“We went 7-0 up early on, conceded 20 points, fought back to regain the lead 21-20 with two minutes left to play, and then Cruden kicked the goal from wide out on fulltime. We probably didn’t deserve to lose, but that’s sport.”
Boys’ High lock Sione Ki-niua opened the scoring 15 minutes into the first half on a fine clear day at Palmerston North Boys’ High School.
With first-five Quinn Collard’s conversion, Gisborne led 7-0.
Palmerston North openside flanker Ethan Johnson scored for the home team at the 20-minute mark. Cruden converted to make it 7-7.
Ten minutes before the break, Palmerston fullback Reuben Love, 16, kicked a penalty for 10-7, Cruden then kicking a penalty on the bell to give his side a 13-7 lead.
Openside flanker Bryn Gordon scored at the 50-minute mark, and with Cruden’s conversion Palmerston led 20-7.
But if the 400-strong crowd expected the Dylan Hall-led Gisborne team to fold, they were disappointed.
Gisborne rallied. Tighthead prop Amanaki Tonga scored in the 58th and 67th minutes. Collard converted both tries to give Gisborne a 21-20 lead.
Moments later Cruden — 10 metres off the left sideline, 40m out from the posts — kicked his second penalty goal for 23-21, and the win.
Hall said he was proud of his team’s effort: “The boys were pumping in the second half.
“We showed character to fight our way back, and it could have gone either way.”
Palmerston North Boys’ High coach Blair van Stipriaan knew — even at 20-7 — that Gisborne would not roll over.
“The Gisborne pack were outstanding,” he said.
“Their locks (Ki-niua and Ofa Tauatevalu) and No.8 (Jordan McFarlane) were a handful. The fullback (Moses Christie) was very effective, too, on counter-attack — he made some great run-kick decisions.”
Van Stipriaan paired Cruden and hooker Flyn Yates as Palmerston North’s players of the day, but Cruden said: “I’m not the hero — our tight five earned that last scrum-penalty; they’re the heroes.
“Gisborne is never an easy game. They are well-coached, and well-drilled. I rate them. Our plan was to run them off the park in the second half — instead, that’s what they did against us.”
Blake Beard’s crew fronted up.
The Gisborne Boys’ High School second 15 captain and No.8 headed a hard-nosed match effort. They lost 28-17 but gave Palmerston North Boys’ High a real push at Coronation Park.
Hooker Seth Lundon and reserve centre Hunter Tangira scored tries for Gisborne, with fullback De Villa Pirihi-Coutts kicking a penalty and two conversions.
For Palmerston, lock Trevor-Shane Baker, loosehead prop Isaiah Hauraki, second-five Isaiah Sua and left wing James Cameron scored tries, halfback Logan Love kicked three conversions, and first-five Carson Peipi kicked one conversion.
“It was a scrappy game on a slippery turf, but we took the chances that came our way,” Palmerston North coach Dan Turnock said.
“Gisborne were well-organised on attack, they defended well and their forwards carried well.”
Napier led 14-3 at halftime, and captain and blindside flanker Xavier Reuben was their player of the day. Openside flanker Adam Whibley got that award for Gisborne Boys’ High.
The Wiremu Kaa-coached Gisborne Boys’ High under-15s lost 33-12 to Palmerston North Boys’ High.
Gisborne player of the day, tighthead prop Kitini Taihuka, scored two tries, one of which fullback Western Poutu converted.
For Palmerston, first-five Curtis Heaphy also grabbed a double, with one try each to left wing Tama Nikora, right wing Jacob Rauhihi Colis and Rauhihi-Colis’s replacement, Dean Shields. Player of the day Heaphy kicked four conversions.
Although Gisborne trailed 21-0 at the break, co-captain and openside flanker Lochi Mead and No.8 Nick Patumaka performed strongly at the lineout and Gisborne’s pack more than held their own at scrum-time.
Mead said: “It was a grind — both teams played hard rugby.”
Palmerston captain and lock Reuben Davis said: “I’m really proud of our boys because their forwards put us under the pump with big carries. Our line-speed was good and that was critical.”
Davis’s coach, Jacob Meehan, acknowledged the danger posed by Mead’s co-captain Whetu King-Taufa in the midfield and the excellent scrummaging of Gisborne loosehead prop Drake Wanoa.
“Their whole front row made it hard for us to win our own ball and their reserves impacted on the game as well. They were strong, they were physical.”
The Super 8 competition will take a break over Queen’s Birthday Weekend, after which the Gisborne first and second 15s will turn their attention to Napier Boys’ High in Napier on June 9, with the under-15s and u14s meeting their Napier counterparts there in August.
