Classy King’s end GBHS unbeaten run

ON THE BURST: Gisborne Boys’ High School lock Gabe Te Kani leads the charge, with support from No.8 Quade Tapsell, during Saturday’s interschool first 15 game at Rugby Park. Te Kani, who was one of the few Gisborne players to enhance his reputation in a 24-7 loss to King’s College, was incorrectly named in yesterday’s paper, when the player pictured was Jakob Teneti. Picture by Paul Rickard

A CLASSY King’s College side beat Gisborne Boys’ High School 24-7 at Rugby Park on Saturday. The loss ended a four-match unbeaten run for the Gisborne first 15.

“It was disappointing; we just didn’t front up and took too long to play our way into the game,” said Ngati Porou Seafoods GBHS coach Tom Cairns.

His side trailed 24-0 at halftime, then held King’s scoreless in the second half while scoring a try to left-winger Luke Bird.

Bird showed determination and speed to get on the outside of his man to score in the corner, and first five-eighth Austin Brown nailed the conversion from the sideline.

“We couldn’t find a lot of shape in the first half, but credit to King’s,” Cairns said.

“They’re a very good side. They applied pressure that stopped us from playing the way we wanted to.

“Their tighthead prop played for the New Zealand Schools team last year. Their No.8 and halfback were also very good players.

“It doesn’t hurt to get bounced once in a while. We’ll come back stronger for it.”

Lock Gabe Te Kani, skipper and openside flanker Naera Tipoki (until he went off injured in the second half), hooker Colby Putnam and midfield back Tame Curtis were the picks of the home side.

King's clear from the startKing’s made it clear from the start that they were here to play running rugby. The forwards and backs combined superbly.

They dominated possession and territory in the opening 10 minutes and it needed some strong defence from the home side to keep King’s from crossing the tryline.

King’s could have opened the scoring in the 11th minute when they were awarded a penalty in front of the posts but opted to pack a scrum.

No.8 Ajay Mua picked up the ball and looked certain to score until Tipoki ripped the ball free and launched a counter-attack.

The King’s backs, whose line speed on defence was a feature of the game, regrouped and went back on attack, earning another kickable penalty, which was again declined.

With Gisborne forced to feed on scraps, a King’s try had to come. In the 14th minute, fullback Jamie Spowart scored a five-pointer following a break by right-winger Reece Waters, who kicked the ball ahead for Spowart to outpace the last man.

Four minutes later, Mua scored a try, converted by first-five Ciarahn Matoe

A superb tryThen came a superb try to left-winger Liam Baker-Smith following a set play off the back of a scrum.

Two decoy runners were missed out as the ball was quickly transferred to Baker-Smith.

One minute before halftime, King’s launched a counter-attack that ended with hard-running second-five Ed Vaeau-Mullitalo scoring a try despite a despairing dive by Tipoki, who had to be replaced shortly after the start of the second half.

The Gisborne skipper had aggravated an ankle injury two minutes into the game but played on.

Former Gisborne Intermediate schoolboy Thorn Parkes made a 10-minute cameo appearance for King’s, replacing halfback James Stanners, who was outstanding.

Gisborne are away to St Patrick’s College Wellington this Saturday in the first of the Hurricanes festival games.