Head coach Jefferson knows both where his team is and what they need.
“We competed well in all phases but lacked the nous at certain times to finish the opposition off,” he said.
Palmerston North coach Blair van Stipriaan said it was “a cracking game of schoolboy rugby” with momentum shifts.
“We won a couple of key moments, and that’s what you have to do in the Super 8.”
Conditions at the Rectory were excellent, and almost a thousand spectators were there.
Van Stipriaan’s side made a dynamic start when left wing Tavita Henare-Schuster came through with the ball from kick-off. Giant loosehead prop Nasser Tato scored the first points with a try after eight phases of play just 63 seconds into the contest.
Palmerston North fullback, MVP (most valuable player) and New Zealand Maori representative Ruben Love then missed his first conversion attempt.
Love would miss only one more kick, his last, on the day. With 17 points (including five penalty goals), he was a match-winner.
In the ninth minute, having strung seven phases together going left in Gisborne’s 22, Palmerston North halfback Matt Oldridge cleared a ruck on Gisborne’s goal-line to Love, whose tap-pass found first-five Curtis Heaphy for try No.2, 13 metres off the left sideline.
Love converted for 12-0.
Ofa Tauatevalu scored the home team’s first points In the 14th minute, lock Ofa Tauatevalu scored the home team’s first points.
GBHS were awarded a penalty by referee Oliver Holst (Poverty Bay) five metres out from Palmerston North’s goal-line in front of the posts. Halfback Braedyn Grant tap-kicked the ball, sent his pass left to the blindside and later gave Tauatevalu a short ball for the try, 15m off the left touch. The score was 12-5 to the visitors.
No more than 60 seconds then passed before Love gave Palmerston North a 10 point-lead following a scrum-penalty on Gisborne’s 22, five metres to the left of the posts.
Then came the forward effort of the day.
Gisborne’s front-row of Kitini Taihuka, Setefano Tolu and Sione Mafelio made a huge statement in the 20th minute of the match, forcing a change of scrum-feed from Palmerston North on their five-metre mark, five metres to the left of the posts. From the ensuing scrum, Grant found first-five Anaru Paenga-Morgan on his right, Paenga-Morgan found powerful centre Niko Lauti on the inside hit to score five metres to the right of the posts. The first-five converted to close it to 15-12.
In the 27th minute, the home team put five super phases together on their own side of halfway before try-scorer Lauti found fullback Matt Proffit on the fly five metres off the right sideline. Proffit then outran Heaphy and Love for 55m to score a thrilling try. Paenga-Morgan converted for 19-15 to GBHS — their first lead of the game.
It was down to a one-point lead by the break. Gisborne had infringed at a ruck, and Love kicked the penalty from a metre to the left of the posts, 22m out, to end the first half.
GBHS kept that 19-18 lead until the 46th minute, when they were ruled offside 27m out from their own posts. From five metres to the right of goal, Love kicked the penalty for 21-19 to Palmerston North.
He kicked another penalty — from five metres in from the left touch, 37m out from the posts — in the 50th minute, for a 24-19 lead to Palmerston North.
Paenga-Morgan kicked the goalIn the 53rd minute, Gisborne were awarded a penalty for offside play by Palmerston North 35m out from goal, 15m off the right touch. Paenga-Morgan kicked the goal to close it to 24-22. In the 61st minute, he kicked yet another penalty for a scrum-infringement by the visitors, midfield on their own 22, to put Gisborne in front, 25-24.
In the 64th minute, Palmerston North lost tough No.8 Elyjah Crosswell with an injury to his right arm. He came off the back of an attacking scrum set 15m off the left touch, 15m out from the goal-line — Grant and right wing Campbell Hall combined to make an incredible try-saving tackle on Crosswell. Hall had few chances to use his speed in Super 8 Game 1 but Grant more than impressed with his fearless play.
The menace of Love’s right boot and range was again realised in the 66th minute. GBHS conceded a scrum-penalty, and Love kicked his sixth goal for PNBHS to go ahead, 27-25.
And after 68 minutes, PNBHS won the game. They were pressing Gisborne 10m over halfway when right wing Jayden Keelan dived on a loose ball. Two passes later, Heaphy’s kick-through took a high bounce just off the far sideline. Palmerston North left wing Tavita Henare-Schuster — who had featured in the very first play of the game — plucked the bouncing ball out of thin air and would have scored had it not been for a superb tackle by Proffit. But nothing could stop Palmerston North reserve hooker Bryn Gordon, who from the ruck powered 10m down the sideline to score. Love could not convert Gordon’s try.
All of the changes made by Jefferson bore fruit: Grant is as competitive at halfback as Daniel Harris was in Tom Cairns’s outstanding side of 2006.
GBHS backs are a good unitGBHS backs are a good unit who received few opportunities, but Lauti and Proffit showed what they could do given a chance. Gisborne’s pack did a solid job in all aspects, MVP Mafelio’s all-round play and great scrummaging being standout features.
Gisborne’s game-day captain, blindside flanker Khian Westrupp, led by example.
Regular captain Jordan McFarlane was watching. He, along with hooker Amanaki Tonga, may return from injury against Napier in Gisborne in a fortnight.
“It was a great game — exciting, fast-paced, heavy-hitting,” McFarlane said.
“The boys gave it everything and while it wasn’t the result we wanted, there is a lot of excitement for Napier on June 8.”
Palmerston North won the second 15 fixture 53-26 from 31-5 up at the break.
Graeme Newlands’ GBHS team played great rugby in the second half. The home team’s MVP was No.8 Nik Patumaka and their pointscorers were second-five Vonn Huata with two tries and a conversion, left wing Lyric Baty-Akurangi and reserve openside flanker Sam Twigley with a try each, and first-five Bryan Howard with two conversions.
Duane Hihi’s GBHS under-15s are capable.
Right wing Hikurangi Reed scored a hat-trick of tries (one in the first half, two in the second) in the home team’s 32-19 victory, Gisborne having led 15-12 at halftime.
Left wing Izaiah Fox scored a double in the first half, with a second-half try to fullback and MVP John Horua, who converted his own try.
• Gisborne Boys’ High School have Queen’s Birthday Weekend off from Super 8 competition. They next face Napier BHS and Rotorua BHS in Gisborne on June 8 and 15 respectively.
