TRYSCORER: Gisborne BHS first-five Nic Proffit, pictured here in their game against St Peter's, was a standout in the side's 20-19 loss to Rotorua Boys' High School at Raukura on Saturday. He had a major hand in the side's first try and scored one himself. Proffit shared Player of the Day honours with captain Amos Roddick. Gisborne Herald file picture
Saturday was about Gisborne Boys' High School first 15 rugby courage: final score, GBHS 19 Rotorua BHS 20.
Rotorua retained the Craig Callaghan Memorial Trophy which they won on its first presentation here in 2019.
The Round 2 Super 8 clash at Raukura was a mix of fast-paced action, physicality and skill amid a background of senior players' sacrifice for their team.
Gisborne were without two first-choice players, No.8 Khian Westrupp and loosehead prop Sione Mafileo. Team men to the hilt, neither played amid uncertainty about Super 8 and New Zealand Rugby eligibility rules.
These rules are complex and this margin is too narrow to contain them.
“Our boys stepped up after being 12-0 down early on,” said GBHS head coach Ryan Tapsell.
“Everything was stacked against them, but they found something within themselves and fought back.”
RBHS director of rugby Ngarimu Simpkins, whose crew ran in nine tries to one in a 57-5 scoreline at the Rectory last year, was on tenderhooks this time around.
A relieved Simpkins said: “Gisborne Boys' showed passion and aggressive intent, and they'll beat some teams this year. They should be proud.
“GBHS fullback King Maxwell and first-five Nic Proffit were impressive and their openside flanker Amos Roddick was super-tough.”
On a fine, brisk day in front of a crowd of 500, Rotorua first-five Xavier Mitchell-Winsor kicked off and Gisborne made a good start. Bay of Plenty referee David Brouwer awarded them the first two penalties; blindside flanker Sam Twigley made two excellent takes at the front of the lineout and first-five Proffit found excellent touch.
GBHS were unsuccessful with their first kick at goal from 23m out, 15m to the right of the posts. Moments later, from a penalty award, Mitchell-Winsor found a brilliant touch: he sent play from the RBHS 22, 15m off the right touch, to within 5m of the goal line. The hosts won the lineout, and — three phases later, in the eighth minute — their Player of the Day centre Junior Tabuavao scored between the posts. Tabuavou converted his own try for 7-0 to RBHS.
The home team were strong in defence: their captain hooker Dayna Bidois made a magnificent driving tackle on Gisborne fullback Maxwell. From an attacking lineout 10m short of the GBHS 22 on the left touch, Bidois' crew won the ball and went on the angle towards the posts three times before second-five Ngakohu Walker ran hard, left side of the ruck, to score in lock Dylan Bronlund's tackle at the 12-minute mark.
Walker's try was not converted, the score then was 12-0 to RBHS.
Gisborne looked dangerous on occasion, and struck in the 17th minute.
RBHS halfback Bless Perese-Elliot, at a Rotorua ruck 20m from his goal-line, chip-kicked the ball towards centrefield. Maxwell fielded the ball: five phases of play later, having gone first left, then right and finally left again, GBHS halfback Kirk Ngatai sent a great clearing pass to Proffit, who dummied his way into the 22, split two would-be tacklers and gave the assist to Roddick. The Gisborne captain's try was not converted: GBHS 5, RBHS 12.
In the 23rd minute, the visitors scored a grand forwards' try: off the left touch, Roddick won a lineout 5m from Rotorua's goal line and the Boys' High pack made seven consecutive surges infield, before tighthead prop Nathaniel Hauiti dotted down beneath the posts for GBHS 10, Raukura 12. Maxwell converted for 12-all.
Three minutes before halftime, Roddick — fiercely determined not to give an inch to Rotorua — was given a yellow card by referee Brouwer.
In the 37th minute, Tabuavao landed a penalty from 27m back, in front of the posts for 15-12. Gisborne spent the next nine minutes at the home team's end of the ground: the RBHS defence held, and they were rewarded with their third try. It was a 5m attacking scrum for Rotorua, 15m to the right of the posts: Perese-Elliot sent strapping right wing Hamana Te Aute on a hard line, through three defenders to score.
Tabuavao added a comedic touch in his haste to replace the ball after it had fallen off the tee, muffing the conversion.
RBHS led 20-12.
There were big moments left in the game: Gisborne winning a scrum penalty from a similar position on the field to that from which Te Aute scored, and Proffit's try in the 68th minute.
GBHS scrummaged superbly against Rotorua, who in the last four minutes survived three scrums set 10m from their goal-line before Boys' High won a fourth scrum 17m to the left of the posts, ran wide, then edged right twice more. Finally Proffit got the ball and scored 12m to the left of the posts.
Maxwell converted for Gisborne 19, Rotorua 21.
Roddick and Proffit shared the Player of the Day award.
GBHS v RBHS was an even contest and a Gisborne team rapidly gaining in confidence have yet bigger Super 8 fish to fry: Hastings BHS, who last season won six, lost one in pool play before losing the final to Hamilton 13-5, have this year — like Gisborne and Tauranga — lost their first two games and have only one bonus point. The defending champions have won both of their games to date and lead the competition with nine points.
Napier BHS took the Moascar Cup — New Zealand schoolboy rugby's “Ranfurly Shield” — off Hastings at Hastings 15-10 last weekend, and so Hastings will want to show strongly on Rectory ground No.1 at 12.30pm here this Saturday.
The referee for Gisborne v Hastings is Poverty Bay's Isaac Hughes, with assistant referees Hugh Fitzgerald and David Stevenson.
Akina are also bringing their second 15 and under 15s to Gisborne: the second 15 match at 11am on R1 will be controlled by Les Thomas, while the u15s play on R2 at 9.30am and have as their referee Miah Nikora.
The Duane Hihi-coached GBHS under-14s, who prevented GBHS being “swept” 4-0 at Raukura last Saturday with a 12-all draw, play Manukura of Palmerston North at 10am on Rectory Ground No.1 tomorrow.
Gisborne BHS first 15 head coach Ryan Tapsell, in his first year in the role, said: “We saw great spirit and effort from our boys against Rotorua BHS there — now we look forward to another tough battle against Hastings BHS here at the Rectory.”
Boys' High fans love that these guys dug their heels in.
The Gisborne Boys' High School under-14s under Duane Hihi fought hard for a 12-all draw against Rotorua BHS at Raukura: last year, the Hihi-coached GBHS u15s beat RBHS 29-19 at the Rectory — then, as this time around, denying the school-boy rugby powerhouse a four-nil “sweep” in the fixture.
On Saturday, the GBHS u14s scored the first points of the game on the cusp of halftime, having driven tighthead prop Whetu McGhee 10m to and over the RBHS goal line for 5-0. With fullback Wade Perrett's conversion, the visitors were 7-0 up at the break.
Ten minutes after the resumption, Rotorua struck back with a try to hooker Wheronui Peri. His try was not converted.
Awarded a penalty by referee Darin Fenwick in the 24th minute, No.8 Luke Bidois tap-kicked and cut the line for Gisborne 12, Rotorua 5.
On fulltime, RBHS reserve left wing Paora Herlihy scored and his captain second-five Leon Edmonds became a hero for the home team with a conversion for 12-all.
RBHS u14s coach Jeremy Te Huia was impressed by what he saw.
“It was a great game and the score reflected that, with two passionate teams going head-to-head,” he said.
“Gisborne played well and were unlucky; their standout players included the captain openside flanker Puna Hihi and vice-captain first-five Safin Tuwairua-Brown. Puna was very strong over the ball and in the tackle, while Safin has an excellent kicking game and created opportunities for his backline.”
Though the GBHS under-14s did not select a Player of the Day, the GBHS second 15 did and split their award between lock Saylahr Paaka and No.8 Sitiveni Tuilautala in a 45-5 loss; their sole try-scorer was reserve left wing Kulistofa Tatapu. The GBHS u15s' try-scorer in a 40-5 loss was left-wing Cohen Loffler and lock Joe Kemp won their Player of the Day award.