It was a great pleasure to welcome Mr Ngani Laumape to the assembly hall this morning to make presentations to the Manawatu Rugby Secondary Schools winning teams’ captains and also to present his most recent All Blacks playing jersey to the school, accepted by 1st XV captain Tamati Ruawai.
Mr Laumape attended Boys’ High from 2007-2011. He was in Phoenix club and in his final year played a part in Phoenix’s 2011 Shand Shield triumph.
Mr Laumape was heavily involved in the school’s co-curricular programme throughout his time here: he was involved in athletics, competing at the MISSA Championships on a number of occasions. He was also involved in volleyball, touch rugby league and the Pasifika group. But it was in rugby that he achieved the most success: selected for the 1st XV as a Year 10 pupil, Mr Laumape was a rarity in spending four seasons in the 1sts, three of which were as a midfield back, and one where he spent more time at number eight.
He played 49 times in the white jersey, scoring 39 tries, including five in a 70-point win over Hastings BHS in 2011. In Year 9 he was a member of the U15 Colts team that won the National Invitational Tournament, and in his senior years he was selected for the Hurricanes Schools, the NZ U17 rugby league team and the NZ Schools rugby team.
Upon leaving school Mr Laumape joined the Warriors league team, with whom he had signed while still at school. In 2013 he made his first-grade debut and he went on to play 30 times in the NRL over the next two seasons before injury curtailed his 2015 year. In that time Mr Laumape played for the Junior Kiwis and he was selected in a wider training group for the Kiwis.
However, in 2016 Mr Laumape returned to rugby union, joining the Hurricanes for whom he has now made 61 appearances, as well as returning to represent the Manawatu Turbos. An All Black call-up in 2017 saw him make his debut off the bench in the second test against the 2017 British and Irish Lions and he was subsequently selected for the starting XV in the third and deciding test of that series, which turned out not to be the deciding test as it was drawn. Mr Laumape has played 15 times for the All Blacks, including 13 test matches, most recently in the 36-0 victory over Australia at Eden Park.
The 2011 Palmerstonian noted that Mr Laumape was “an explosive, powerhouse midfield back in a similar vein to a certain All Black number 12. He is deceptively fast and his strength and speed, even from a standing start, are extremely hard to contain…(he is) an absolute menace for opposing teams”. He and midfield partner Jason Emery, himself a Super rugby and NZ Maori representative, formed one of the best midfield pairings the school has ever seen.
Mr Laumape has always been a great supporter of the school and it was certainly a privilege to have him with us today to assist in making a number of presentations.
PNBHS Rugby teams were in the finals in seven grades of the Manawatu Rugby Secondary School Competition this year. The 2nd XV were in the final of the Premier 1 competition, the 3rd XV in the final of the Premier 2 competition, U15 Colts in the final of the Premier 3B competition, the 4th XV in the final of the Premier 3A competition, the 5th XV in the final of the Premier 4 competition, the U14A team in the final of the Youth 1 competition, and the Junior 7 team in the final of the Youth 4 competition.
Congratulations to the following teams and their captains on their finals wins: U15 Colts v Feilding High School - 20-13 win – Zayne Poole (C); U14A v Whanganui Collegiate - 39-31 win – Zach Graham (C); and Junior 7 v Hato Paora College - 71-19 win – Bryson Campbell (C).
