Rugby: College XV get harsh lesson

Tauranga Boys' College winger Kini Ormsby makes a break in the loss to Auckland Grammar on Saturday. Tauranga lost the game 49-0. Photo / Andrew Warner

There are easier teams to play first up in the season than last year's Auckland 1A champions.

But that was the reality for an almost brand new Tauranga Boys' College First XV who were taught some harsh rugby lessons by a bigger, more experienced Auckland Grammar team at Nicholson Field on Saturday.

The traditional fixture is always a favourite on the school rugby calendar with another anticipated clash for Tauranga coming up at Auckland's King's College on Wednesday.

It was Grammar's fourth game of the pre-season which included a very good win over the highly regarded Rotorua Boys' High School team.

Constant rain throughout the match did not help the Tauranga side who copped a 49-0 hiding but there was a lot to like about the resilience shown in the second half after being completely outplayed in the opening 35 minutes.

The lack of first-time tackles hurt Tauranga in the early stages and they had no answer to the size and athleticism of the Grammar players, particularly the outstanding loose forward trio.

Tauranga struggled to find an exit plan out of their own 22 throughout the match and will quickly have to adapt to the extra size and speed of the better teams coming up in the Chiefs Cup and then the Super Eight in June.

Respecting the ball and holding possession for multiple phases will be high priorities for coaches Jason Spice and Graeme Newlands at training this week.

"We have three backs and three forwards returning this year," Newlands said. "So some guys have had a taste of it but it was our first game of the season. We have only had three or four trainings.

"We are a bit behind the 8-ball but we didn't expect to be that far behind especially on defence. They were pretty good in the wet conditions but we didn't help ourselves with some of our defence. When a guy runs through three players and makes that many meters it is always going to be hard.

"Plus we didn't have the ball to play with most of the time.

"We turned it over either with mistakes through set piece or we weren't good enough at ruck time to hold onto it."

Tauranga Boys' College 0 Auckland Grammar 49. Halftime: 34-0