The glory days continue

Quadrangular video

PATRICK HAMILTON/The Nelson Mail

TODAY'S HERO: Nelson College halfback Dylan Monopoli breaks through the Wanganui Collegiate defence for a try.

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Nelson College has the oldest schoolboy rugby pedigree in New Zealand and every four years that proud legacy is celebrated when the school hosts the Quadrangular Tournament.

On Thursday last week there was a heavy-rain warning in Nelson. It was a warning that worried Nelson College headmaster Gary O'Shea.

It had been four years since the school hosted the oldest schoolboy rugby tournament in New Zealand and the pitch had to be in perfect shape.

That day, a groundsman cut a lonely figure against the pelting rain as he planted a "field closed" sandwich board under one of the posts.

By Monday, the rain had cleared, the sun was out, the forecast was good, and the pitch smelled of fresh grass and mud.

The seeds of the Quadrangular Tournament began in 1891, but it was not until 1925 that Nelson was invited to take part, completing the polygon of the four competing schools.

Each year, one of Wellington College, Christ's College, Wanganui Collegiate and Nelson College has responsibility for hosting it.

So, in 83 years only 20 Nelson College teams have played the tournament on their own field. It is a history that resonates with O'Shea.

"Your history can straitjacket you if you let it, but it can also be a great focusing point for the school," he says.

"It's not just about rugby, it's about your identity."

In 1876, Nelson College played Wellington College in the first recorded game of inter-collegiate rugby in New Zealand.

Seven years later, the Nelson team wore a uniform the same dark and light blue hoops that they still wear today.

"There has been heaps of talk about the tradition of the tournament," first XV captain Mitchell Thwaites said before the event.

"That we are playing for the people that played before us. That gets the team fired up more than anything, just knowing we are playing for all the old boys watching us."

John Krammer was watching. So was John Falconer. They played for the first XV from 1947 to 1950.

"It's always good to come back to the old school," Krammer says. "Special memories and camaraderie, that's one thing we did have in our team, the camaraderie was very strong."

Though the result was not what either old boy had hoped for, Krammer did have a consolation. "This is the home of it, that's something that no-one can take from us, we were No1. No-one can take that off us."

Wellington College beat Nelson in the final this year, the eighth time in a row they have won. But for the students and the players, the quad is never just about winning.

O'Shea says it is more about making the students feel part of something. "That history grounds you. There is a huge strength and a sense of belonging when kids leave here."

For an audio-slideshow from the Quadrangular Tournament, go to nelsonmail.co.nz.

- © Fairfax NZ News