And while New Plymouth have not won at Gisborne's Rectory in 13 attempts since 1970, the GBHS record — in the Super 8 era — of five wins and six losses at The Gully since the visitors' 28-17 triumph in 1999 says (on balance) that, history-wise — rather than form-wise — Gisborne could swing it at NPBHS.
Gisborne Boys' High won the last clash with New Plymouth 18-17 at the Rectory on September 12, 2020, having lost 27-5 at The Gully on June 29, 2019.
Tomorrow the temperature is expected to be 13 degrees with a mild sou'easterly breeze prevailing; the Gully turf is always firm and the ground's five terraces create an amphitheatrical feel unique in world schools rugby.
Head coach Tapsell wants his people to be focused: “Our boys need to be dialled in for 70 minutes, play unselfishly — play for each other. They have to implement the game-plan.”
GBHS captain and tighthead prop Nathaniel Hauiti leads a side whose toil and sweat, matched to the successful execution of their policy and aim of playing the best rugby they are capable of, would produce a win to savour.
Hauiti said: “We've been going over everything, from speed to the ruck offensively and defensively to simple things like ball placement, just to keep the boys on top of everything.”
Last year, Gisborne won two of seven Super 8 games and were placed sixth. New Plymouth won five and came third in the competition.
Gisborne's five changes to the starting 15 in Hastings Boys' High's 65-0 win at Akina last Saturday are as follows: Zeke Collier is in for Hayze Nepia at loosehead prop, Matiu Anderson comes in for Uetaha Wanoa at lock, Israel Fox replaces Karlos Howe at first five-eighth. Nepia — with a view to beefing up Gisborne's midfield defence — is in for Paraina Davies at centre, with Siope Fakahokotau taking Taimana Teneti's spot on the right wing.
Both Nepia and Paul Tovio, who started at hooker in Round 4, hit the hosts like a hammer around the fringes of the ruck early on last week. The former's redeployment from No.1 to No.13 is nonetheless a gutsy vote of confidence.
GBHS were on the defensive for much of their last outing, but in holding the home team scoreless for the first 19 minutes of the match, Hauiti's outfit proved that they could — and would — tackle.
Gisborne's scrum was good value at Akina. In the age of Sideline.Live, a team's work-ons as well as strengths are seen by all who look but what no one knows is what this GBHS team might do with a good supply of lineout ball. If the lineout works well in Game 5, such questions might be answered.
Under second-year head coach Ricky Tito, NPBHS pushed four-time defending Super 8 champions Hamilton BHS hard at home in Game 1. Hamilton won 36-29, but New Plymouth bounced back from that loss nine days later to beat Tauranga Boys' College 13-5 at The Gully.
Last weekend, the slick Palmerston North BHS crew, who beat Gisborne 30-10 at the Rectory on June 29, defeated NPBHS 10-3 in Palmerston North.
Loosehead prop Patrick Howlett, No.8 and first-year captain Che Potaka, halfback-now-fullback Liam Day and left-wing-now-second-five Samuela Vakadula are survivors from the NPBHS starting 15 at the Rectory a year ago.
New Plymouth captain Potaka has gone at it with GBHS rugby teams since the Colquhoun Invitational Tournament of 2017 and scored the first try of last year's first-15 match, 13 minutes in.
“Playing against Gisborne is exciting,” he said.
“We're ready for them and our coaches trust us to remember what we have to do. I'm honoured to be playing Gisborne again, for the third time in my first-15 career.”
Gisborne BHS second-15 coach Mark Jefferson's team is positive about their 9.30am assignment at McNaught Field.
“We're a young team for the most part, and a good bunch,” Jefferson said.
“What we need to do against New Plymouth is defend better. We conceded 66 points against Hastings because we got too tight on the inside. They went around us. We've worked to correct that this week.”
GBHS second-15 captain and second-five Xavier Henare-Brown said: “Execute our structure — that's what I want our boys to do.”
The first-15 match is to be controlled by Taranaki premier referee Mitch Young, with assistant referees Tim Biesiek (AR1) and Steve Scott (AR2) on The Gully at 11am, while Biesiek has the second-15 engagement from 9.30am at McNaught Field.
