Rugby: Visitors overpower Bethlehem

Tauranga Boys' College Second XV proved too strong for Bethlehem College's top team in the wet and failing light of Tuesday night.

The match, originally scheduled for June 8, fell into a rhythm quickly, with the larger, more physical visiting Boys' side keen to keep the ball in hand while the hosts tended to look for territory.

Bethlehem opened the scoring with a penalty to Cam Gerlach before Boys' scored in the right-hand corner through Troy Draffin from a 15m lineout drive.

The conversion sailed across the face to make it 5-3, before James Taylor increased the advantage with a blistering 70-metre effort in which he beat his man on the outside before stepping inside the fullback.

An intercept try from the resumption to the quick-thinking Tristan Downs brought the hosts back into the game, with the conversion from the impressive Gerlach making it 12-10.

An arm wrestle ensued, with the visitors just inches from scoring on pick and drives on a number of occasions, but it was not until the hard-running Brad Armstrong scored from an inside ball just before the half that Boys' got some breathing room.

Boys' added a penalty and a converted try in failing light and conditions in the second half, running out comfortable 29-10 winners against a side that never stopped turning up.

Draffin looked a complete player from the hooker position for Boys' after being strong in both the tight and loose, while Gerlach did well with plenty of slow, back foot ball.

Boys' coach Hayden Reid praised the attitude of his young charges.

"With teenagers you never know what you are going to get, but in terms of wanting to play they are a great bunch of boys," said Reid.

"The pattern is slowly coming and the endeavour is there. They want to play with the ball - there is next to no kicking.

"It's the same with the players in the first fifteen - there's an ethos of we are not here to kick and clap.

"We're going to make mistakes, we gave up an intercept today and it was a converted try right underneath the posts, but there is a bigger goal than just winning."

Tauranga Boys' College 2nd XV 29 (Troy Draffin, James Taylor, Brad Armstrong, Luka Robinson tries; Jack Dustin 2 cons, Junior Menet con, pen) beat Bethlehem College 2nd XV 10 (Tristan Downs try; Cam Gerlach pen, con) HT - 19-10.