A109 Light Utility Helicopter flight with mayor Gisborne City from the air in November 2023.
Both High School Old Boys and Pirates walked off Oval 2 with their heads up on Saturday.
And their heads were held high for very good reason: most if not quite all local rugby clubs have been short of players and game-day reserves in the past few years and consequently have conceded sizeable scores here and there.
Neither the blue-and-whites nor the Buccaneers had won a Civil Project Solutions Premier Rugby match this season to Week 5 — their last chance to pick up a win in the first round.
The Danny Boyle/Wayne Ensor-coached HSOB picked up a great 27-19 win on Oval 2 against their closest neighbours, in a fast-paced affair, three tries apiece, with hosts HSOB up 19-7 at halftime.
Kevin Hollis Glass Pirates captain and rake Bernard Nepe won the toss and chose to kick off, HSOB No.8 Tamanui Hill chose, as Enterprise Cars OBM did on Oval 1, to play from the clubhouse end with the nor'westerly breeze prevailing.
HSOB made a statement in the seventh minute of play. At an attacking scrum set four metres to the right of the posts, five metres from the Pirates goal-line, halfback Scott Tallott cut wide down the blindside to score 14m in from the corner. Tallott has looked sharp of late. His try, in his 50th (blazer) game, was unconverted
In the 16th minute, Pirates hit back — with a beauty.
HSOB fetcher Zane Boyle, at No.3, won an attacking lineout 12m from the left corner but, in third-phase play going right, the home team turned the ball over and classic Buccaneers counter-attack ensued.
On the breakout down the middle, No.8 Paora Mullany gave an around-the-back pass to fullback Epa Levecevevakalagi, who returned the give-and-go for Mullany to score beneath the crossbar.
With first five-eighth Tariu Lemoa's conversion, Pirates led 7-5.
The hosts were awarded a penalty try by referee Damien Macpherson in the 29th minute and, with that award went 12-7 ahead.
In the 34th minute, Pirates had a couple of handling blips — HSOB missed touch on a line-kick right side only for the ball to be put down by the Buccaneers 25m out from their own goal-line. HSOB won their own scrum-ball and the crossfield kick that followed saw the ball go loose on the goal-line. Veteran second-five James Warren was on hand to score 13m in from the left corner which, with Reihana's conversion, made the score 19-7.
In the 51st minute the blue team scored from a five-metre attacking scrum set six metres to the right of the posts. HSOB shifted the ball left twice, Warren threw a dummy-pass and the second try of a double was his, eight metres in from the corner . . . 24-7.
There followed a try to Pirates blindside flanker Pat Kaliopasi (conversion Lemoa, in the 60th minute, to close it to 24-14) and to the Buccaneers' left wing Niue Niue, in the 71st minute. There was no conversion from the left sideline, so HSOB then led 24-19.
Reihana kicked a penalty goal four minutes from fulltime for 27-19. HSOB had survived Pirates' late charge, and the blue-and-whites had their first win.
Nepe spoke for Pirates: “I'm proud of the effort. We played well in patches — our scrum held up, the lineout went well. We can build on those things.”
Boyle was proud of his loyal blues.
“We're very proud of the effort that was made to get the win on Saturday — especially with only two reserves on the bench. Only one reserve actually took the field. Our coaching staff and management have seen improvement from this group on and off the pitch.
Fun fact: Scotty played his first premier game against Pirates, and his 50th against them today.
“Pirates came at us hard to the end and this could have gone either way.
Our reps will now play for Poverty Bay at Queen's Birthday Weekend. Best of luck to Fletcher Scammell and Tamanui Hill.”