A109 Light Utility Helicopter flight with mayor Gisborne City from the air in November 2023.
Jet-propulsion — that’s what the Gisborne Boys’ High School first 15 have heading into their Tranzit Coachlines 1st XV Festival rugby game at Westpac Stadium, Wellington, tomorrow.
Gisborne Boys’ High play St Patrick’s College Silverstream at 5.05pm. The game will be televised live on Sky TV’s Rugby Channel and is the curtain-raiser to the Super Rugby clash between the Hurricanes and the Reds.
SKY’s Ken Laban has commentated Gisborne Boys’ High games all over New Zealand. He will miss this clash because of Super Rugby duties but has great respect for the visitors.
“Gisborne Boys’ High have a national reputation and have always punched well above their weight,” he said.
“St Pat’s are the favourites to win the Wellington competition. I expect a tremendous contest.”
With former Wellington Lions hooker Tim Mannix in his third year as head coach, the home team are strong at the set-piece.
That forward shunt was key to their 17 wins from 18 games last year — their only loss 17-47 to national champions Hastings in the Hurricanes competition final.
Boys’ High head coach Mark Jefferson and his team know that victory will not come easily.
“Our set-piece play needs to be solid, we need to exit well when we’re deep in our half and create pressure off the ball defensively with good linespeed,” Jefferson said.
“We need to be clinical in finishing our opportunities because we’re under no illusions as to how tough Stream will be.”
Starting with Gisborne Boys’ High School’s 15-11 win at Manawatu Arena in 2010, the head-to-head record between these sides is 3-3.
In their last match, in Petone in 2016, St Pat’s led 28-12 with 15 minutes to play only for Gisborne to rally and win 29-28.
Coming off an impressive 48-8 win against Wellington College, Gisborne Boys’ High are primed and ready for the big stage.
Captain and openside flanker Dylan Hall wants 70 minutes of “full-throttle Gizzy Boys’ rugby”.
“We’re feeling good and can’t wait to get to the Cake Tin,” he said.
“We want to be aggressive and stretch them in the wide channels.”
Left wing TK Reihana’s hat-trick was the killer blow for Gisborne at Hastings. First five-eighth Quinn Collard and No.8 Jordan McFarlane were also in excellent form for a team who were pipped 29-23 by Kelston in the first game at the Rectory this season.
Lock Ofa Tauatevalu was a tower of strength at the lineout that day, and will need to be again tomorrow. He may well be jumping against spring-heeled six-foot-four Neyla Masima while the St Pat’s scrum will be anchored by 115-kilogram titan Luke Chisholm.
First five-eighth Sam Clarke is St Pat’s goalkicker while 16-year-old Rocco Berry is a quality fullback.
In the absence of 2017 New Zealand Schools representative openside flanker Josh Southall due to injury, the side will be led by co-captain and No.8 Luke Mannix — coach’s son.
“It will be an exciting occasion for both teams . . . a superb atmosphere in a professional environment,” said coach Mannix, whose team are coming off a 14-7 win over Hastings Boys’ High.
“We expect Gisborne to compete hard. Over the years they’ve bred forwards like Blade Thomson, who wants to carry the ball, and backs like Charlie Ngatai, who attacks space. They’re quality opposition.”
The game will be controlled by 25-year-old Matt McEwen of Manawatu — he refereed Gisborne Boys’ High versus St Patrick’s College at Palmerston North in 2016 — in his first appointment at the Cake Tin.
Gisborne Boys’ High (1-22):Nikau Maxwell, Billy Priestley, Amanaki Tonga, Ofa Tauatevalu, Sione Ki-niua, Chase Sheridan, Dylan Hall (c), Jordan McFarlane, Quintony Ngatai, Quinn Collard, TK Reihana, Poumana Gemmell, Michael Fox, Matthew Proffit, Moses Christie, Seth Lundon, Salesi Niuvao, Tyrin Wyllie, Khian Westrupp, Amos Roddick, Niko Lauti, Tonihi Rehutai.