges, they then got close to qualifying for the top four teams in New Zealand secondary school rugby.

Coach Simon Stack says winning the premier one was the goal of the season. “Then suddenly we [were going where] no other Silverstream team had got to.”

A semi-final win against Napier was followed by the Gisborne Boys’ High encounter that ended their comeback campaign.

Stack says it was “a bit of a booby prize” to do another semi after playing in front of 5000 to 6000 people under lights in Napier.

“We got through it and a bit of rarking up and all the rest and finally we’re playing for the top four.” 

PREMIERSHIP GLORY: From left: Edward Aiono, Elekana Laupola and Phillip Salevao show Stream's trophy drought is over.

Losing to Gisborne 15-11 showed how close the team had come. And getting that far has, he says, created a change of view for the whole school.

“It was interesting in the changing room after we lost to Gisborne: The view was, premier one was not good enough any more.

“Future teams need to look a bit beyond that and look at [the top four] as our target now.”

Stack says the team had six good wins at the start of the season before losing four games – including one broadcast on Sky TV.

They rediscovered their winning form, accounting for Wellington College in the semis and St Pat’s Town in the final.

“[St Pat’s Town], to us, are always going to be the hardest team.”

He attributes the revival to the strong team spirit and the supporters.

Stack says success came because the players were gutsy, displayed a strong self-belief and had a close team bond which made them like brothers.

He says captain Opetera Paleseuma can achieve Super 14 honours straight out of high school.

FAMILY BOND: Tomasi Alosio hugs his mother after winning the final

For Paleseuma, it was an honour leading the side but he says fronting up after the defeats was hard. As they began winning again it became easier.

“To be honest, it was pretty good feeling leading the side and it was also hard, it’s hard when you’re losing, you get all the criticism on behalf of the team. In the end it paid off.”

He says the team wanted to do the past players proud.

“We’ve been together for the last 25 weeks, we became really close to each other… it was also brothers through the past, those who’ve been in the jersey, the old boys.”

Director of sport Warwick Bowden says this year’s side has been a revelation for Silverstream.

“The sheer guts and the determination that’s shown on the field is huge. It’s been an inspiration not only for themselves but for the other teams in other codes.”

Picture by Josh Snee

PEOPLE coming to Wellington for the Rugby World Cup are urged to pack a decent set of walking shoes.

“We will be working to encourage fans to walk to and from matches where this is practical,” says tournament general manager Nigel Cass.

Rugby World Cup committee is working alongside Wellington City Council to promote walking to and from games at Westpac stadium.

“Each of Wellington, Christchurch and Auckland will support this by having walking routes signposted and supported with entertainers between venues and city centres,” he says.

Wellington City Council director of RWC 2011 and City Events Derek Fry says the council has yet to finalise its designated walking routes.

“We’re pretty lucky in Wellington because the stadium is so handily and visibly situated to accommodation, bars and restaurants, and the rest of the city,” he says.

With more than 5000 volunteers expected for the cup, there will be no shortage of Wellingtonians pointing people in the right direction.

There will be official volunteers around town as part of the nationwide programme, he says

They are also working to ensure council staff are excited and informed so they can also be friendly and trusted helpers during the tournament.

Having the fan zone on the waterfront ensured a safe environment where pedestrians will not have to compete with traffic.

“There will also be road closures and other traffic and pedestrian safety measures in place on match days,” he says.

Wellington’s unique city layout ensures fans will be able to walk from major transport hubs, such as the train station or ferry terminal straight to the fan zone, stadium or Courtney Place.

Public transport will also be available on match days, with ticketholders getting free rides on designated World Cup buses.

“Public transport is a big part of our planning,” says Mr Fry. “We’re planning special buses taking people from Courtenay Place to the stadium and back.”

DIVING IN: Ollie Armstrong-Scott at the Kilbirnie aquatic centre

WORLD DIVING competition has already taken Ollie Armstrong-Scott (17) to China and Mexico and now he is adding a US stamp to his passport.

Next week Armstrong-Scott competes in the Junior World Championships at Tucson, Arizona.

About 200 competitors from more than 30 countries will compete in their respective age groups.

Armstrong-Scott, a St Patrick’s College Kilbirnie student, says competing will be absolutely fantastic.

“I feel most confident about my one metre dive and would really like to get into the finals, but we’ll just see how we go,” says Armstrong-Scott.

Coach James Hardaker says he believes Armstrong-Scott can achieve at least a placing in the top half of the competition.

“If Ollie does dive well then I think he can achieve a top half placing, or maybe even sneak a place into a final (top 12).  The main thing is that he enjoys it as he has worked hard to get there.”

Armstrong-Scott says he has had to make some sacrifices for his diving and he is currently training about 20 hours a week.

“I put so much hard work into it, but I have no regrets because I love it.”

Having only become involved in diving five years ago, Armstrong-Scott has already been successful competing in New Zealand and Australia as well as China and Mexico

Hardaker says Armstrong-Scott’s successes are due to his focus and willingness to try new and harder dives.

“Ollie is pretty focused in training. He always works hard at his conditioning.”

Mary Scott agrees her son is incredibly dedicated.

“Ollie has got a fantastic work ethic, he always does his work and doesn’t give up and that will see him through almost anything.”

Diving is a relatively small sport in New Zealand but Ollie says he would like to see more people become involved.

“It’s not very well known but it’s a great spectator sport and a good way to meet lots of people.”

Two Valley sides are chasing the Hardham Cup. Avalon got there by pulling up their socks, Wainui by channelling the disappointment of missing the Jubilee Cup round. JOSH SNEE previews Sunday’s big showdown for the runner’s-up trophy in the major Wellington rugby competition.

The Favourites:

GIMME SHELTER: Wainuiomata teammates chill out after a run. From left: Michael Williams, Attila Va’a, Dan Olive, Genesis Mamea, Raakai Maxwell, Wayne Aiomata and Greg Lealofi.

HAVING missed making the Jubilee Cup round by a single point, Wainuiomata Rugby Club set their sights on the Hardham Cup Final back in the middle of June.

After defeating Tawa 35-29, they find themselves favourites for the final and the focus this week has been on facing up to having 80 minutes of rugby still to play.

“Avalon has done their homework over the last few weeks and have got nothing to lose,” says Wainui coach Frae Wilson.

Wilson has called on Darren Larsen, Wellington under-20s coach, and introduced some fresh drills to keep the players on their toes.

Wainui have also welcomed back prop Justin Va’a from the northern hemisphere’s Heineken Cup, and has newcomers including under-20 lock Shahn Eru.

Captain James Saolele says he’s looking forward to stepping out onto Westpac Stadium as the ground will suit an open, high-tempo game.

They aim to play smart rugby and use the width as Avalon has a big pack and superior fitness could be telling in the latter part of the game, says Saolele. He adds his midfield could be the difference.

Many of his players will also be supporting fellow Wainui-ites fronting up in league’s Wellington Grand Final tomorrow.

The underdogs:

AVALON’s Premier side had a horror start to the second round, losing their first four games and being written off by many.

COLD COMFORT: Avalon turn out for training on a cool evening this week.

Now coach John Andrews, in his second season with the club, has instilled the discipline and belief  that produced four end-of-season wins on the trot from his players and earned them a place in the final of the Hardham Cup.

The fourth win was the semi-final when they travelled to Karori and pushed a previously undefeated Western Suburbs to a 12-11 win in the last play of the game.

Andrews says “defence and an understanding of what we have to do when we don’t have the ball” allowed Avalon to stop a Wests team who had put four tries on most other teams.

Not only have Avalon had a change of coach but they have brought in a new committee and greater sponsorship, which has helped retain a lot of senior players.

“A lot of work has gone on behind the scenes and getting new jerseys was part of the master plan in maintaining the players we have,” says Andrews.

Taking the reins about 18 months ago, Andrews was able to structure a conditioning program during the off season that has seen his players stay injury-free.

Senior players such as Damian Collins and Stephen and Cameron Cross have led the team, while Andrews says players like Finua Hopoi and Errol Weston have understood their value on the bench and brought a calming influence when called on as the games heat up.

Avalon are taking the approach that this is just another game and are not getting too amped up about it, with the winner being the team that make fewer errors, says Andrews.

This sentiment is shared by club captain Gary Gosper, who says it would be foolish to change the preparation just for the final.

“The guys have their own way of doing things and we don’t want to mess with that.”

The Hardham Cup Final, Westpac Stadium, Sunday, August 15 at 12.30pm.

CHARLOTTE ORAM’S love of speed prompted her to join a small but growing band of girls making their mark in kartsport in Wellington.

The Whiteman’s Valley 14-year-old (right) recently took third place in the junior class of Kartsport Wellington’s Upper Hutt City Grand Prix, the club’s 50th anniversary meet at the Kaitoke track.

An increase in the number of young female drivers has been gaining momentum, particularly in the Wellington region, in the past two years, says club secretary Peter Cartwright. The club now has six girls competing, compared with just one a few years ago.

Charlotte started racing about two years ago and says she loves the speed and excitement of kartsport, which a lot of other sports don’t have.

At speeds of up to 110km on the straights, Charlotte is showing no signs of slowing down.

She was 2009 rookie of the year, and in May placed third in the club champs.

Charlotte has a camera fixed on the front of her kart, so she can replay her race and get advice from senior drivers.

SPEED DEMONS: Wellington drivers Ashleigh Stewart, Brittany Lum and Charlotte Oram with Brittany Riddick (Taranaki).

Ashleigh Stewart, 12, says she loves the sport and can’t really see herself not racing.

She became interested in racing while watching her dad, Tony, race cars.

He says the girls are very competitive and the junior classes are sometimes as fast as the seniors, with the difference in lap time sometimes as little as 1.5 seconds.

Brittany Lum is another teen devoted to karting. At 13, she has been racing for about a year with younger brother Jordan, 10, one of the club’s young achievers.

Kartsport – formerly known as go-karting – is a recognised incubator of future racing drivers, according to the Wellington club.

Most Formula 1 drivers started in kartsport, with New Zealand being no exception: Scott Dixon went on to became an IndyCar champion.

The Kaitoke kartsport track is the only outdoor track in the Wellington area and club members are drawn from all parts of the region.

The sport has 1200 licensed drivers nation-wide with memberships rising.

By Hugh Petersen, Greg Ford & Josh Snee

WELLINGTON football fans climbed cars, walls and even rubbish trucks to get a good vantage point to see their hero players from the All Whites in today’s lunchtime parade.

Thousands of people followed the procession from Parliament to Civic Square where most of the team from the 2010 World Cup signed autographs and mingled with the crowd.

Four floats preceded the All Whites, celebrating Argentine football and the Wellington Phoenix.

Argentine visitors the Boca Juniors, who play the Wellington Phoenix on Friday, drove slowly past to polite applause from the crowd.

Finally the All Whites float arrived and the crowd erupted into cheers for the only unbeaten team at the 2010 World Cup.

Upon their arrival at the Civic Square, cannons shot white confetti into the air, spraying players and fans alike.

Crowds that had managed to cram into the Square were then welcomed by Wellington Mayor Kerry Prendergast, who spoke of how she and the whole region could not have been prouder of the World Cup side.

Prime Minister John Key, patron of New Zealand Football, made it clear how proud he was of the side.

“They fought with guts and courage: This is their day.”

Phoenix and All Whites coach Ricki Herbert got the loudest cheer of the day and was humble about his team’s success.

Herbert thanked the crowd for their continued support, then turned to his players and thanked them, describing the All Whites as “dedicated, loyal to the cause and great football ambassadors for the nation”.

GROUNDED: Catarina Strom and Razz.

EIGHT young Kapiti equestrians can’t go to the world games later this year because their national body says they’re not good enough

After training hard for years, the Kapiti Vaulting Club thought they were ready to compete in the world Equestrian Games in Kentucky later this year.

But now the club has received a letter from the New Zealand Equestrian Federation telling them they are too inexperienced to represent New Zealand at the games.

Club head coach Catarina Strom says it is “a stab to the chest” for the eight young vaulters, aged ten to 25.

The club has paid for a top German vaulting instructor to travel here to assist with the team’s training for the big event, she says.

“He was extremely impressed and even rang the CEO of the Equestrian Federation and said New Zealand is going to impress the world when they go to Kentucky.

“He even wrote a letter and sent it to the federation recommending them to support us. He thought we would be eighth.”

The club received the bad news two weeks after the letter of recommendation was sent.

“It was a shock to everybody,” she says. “The kids were crying.”

It was something that everyone had worked so hard for over the last 16 years.

MISSING OUT: Razz won't be travelling.

“The federation had been aware that we wanted to go the whole time and I think they could’ve told us a lot earlier.

“They sent us that letter only a few weeks after they told us they had reserved a place for our horse (Razz) to travel with all the other horses on the plane.”

As the club has raised a considerable sum towards the cost of going to the world event, they have decided to travel to Germany to compete and train.

The decision to travel to Germany was one made by Ms Strom and club owner Lynn Macintyre because of the recommendation made by the Equestrian Federation to attended more vaulting competitions overseas.

Ms Strom says not only will it be a great stepping stone and training experience for the vaulters. It will help them to remain hopeful and dedicated to club.

“If we did nothing, I think it would really hard for the club and for the kids to stay motivated.”

They have a lot of contacts in Germany, including the coach who came to New Zealand.

“He has offered for us to go and train at his place and use his horse to do some competitions.”

The team will be in Germany training and competing for a total of 21 days and are then stopping off at Disney World on the way home.

SOLE KIWI: Kirk Beyer was the only New Zealander to feature in an Aussie surfing movie filmed this month.

Titahi Bay longboard surfer Kirk Beyer says he felt privileged to be invited to star in a Christian surfing movie filmed by Australians entirely in New Zealand.

Kirk (21) was the only Kiwi of 10 surfers filmed on Taranaki beaches recently for the movie Flux, which it is hoped will premiere at the Noosa Festival of Surfing early next year.

ZOOMING IN: Rosie Spooner zooms in on the action.

“It is cool to surf with new people, especially when they are really good,” he says.

The highlight of the 10-day New Zealand shoot – which included Raglan and Matakana Island – was Stent Rd, south of Oakura.

The surf break off Stent Rd has good size and good power, Kirk says. “It’s uncrowded and you could see the snow-covered mountain (Mt Taranaki) which always means freezing cold water.”

The subjects of Flux, a documentary, include Rachel Pinsak (17), the under-18 girls longboard champion of Australia, and Sage Joske, a former champion and surfboard builder from New South Wales.

WATER-PROOF: Andrew Carruthers takes his camera, protected with water-proof housing, out in the surf.

Producer and director Andrew Carruthers, a pastor from Salt Baptist Church, in Queensland, says: “I chose New Zealand because it is geographically spectacular, I know a lot of people in New Zealand, and it’s underrated as a surf location.”

Filming was on a shoe-string budget, with sponsorship from the Australian Christian channel and Shine TV. Asia-Pacific regional Christian television coverage gives the film a potential audience of 10 million, Andrew says.

The movie features male and female surfers of different ages and backgrounds, who had in common a love of surfing and following Jesus, he says.

Lee Cooper (17), a surfer from Queensland, calls New Zealand cool, saying the water is cold, the coastline rugged and the surf uncrowded.

George Watt, of New South Wales, who is still surfing at 57, says he enjoyed surfing Raglan – after seeing it years ago on the movie Endless Summer.

The All Blacks like to get amongst the fans and the support they have received this year would rank alongside some the best in his career, said All Blacks skipper Richie McCaw.

“The kids love it,” he told NewsWire. “It’s the school holidays and [there are] plenty of parents around.

“I think the support this year has been the best I’ve experienced over the eight or nine years I have been involved, so it’s an easy thing to do for us.”

The under-10 juniors from rugby clubs across the region were star-struck, as their heroes climbed off the team bus at the park on Wellington’s waterfront.

The 10 or so All Blacks got involved (left) in a series of “ripper rugby” games being played between the clubs, acting as coaches joining in on the fun.

Ripper rugby is like touch rugby, but players have bands around their waists with Velcro tags that are ripped off by opposing players.

The All Blacks still bear the physical effects of their win over the Springboks on Saturday.  Some hobbled and others had bruises, while some just signed autographs or posed for pictures with the youngsters.

Richie McCaw said the electric atmosphere and the huge support they can generate when they play in Wellington make beating them a difficult task for any opposing team when Westpac Stadium is at full capacity.

“I enjoy playing here,” he said. “We get a full stadium [and] it’s always a pretty good atmosphere. So hopefully it will be sold out and it’ll be good.”

He expects another major clash to be on the cards because the Springboks are more dangerous to play when they have suffered a defeat.

“The first thing is to get your feet back on the ground. You had to enjoy the other night, but you have to realise you’re going to be in for a bigger test, because they’re hurting. They’re going to come back and bite us.”

WALKING TALL: Halfback Jimmie Cowan with some aspiring fans from Rimutaka.

UP-AND-COMING: The Wellington Marist Under 10 team.

KEEN AUDIENCE: The Rimutaka Under 10s watch their AB heroes.

WELLINGTON Marathon Clinic’s Harbour City Kids’ Magic Mile attracted 320 five to 12-year-olds – and at least one four-year-old, Charlotte Ross, who completed the race in under 12 minutes.

GET A MOVE ON: Charlotte Ross urges on her cousin, Dan Snee, during a rainy Magic Mile.

TRIUMPHANT MOMENT: Charlie achieves her goal.

Charlotte Ross, of Lower Hutt, just loves to run so when her parents tried to sign her up online, they had to put her age in as five.

The blustery weather was no deterrent: Charlie made sure she was well dressed with double layers head to toe.

“He slowed me down,” says Charlie, complaining that her running partner and big cousin Dan was the one who needed the support to complete the challenge. Charlie finished in 11mins 58sec.

Parents Darryl and Michelle are both keen runners who have completed a number of marathon, triathlon and Ironman events.

Never having run a mile before, Charlie wasn’t going into the race without the proper groundwork.  “She trained for three weeks leading up [to the event],” says Darryl.

It is not the first time Charlie has entered into a kids’ race: She has run in the Hutt News Kids’ Run and the Pelorus Cool Kids’ Kilometre.

With their main focus being Charlie, Darryl has had to put his Ironman racing on hold but he was still able to compete in the Harbour Capital half marathon, finishing in 1hr 45min.

The children’s Magic Mile (1.6km) has its start line on the concourse of the Westpac Stadium, goes across the Aotea Quay over bridge, down the ramp and around a marker at the new BNZ building to finish back at the start.

It is the 25^th anniversary of the Harbour City Marathon, with the Kids Magic Mile being an annual event since 2008 with numbers growing every year.