In his latest piece for the New Zealand Herald, Adrian Hyland visits New Plymouth Boys' High School to investigate its role in the history of schoolboy rugby.
"Remove New Plymouth Boys' High School from the story of New Zealand schools rugby and the whole narrative would unravel. They, along with schools like Auckland Grammar, Te Aute and Palmerston North Boys' were the progenitors of the Moascar Cup tradition, and New Plymouth Boys' held the Cup - schools rugby's equivalent of the Ranfurly Shield - between 1923 and 1927.
This unbeaten run wasn't to be the last: 1st XV coach JJ Stewart, later to become a revered figure in All Black rugby, took his boys to 55 games without defeat in the late 1950s. During his tenure, which lasted from 1950 until 1964, the dormitories of this most traditional boys' boarding school were so well stocked with Taranaki farmboys that there were at one point 32 rugby teams running out every week."
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