GBHS try scorers were lock Tiaan Barbara-Hei (three tries), second-five Niko Lauti (two tries), hooker Amanaki Tonga, captain and tighthead prop Jordan McFarlane, blindside flanker Ofa Tauatevalu, first-five Anaru Paenga-Morgan and left-wing TK Reihana, with Paenga-Morgan kicking eight conversions.
McFarlane went through two would-be tacklers to open the scoring 1 minute 52 seconds into the game: the home team scored five tries and 33 points in the first 16-and-a-half minutes. They were 40-0 up at the break.
Every reserve got game time on Saturday — in the coach’s words, “new guys (11 debutants) got a taste of what playing for the first 15 is all about”.
Lindisfarne left wing James Buckeridge scored two tries, the equal of any in the game, holding on to a pressure pass from his captain — first-five George Twigley — and threading his way through defenders in a 25m dash for the corner in the 62nd minute. Twigley converted, 5m off the left sideline, for 7-66. With a minute left to play, the 17-year-old Buckeridge drove hard eight metres to score for 12-66.
GBHS played with urgency and the error rate was low for a team determined to play skilful, quick rugby. Great fitness allowed them to maintain that high tempo and Tauatevalu was superb at the line-out. He is unquestionably now as good a leaper as any GBHS forward of the past 20 years. He also received a yellow card from referee Royce Maynard, who set an excellent tone and let the game flow, in the 65th minute.
Boys’ High captain McFarlane said: “I’m really happy to have seen all the talent we have across the board.
“We’re excited. This game gave us a chance to develop our structure — to gel as a team.”
Lindisfarne skipper George Twigley said: “Our boys went better in the last part of the second half — James Buckeridge, our lock Kurtis Arlidge and MVP loosehead prop Ben Thomassen played well, I thought . . . but we just couldn’t keep up with them.”
