NZ U20 hooker O?Reilly enjoying the challenge of senior rugby

Hutt Old Boys Marist's James O'Reilly (pictured above playing against Poneke in April) works five days a week as an apprentice electrician, but has recently downed tools to be with the New Zealand U20 team at the Junior World Championships.

The switched on hooker and former Hutt International Boys' School old boy came off the bench in the team's tournament opening win against Samoa on Monday night, and him and the rest of the squad, including opening game stars Matt Peni (MSP) and Jackson Garden-Bachop (Norths) are busy preparing for Friday's big clash with the Junior Springboks. ?

O'Reilly played 12 games for Hutt Old Boys Marist last year and impressed with his accurate throwing, strong scrumming and dynamic play against mostly older and larger opponents.

O'Reilly explains some of the challenges of being a starting hooker, a year out of school in Premier rugby.

"It's pretty tough. Some of the other blokes don't like it too much. There is a bit of dirty play. You get punched, trodden on, but you have to prove you can take it."

O'Reilly proved that he could take it against Petone in the annual McBain Shield clash in 2013. Hutt won the 2013 version by a record score of 50-22. Fellow HIBS old boy James Kusel scored four tries for Hutt. O'Reilly explains what getting ‘one up' on Petone means to him.

"There is nothing better than beating Petone. A lot of HIBS boys go to Petone so during the game, I not only get the whole Hutt/Petone thing, but I get grief from the HIBS boys as well."

This year Petone has been captained by Josh Hrstich,?a HIBS old boy, whose younger brother Zac is the First XV captain.

O'Reilly's year got even better when HOBM reached the semi-finals of the Jubilee Cup and tackled Oriental Rongotai. The game featured three All Blacks, Ma'a Nonu, Julian Savea (Ories) and Jeremy Thrush (Hutt). O'Reilly says it was surreal playing with and against that calibre of player.

The match turned out to be an epic encounter. Tied at fulltime, the game went into two periods of extra time. After 97 minutes it was 27-27. O'Reilly explains what happened next:

"I gave away the penalty that won Ories the game. I am adamant the referee got that wrong. I was on my feet!"

O'Reilly had little time to dwell on that disappointment. In September he received a shock call up to the Wellington Lions team to face Manawatu in the ITM Cup. O'Reilly was the last to know!

"I was struggling with a calf injury that week so I went to see our club physio to explain. He replied, ‘you're not injured; you're playing for Wellington this week.' I thought he was joking, but sure enough I went to a fitness test with the Lions and I passed that. Then Motu Matu'u, who was struggling with an injury, did his fitness test. He finished and said to me. ‘Well done bro you're in the team."

O'Reilly played four minutes in a Lions win and capped his stellar season by receiving the Al Keown Memorial trophy, awarded to the best preformed player at the Wellington Rugby Academy. Again O'Reilly had no idea he was a contender for such an accolade.

?"I was shocked to win that. So many great names have won that trophy. I remember Evan Crawford approached me before the function and said, ‘you're going to be speaking tonight James,' I was really nervous. I had no idea what Evan was on about."

Despite being one of the best young players in Wellington, O'Reilly might struggle to get regular game time at the IRB Junior World Championships.? Epalahame Faiva is one of only two returnees from the 2013 event in the New Zealand squad. O'Reilly doesn't mind.

"Hama is a great player who brings physicality, speed and experience to the side. I don't really care how much game time I get. We are all representing our country and what's best for the country is best for me."

When O'Reilly started intermediate at HIBS in 2006 the First XV rugby team was a "bit of joke." O'Reilly explains. "I think we were playing in Division three or something like that. Rugby wasn't taken seriously at all. The First XV was a bit of a piss take."

By 2012, HIBS was a Premier One school and had claimed notable victories over, St. Bernard's College and Rongotai College. In 2014 they have added Wellington College to that list. HIBS opened in 1991 and only has a roll of about 450 boys. Presently they have four rugby teams.

A big part of HIBS' meteoric rise through the grades was the contribution of O'Reilly.

The hooker, who has the speed to occasionally cover blindside flanker, was a mainstay of the First XV between 2010 and 2012.

O'Reilly says a major culture change occurred while he was at the college. "We just started to take ourselves more seriously. We trained harder. We played harder and when the results improved our confidence increased."

In 2010, HIBS won the right to contest Premier One for the first time by winning their three grading games. However HIBS wasn't confident enough to join the top flight of Wellington secondary school rugby. O'Reilly elaborates on HIBS' shock decision to stay in Division Two in 2010.

"We made the decision as a team not to go up because we felt we didn't have the depth to compete. It was an agonising decision, one that we got a lot of stick for, but we didn't want to disgrace ourselves."

HIBS proved their mettle by winning the Division Two championship, something they hadn't managed before. In the final HIBS defeated Bishop Viard College from Porirua and O'Reilly scored the crucial try that won HIBS the game.

"In second-half we had a penalty advantage and our ten Mitchell Purvis attempted a drop goal that missed out to the right. I noticed that nobody was chasing the ball, as it headed towards the Bishop Viard tryline. I chased after it and the ball bounced into my hands and I caught it and I scored. We won that game by a couple of points."

In 2011, HIBS competed in Premier One for the first time. They beat Wainuiomata High School to score their first ever win in the top grade. In 2012 they retained their status as a top flight school, beating Rongotai College and St. Bernard's College for the first time. The Rongotai result was especially significant as Rongotai are historically one of the "big four" rugby schools in Wellington. O'Reilly reflects on playing Premier One rugby.

?"Just being involved was the highlight. Even though we got thrashed in most games, it was great to have a crack at the big schools. I distinctly remember walking down those steps at Wellington College, the ones you see on TV, and getting a bit of grief from their supporters."

HIBS has yet to concede 50 points in a Premier One game. O'Reilly's contribution to the school's improving results was recognised when he was selected for the Wellington Centurions, Wellington Under-18's and Wellington Secondary Schools rugby league team.

O'Reilly attributes much of HIBS' improvement to coaching. In O'Reilly's time at the school, Craig Stevenson, Tracy Smith, Graham Purvis and Dion Ross were involved. Purvis was an All Black, Smith played for Wellington, Stevenson is a stalwart of the school with previous experience in the Hawke's Bay and Ross has enjoyed success at the famous Petone club in Wellington.

Ross urged O'Reilly to stay in the game after school and O'Reilly has stayed, though ironically at Hutt Old Boys Marist, fierce rivals of Petone.?

There's plenty of spark to come with this player. Watch this space.