A try to remember

A109 Light Utility Helicopter flight with mayor Gisborne City from the air in November 2023.

RUGBY

It was a try that those in attendance will likely remember for the rest of their lives.

When Poverty Bay winger Matt Raleigh accidentally overran a bouncing ball and back-heeled it over his head and into his hands at a sprint the whole crowd erupted. His being in the away team didn’t matter.

“They were as surprised as I was,” he said.

The smile on his face was a clue to how lucky he felt to have gathered in the ball, he said

“It’s all a part of the plan . . . I’ve been practising that all season and it’s finally paid off,” he laughed.

Footage of his try was picked up by national programmes such as The Crowd Goes Wild and the Alternative Commentary Collective (ACC). From there it was shared far and wide.

The video of his try has now been shared across the globe, from the Saskatoon Wild Oats Rugby Club in Canada to the Centauros Rugby Club in Brazil.

It has been named the Try of the Week by the Mainfreight Rugby TV show and will be a hot contender for Try of the Year for the Poverty Bay Rugby Football Union, if not the nation.