The Gisborne Boys’ High School first 15 met the best school rugby team in the country head-on last week.
Kelston Boys’ High — last season’s Auckland 1A champions — beat a spirited Gisborne outfit 40-0 with a crowd of 300 attending at Sister Rene Shadbolt Park in New Lynn.
The home team led 21-0 at halftime, scored five tries in total and were awarded a penalty try for 14-0 in the 20th minute of a game in which the GBHS forward pack more than held their own at set-piece.
Kelston captain and tighthead prop Joel Lauvale won the toss and chose to kick off.
Gisborne captain and scrum-anchor Nathaniel Hauiti opted to play into the strong southerly breeze.
After nine minutes, Kelston fullback Xavier Tito-Harris opened the scoring, and halfback Cole Benson kicked the first of four conversions in the match.
Kelston hooker Nathan Cassidy-Natano scored on the halftime whistle, and Benson converted.
The Duane Hihi-coached Gisborne kept their hosts at bay for 21 minutes before Kelston’s MVP (most valuable player) No.8 Jarrel Tuaimalo-Vaega scored; Benson’s conversion made it 28-0.
Tito-Harris got across for 33-0 in the 61st minute, and on fulltime Benson converted openside flanker Nate Brown’s try for 40-0.
Gisborne Boys’ High selected skipper Hauiti as their MVP.
Head coach Hihi said Hauiti had “a monster game”.
Fetcher Ben Phelps won kick-off ball and turnover ball at rucks.
Fullback Cohen Loffler, on a heavy ground, was put under pressure at Shadbolt Park, but Hihi felt this was Loffler’s best game so far in Gisborne Boys’ High colours.
As late as the 63rd minute, when referee Rob Ah Kuoi showed the yellow card to Gisborne’s young reserve blindside flanker Braith Ingram for an awkward tackle, the visitors were hitting hard.
“We were in it, and created opportunities early on, but didn’t capitalise,” coach Hihi said.
“A penalty try saw blindside flanker Dylan Bronlund in the sin-bin for knocking the ball down, and by halftime we’d lost starting centres Puna Hihi and Xavier Tuapawa to injury.
“With a short turnaround from the Lindisfarne College game on Saturday, the loss of Carlos (Hihi, Hauiti’s co-captain and regular starting first five-eighth) made it tougher to compete.
“This was the game that we knew would test us and give us a good understanding of where we’re at. It highlighted a few key areas requiring work before we meet St John’s College of Hastings on the Rectory ground in Gisborne on Thursday.”
Kelston BHS first 15 40 (penalty try — 7 points; Xavier Tito-Harris 2, Nathan Cassidy-Natano, Jarrel Tuaimalo-Vaega, Nate Brown, tries; Cole Benson 4 con)
Gisborne Boys’ High School 0. Halftime: 21-0.