File picture
RUGBY
They got a lot out of it.
Gisborne Boys’ High School head coach Mark Jefferson wouldn’t have had his team anywhere other than Hamilton, at the first 15 development camp.
“There was a lot of learning for the boys — a good environment to be in,” Jefferson said.
“We got lots of clarity, with a big season ahead.”
Boys’ High, King’s College, The Scots College of Sydney and Saint Kentigern College were among the schools represented at the camp in its second year.
Players from the 12 participating schools were exposed to team-building and scenario-training and received insights from coaches who included All Blacks assistant Ian Foster.
While the focus was firmly on player and group development, Gisborne Boys’ High School fans should be pleased to note that their team bounced back from a 39-14 loss to King’s at the weekend to beat hosts St Paul’s 26-7 on Tuesday.
On Saturday, tighthead prop Tyrin Wyllie and No.8 Jordan McFarlane scored for Boys’ High. First five-eighth Quinn Collard converted both tries.
Jefferson said: “Quintony Ngatai (halfback) played his guts out against King’s but we lacked intensity in the first half, and were punished for it by a well-drilled team. Still, we showed heart in the second half.
“Against St Paul’s we played well in patches and had some try-scoring opportunities that we didn’t finish, although it was a pleasing way to finish the camp.”
Tighthead prop Salesi Niuvao (2), hooker Billy Priestley and captain and openside flanker Dylan Hall were the tryscorers against St Paul’s. Collard kicked three conversions.
Year 13 student Niuvao, who debuted against Paarl Boys’ High School at the Rectory last year, broadened his horizons.
“We met a lot of good people and learned a lot about rugby as a career path,” the 17-year-old said.
“We were shown and taught skills in different areas — lineouts, scrums, everywhere.”
Hall also saw the experience as valuable: “The camp brought us together as a team, helped us become a tighter unit. It takes more than just pulling on the jersey to get the results.”
Gisborne Boys’ High School next plays Scots College of Wellington at the Hurricanes Transit Festival in Masterton on May 5, with the next home game being against Hastings Boys’ High School at the Rectory on June 23.