Students from Westlake Girls and Westlake Boys united for the Auckland Secondary Schools Ki-O-Rahi Championship played at Cornwall Park in Green last week and they excelled to qualify for the New Zealand Secondary Schools Championship in 2023. Only the top 3 teams were eligible to make the nationals and Westlake secured their spot by finishing 2nd.
Coached by the Head of P.E. at Westlake Girls, Kathleen Beckett, two senior mixed teams made their way through the preliminary rounds to both qualify for the tournament’s semi-finals. Westlake Green met Waiorea in the first semi and won 15-12 to make it into the final, while the second team, Westlake Red, met the regular champions, Nga Tapuwae and lost 6-11.
In the final, Westlake was outclassed by the team from Mangere, with Nga Tapuwae winning 21-6, however, their silver medal meant that Westlake was going to the national championship next year for the first time ever. Westlake Red lost to Hoani Waititi in the playoff for third and fourth going down 0-4.
