Winners of six of the last seven tournaments, Nelson will have their work cut out to win again after being thumped 43-5 by Wellington in a sesquicentennial fixture in April.<\/p>\n
Nelson have won the Crusaders region Miles Toyota Premiership four times since 2019, but haven\u2019t been in vintage form in this campaign, heavily beaten by Southland Boys\u2019 (44-12), Timaru Boys\u2019 (21-5) and Christchurch Boys\u2019 (55-24).<\/p>\n
Still, Nelson at their best remain a threat and they have racked up fine wins against St Andrew\u2019s College (31-28), despite trailing 21-0 in that game, and King\u2019s High School (42-24), where they also trailed. <\/p>\n
On Thursday, they beat local rivals Marlborough Boys\u2019 College (35-21) in arguably their best display of the season.<\/p>\n
Nelson\u2019s strength is their backline. Fullback Liam Soper might nudge the New Zealand Schools, winger Isaac Harvey is a flyer, and Viliami Holani is only Year 10 in midfield but physically equipped to dominate.<\/p>\n
Nelson College’s Liam Soper makes a break. Photo \/ Photosport<\/p>\n
The best of the Nelson forwards are loose forward and skipper Rei Pouri-Lane (brother of Black Ferns Sevens captain Risi Pouri-Lane<\/a>) and Tasman U18 prop Coby Davis.<\/p>\n Wellington last won The Quad in 2023 when Jacob Kennedy scored a hat trick in the final against Whanganui Collegiate. <\/p>\n Kennedy was the leading try scorer in Wellington\u2019s Swindale Shield competition with 12 in 11 matches. <\/p>\n Wellington are top of the premiership this year and have beaten the tougher sides in the draw with wins against top three teams St Patrick\u2019s College, Silverstream (26-17), St Patrick\u2019s College Town (31-26), as well as 2023 champions Scots College and traditional rivals Rongotai College (62-19).<\/p>\n In pre-season, Wellington caught fire in their sesquicentennial romp of Nelson College. Prop Julius \u201cCaesar\u201d Toimata was man of the match with two tries.<\/p>\n Wellington played a mini Super 8 in pre-season, losing to Rotorua, Hamilton, Hastings and Tauranga Boys\u2019, but lost three of those games by less than a converted try and are battle-hardened.<\/p>\n No 8 Z\u2019Kdeus Schwalger is an outstanding captain<\/a> and a New Zealand Schools-quality loose forward. Centre Ben Faitala is arguably Wellington\u2019s most potent attacking threat. He scored brilliant tries against Nelson, Hamilton Boys\u2019 (twice) and St Pats Town.<\/p>\n Christ\u2019s College last won The Quad in 2018 when future All Black Sam Darry was locking the scrum<\/a>.<\/p>\n A small team in 2026 has struggled to match the size and power of the leading South Island Boys\u2019 Schools teams, but Christ\u2019s have improved rather than regressed.<\/p>\n A 42-41 win against King\u2019s High School came after a late sideline conversion by Jackson Grace, who nailed all six kicks in that game.<\/p>\n He also bravely scored 16 points in the \u201cCollege match\u201d, a heavy 55-26 defeat to a so-far unblemished Christchurch Boys\u2019 High School.<\/p>\nWellington College Z’Kdeus Schwalger is congratulated after bagging a turnover. Photo \/ Photosport<\/p>\n