Palmerston North Boys' High win Hurricanes schools rugby title as ...

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After a protest and an appeal, the outcome of a Hurricanes schools rugby game between Scots College and Feilding High School has been awarded to Scots.

A marathon dispute in a secondary schoolboys rugby competition has ended dramatically with Wellington’s Scots College defaulting the final.

That means Palmerston North Boys’ High are the Hurricanes 1st XV champions and will play in the Top 4 semifinal next Friday. They will take on Southland Boys’ High School in Palmerston North.

The NZ Barbarians National 1st XV Championships posted on Facebook on Friday night that Scots had advised they were unable to field the required number of trained front-rowers and so “have regrettably had to withdraw their challenge’’.

That ended a week of controversy, appeals and counter-appeals.

At the heart of it was the knockout semifinal between Scots and Feilding High School last Saturday.

Scots College won the game in Wellington, 43-35, but Feilding appealed the result to the Hurricanes Youth Rugby Council and the outcome was overturned, with the game awarded to Feilding.

The original dispute was over the number of Scots’ front row players. The game went to uncontested scrums early in the first half as Scots had an injury and did not have sufficient front row reserves.

Scots appealed their disqualification and at a lengthy New Zealand Secondary Schools Rugby Union online hearing on Thursday night the decision was overturned.

Scots were found to have supplied the incorrect team sheet and given a written warning. It is understood there was a technicality that Feilding contacted the incorrect person at the schools rugby union to lodge their initial protest.

On Friday afternoon Feilding principal Nathan Stewart said they were appealing that decision and another hearing was to be held on Friday evening, but Feilding found out about 5.30pm their appeal had failed.

Stewart could not provide details of their appeal.

Feilding coach Justin Lock said on Friday morning the facts were the facts and they had trusted the process. Despite all the distractions the team had prepared well as if they were going to be playing.

“It has been a roller coaster week, but unfortunately we don’t get to go to the dance.”

Team sheets are presented to a Hurricanes co-ordinator before the game and Lock said Scots’ sheet had 22 players on it.

The rules state a team should have five front row players in the squad of 22 – three starters and two reserves.

If the team only has four front row players then it can only have a squad of 21 and if it has only three front row players, then it can only have 20 players in the squad.

“We were well aware of the rules,” Lock said.

Usually before a game the referee will meet with the front row players and captain of each team. But it is understood the front row matter wasn't raised until later.