A week after finishing fifth in the Highlanders First XV competition, St Kevin's best result, it has made the top four co-ed schools for the first time in school history.
The team will fly out of Dunedin on Thursday morning and play Cambridge High School on Friday at noon. If St Kevin's wins, it will play Otahuhu College or Feilding High School in the final on Sunday.
St Kevin's coach Justin Fowler said he was ''very proud'' of the boys for getting the job done against Burnside.
''It was a massive effort, a very intense game with a huge amount of pressure. Burnside played really well and really they had it on us in the second half.
''I think the defining moment was with about 15 minutes to go, we had a rolling maul that went about 35m. It really lifted the boys' spirits and momentum went our way.
''We just hammered away and they started infringing at the breakdown and that cost them territory,'' he said.
In a game where the lead changed hands five times, it was the home side which held its nerve. After trailing Burnside late in the first half, St Kevin's had an 8-5 lead at the split when prop Paea Palaa crashed over.
The visitors responded with a well worked try out wide early in the second half, before the game turned into a tussle for possession.
Down 10-8 with about 10 minutes left on the clock, St Kevin's set up camp inside the Burnside half. After sustained pressure, prop William Sunderland barged over for the try and St Kevin's never looked back.
Fowler said he knew little about his side's opponents on Friday but would be doing some ''homework'' this week.
By Robert van Royen.
