[3][4] Coach Gerald Dermody said he had never dreamt such a win would be possible and former All Black Leicester Rutledge commented: "When an old fella at 71 starts crying and tears rolling out of my eyes, that is how I felt.

"[5] The Mayor of Invercargill, Nobby Clark said it would be appropriate for there to be a ticker-tape parade in the main street in recognition of the achievement, and the principal of the school acknowledged the "strong team ethic around the group...[and that]...they showed massive heart and got across the line.

A congratulatory message was read from the mayor of Kumagaya, Invercargill’s Japanese sister city and Nobby Clark said there were likely to be opportunities for the team to play in Japan and for individual players to study there in the future.

[7] Well-known former students include Jeremy Waldron, who attended the school until 1970 and is now a prominent legal and political philosopher in the United States, and Andrew White, who played rugby for the All Blacks in the 1920s.

[10] Outside sport, George Mason has made a name for himself in television with recurring roles in hit programs such as Shortland Street, Go Girls, and most recently Home and Away (Australian soap).

[11] Also in the arts scene, New Zealand cartoonist Shaun Yeo began his career supplying cartoons and illustrations to The Southland Times while still a student at the school.