Fitness, skill, good tackling on show

IN THE TIGHT: Ngatapa players William Matthews (front left) and Alex Burgess (centre) seek the ball in a ruck of Ngatapa and High School Old Boys players in an under-52-kilogram under-13 rugby match on Saturday. Ngatapa won 19-12. Picture by Lou Livingstone

RUGBY

Poverty Bay under-13 rugby opened in dramatic style at Waikirikiri Park on Saturday with a brilliant match: Ngatapa beat High School Old Boys’ 19-12 in the under-52-kilogram restricted grade.

Centre Maxwell Kennedy was sensational, his footwork and flair netting him the HSOB most valuable player (MVP) award while another great talent — fullback Brodie Aporo — claimed that prize for Ngatapa.

Fitness, skill and good tackling technique were displayed by both teams.

Gutsy HSOB second-five Kye Symes made a superb cover-tackle on Aporo; Ngatapa No.8 and captain George Gillies made just as good a tackle on HSOB blindside flanker Jasher Evans 14 minutes later.

Kennedy scored and converted his own try in the 24th minute for a halftime score of 7-0.

In the 43rd minute, Ngatapa halfback Jack McNaught scored, and blindside flanker William Matthews kicked the 25-metre conversion to make it 7-7.

In the 49th minute, HSOB first-five Jayden De Thier made a try-saving tackle and in the 52nd minute, Ngatapa centre Dylan Storey scored the green-and-whites’ second try for 12-7. In the 56th minute, second-five Charlie Bennett scored Ngatapa’s third and final try, converted by Matthews for 19-7.

De Thier scored the last try of the match in the 60th minute, the game’s last points . . . 19-12.

Aporo ran strongly with the ball in hand and Matthews impressed with his all-round match-effort, while tall HSOB tighthead prop Brandon Rance won ball against the throw at the front of the lineout early in the first half.

She runs like the wind. And 12-year-old Rubi Hart of High School Old Boys’ open-weight team is both fast and versatile.

The Year 8 Gisborne Intermediate School flyer scored five of her team’s 16 tries in a 104-0 win against Ngatapa at Rugby Park on Saturday.

No.8 Logan Bruce bagged a hat-trick, while both first five-eighth Kelan Bryant and right wing Liam Beattie scored twice. Lock Koby Waide, openside flanker Sol O’Connor, centre King Rakuraku and MVP, captain and fullback Wade Perrett all dotted down.

Perrett — who scooted off the left touchline and behind the posts to score the opening try 48 seconds into the game — kicked 12 conversions in his 29-point tally.

The Tim Beattie-coached HSOB side led 55-0 at halftime.

Neither Beattie nor Ngatapa coach Grant Torrie felt the score was a true reflection of the game as a spirited contest, and Ngatapa have had an increase in numbers.

“We’d only had a group together for two days before the game, having reached out to the local intermediate schools, but we’ve gone from 11 on Thursday to 21 on Saturday and now we’ve got 22 in the squad,” Torrie said.

He was rapt with his side’s discipline and the commitment to tackle shown by captain and centre Fergus Tomlinson, loosehead prop Keelan Bartlett-Te Puni and No.8 Kaelyn Downs.

Bartlett-Te Puni brought down HSOB powerhouse lock Malosi Luafalealo in the first half, while Ngatapa reserve centre Molo Fakahokotau and MVP and loosehead prop-cum-No.8 Twelvey Davies never stopped running. At half-time, second-five Sam Gaddum even volunteered to (and did) switch with a forward to give that player some respite.

Torrie’s team have some champion attitudes: “I think we’ve got a try coming next week.”