RUGBY
It was a good game of rugby.
But Saturday’s seven-point loss to Tauranga Boys’ College here will irk the Gisborne Boys’ High School first 15 because the Ryan Tapsell-coached, Amos Roddick-led side knows that game 5 was winnable.
Tauranga beat Gisborne 29-22 — by five tries to four — in fine conditions at the Rectory to defend the Kane Trophy they won at TBC’s historic Nicholson Field 36-24 last year.
Tapsell was pleased with GBHS’ match-effort while captain openside flanker Roddick said: “We didn’t take advantage of the wind, started slowly and had little ball in the first 10 minutes. In the last 20 minutes we played great rugby, and that’s what we need for 70 minutes.
“In that last 20, everyone showed heart and character to get up off the ground and keep fighting.”
This Gisborne team fought hard against St Peter’s College in the first home game, as a group lifted at Raukura and had a great win against Akina at the Rectory. Hamilton BHS away this Saturday and New Plymouth here in two weeks’ time will be tough opponents, yet GBHS have strong leadership and the muscle up front to be competitive.
Tauranga Boys’ College captain, lock Curtis Palmer, won the toss and chose to kick off into the wind.
Ball in hand, Tauranga got over the advantage line from the outset. After eight minutes, TBC won an attacking 5m scrum in the left corner and retained the ball over four phases of play before loosehead prop Josh Bartlett scored for 5-0.
The visitors struck again in the 19th minute, having won their own scrum-ball 15m from halfway, centrefield: they broke tackles during the 13 phases it took them to shift Gisborne sideways in the long build-up to hooker Jayreeve Mose’s try in Tauranga’s favoured corner.
Three minutes later, from a scrum under pressure at halfway, Tauranga hared down the left sideline and halfback Flynn Henderson ran 15m to score 10m to the left of the posts for 15-0. GBHS weren’t overawed or overwhelmed: it was just that the intensity and ferocious defence of the epic performance v Hastings BHS was not in evidence.
Then Gisborne made Tauranga pay for a mistake in their own half; 29 minutes in, 30m out from their own goal-line, TBC won a defensive scrum, went right and then left before GBHS lock Dylan Bronlund intercepted a pass and scored under the bar. First-five Nic Proffit kicked the first goal, a conversion, for Gisborne 7, Tauranga 15.
And in the 37th minute, the GBHS pack produced the goods from set-piece: from a line-out 5m from the right corner, Roddick won the ball at no4 and seven pick and go plays-later, tighthead prop Nathaniel Hauiti scored beneath the posts for GBHS 12, TBC 15.
15-12 was the halftime score.
Eight minutes after the resumption, that changed. From a 5m attacking scrum (reinforced by giants Max Briant and Sione Mafileo) in front of the posts, GBHS halfback Kirk Ngatai cleared the ball left, from the ensuing ruck left again, for left-wing Siope Fakahokotau to score in the corner on debut.
Gisborne had their first lead of the game, 17-15.
But in the 49th minute Tauranga regained the initiative, from an attacking line-out 30m from Gisborne’s goal-line on the right touch: reserve fetcher Fangavalu Hammond made a bust, was dragged down just in front of the posts and his captain, Palmer, scored the first of his two tries on the day. First-five Dante Gardiner converted that try, and his skipper’s second effort in the 62nd minute. The second try to Palmer came from a tap-kick off a penalty award by referee Isaac Hughes 5m from the goal-line, for 29-17.
Gisborne responded to these events in hard-nosed fashion, when with time virtually up they set and won an attacking 5m scrum a metre to the right of Tauranga’s posts. No.8 Khian Westrupp — whom Roddick regarded as Gisborne Boys’ best defender on the day — came off the back of the scrum, went blindside and found Ngatai to pass. Ngatai got to the breakdown that followed at lightspeed, diving in the right corner to score.
The score was then and remained 29-22 to the visitors.
Tauranga head coach Dan Goodwin described the match as a typical GBHS-TBC affair between two willing sides. His opposite Ryan Tapsell — a big picture coach — knows that his crew cannot afford to start slowly v Hamilton. Focus begins with punctuality and preparedness, starting again from today at 3pm.