West Coast U52kg Show Heart in Tough Seddon Shield Opener Against Marlborough

Picture: Tasman Community Rugby & Sarah Marshall

The West Coast Primary Schools Under-52kg team opened their 2025 Seddon Shield campaign today with a challenging fixture against a strong Marlborough side, who had made headlines the day prior by defeating Nelson Bays 103–0.

West Coast had the bye on Day One but arrived in Nelson with confidence, following a solid performance in last week’s pre-tournament win over Buller.

As anticipated, Marlborough came out firing, piling on early points with fast-paced, structured play. Despite the scoreboard pressure, West Coast never dropped their heads. In the latter stages of the first half, they began to gain territory, strung phases together, and put Marlborough under pressure through dominant set piece work—particularly at scrum time.

The second half saw a gutsy response from the Coast team. Their pressure at ruck time started earning them penalties, and they repeatedly opted to pack down a scrum, backing their forwards and turning the screws on a more experienced Marlborough side. Defensively, they showed real resolve, holding out several attacking raids close to their own line.

Marlborough were restricted to just 19 points in the second half, a testament to the pride and work ethic shown by the entire West Coast squad. The final score read 73–0, but the performance reflected far more than the scoreboard suggested.

Among the standouts were front rowers Joseph O'Malley, Jake Fahey, Luke Redpath, and Lachie Sara, who were relentless at scrum time. Will Simpson made crucial tackles, while Lucas Smith produced two superb try-saving efforts in the corner. Jake Graham added strong go-forward at second five, especially late in the match.

Ryder Muir was named Player of the Day for his composure at halfback, delivering accurate service and running with real intent from the base.

Coach Nick Muir said he was proud of the group’s determination:

“It was a tough challenge, but our team really fronted up. We were especially pleased with how the kids responded in the second half and showed belief in what we've been working on. We'll take alot of confidence from today.”

West Coast now look ahead to tomorrow’s clash with Golden Bay/Motueka, who pulled off a surprise upset over hosts Nelson earlier today. With plenty to build on and confidence in their systems, the Coast team will be eager to keep improving and finish the tournament strongly.