The Blues Under-18 team have been crowned champions of the New Zealand Secondary Schools regional tournament after seeing off the Hurricanes 32-19 in the final at St Paul's Collegiate College, Hamilton last week.

It is the first time the Blues have claimed the prestigious title after dethroning the Hurricanes who have held it for the last three years.

After comfortably defeating the South Island team combining the Highlanders and Crusaders 24-8 in the semi-final, the Blues had too much class for the Hurricanes in the final as they cruised to a 32-19 victory.

Inspired by a solid platform set by forwards Michael Fatialofa (Mt Albert Grammar School), Jordan Lay (Kings College) and Jake Heenan (Whangarei Boys High School), the backs were able to cut loose, with halfback and captain Bryn Hall (St Peter’s College) and first five eighths Mitch Lam (St Peter’s College) thriving on the quick ball.

“It was a really enjoyable tournament and I’m delighted for the players,” Blues High Performance Manager Nick Sheppard said.

“It’s wonderful for them to have exposure to the Blues Super 14 coaches and over the three months the players have been involved I’ve seen a real growth and development in all areas of their performance,” he said.

“This is a valuable talent identification tool and a great chance to see these young players compete at a higher level and hopefully thrive in the professional environment, giving them a taste of the Blues culture and an idea of what it takes to reach the next level.”

The New Zealand Schools team to face Tonga and Australia in a three Test series is expected to be announced in the coming months, and after an impressive outing by the Blues Under-18 team there are promising signs that many of those players will be included in the national squad.