SPORTS TALK With Jacob Page High School are Ki O Rahi champs

By Frank Neill

Wainuiomata High School’s mixed K O Rahi team is the College Sport Wellington champions.

Wainuiomata emerged the champions after winning a closely contested final against Mana College 20-17 on 1 March.

In doing so they defeated a team that has been unbeaten for the last eight years in the College Sport Wellington regional competition.

Wainuiomata High School hosted the College Sport Wellington regional K O Rahi competitions on 1 March.

The school entered three teams.

The girls team placed fourth out of 12 teams, the boys team 1 placed fifth and the Boys team 2 finished in eighth place.

A game that is something of a mixture between handball, netball, football, flag and touch rugby, K O Rahi has experienced a big revival over the last few years.

It was very popular with M ori people until about 40 years ago.

The M ori Batallion also exported the sport when they were in Europe during the second world war. Both the French and Italians introduced K O Rahi into their sporting worlds.

The sport then went into a 30year hibernation before being revived about 10 years ago.