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Nelson College first XV captain William Havili is a player who successfully made his mark on this year’s UC Championship competition. The second highest points scorer, William was an influential figure in the Nelson College backline in 2016, proving his worth both with ball in hand and from the tee this season by notching up an impressive 134 points across 15 weeks of the Crusaders region secondary schools’ competition.  

A veteran of the school side, having represented the first XV since he was a year 11 student, William captained Nelson College through to the semi-final of the UC Championship Cup on Saturday 13th August, ending a successful season in which the team secured 10 wins and two draws in their 14 round-robin matches, before being defeated in the semi-final by Christchurch Boys’ High School. 

BNZ Crusaders’ fans will recognise the name; William’s older brother David is a member of the current Crusaders squad, having progressed from the Wider Training Group in 2015. David made his Super Rugby debut against the Lions last year and has notched up 25 games so far, having played an integral role in the midfield throughout much of the 2016 campaign. He too played in the Crusaders schools’ competition during his final year at Nelson College, with both brothers moving from Motueka High School to board at Fell House and represent the first XV. 

The siblings take a keen interest in one another’s rugby, and David joked that although he does occasionally offer William advice on his game, he’s not sure his younger brother heeds that advice: “I try to stay out of his way and let him do his thing. He seems to be doing really well. Every now and again I will give him a couple of tips, but I’m not sure whether he listens or not”, he said. “Regardless, I think the most important advice I could give any player is to keep enjoying your rugby. The more you enjoy it the better you are going to play.” 

In that respect, both brothers agree that the experience of playing in the UC Championship merits the dedication required to balance study commitments with the demands of the secondary schools’ competition, and believe that having to catch up on study due to travel for away games is a worthwhile sacrifice for the ability to represent the school alongside fellow players who are also great mates. “One of the most challenging things about this competition is that we do travel a lot for away games, as far as Timaru and to Christchurch a number of times during a season”, William said. “It is something you get used to, but it can be difficult to balance your commitments at school with rugby commitments each weekend. In saying that, the ability to travel and play rugby with your mates is also one of the most rewarding things about this competition.” 

This season has been especially memorable for William and his Nelson side; the team made history for their school in defeating Timaru Boys’ High School to lift the Moascar Cup for the first time during round nine of the competition. As well as leading the side to that 18-3 victory in Timaru back in June, William scored 13 of the side’s points in that historic match, and went on to play an important role in each of the side’s successful Cup defences throughout the remaining rounds of competition – a feat that has no doubt instilled immense pride in Nelson College first XV rugby.  

Now in his final year at school, William is looking to the future and while he plans to continue enjoying his rugby, he is also looking to pursue opportunities off the playing field as well: “It’d be nice to have the option of playing professional rugby one day, but I am looking at completing a building apprenticeship once I finish school. David was a builder before he was selected for Tasman so in that respect I will get to follow in his footsteps and whatever happens from there, happens.”