Out to turn the season around

A109 Light Utility Helicopter flight with mayor Gisborne City from the air in November 2023.

Tomorrow the Gisborne Boys' High School first 15 will have 70 minutes to turn their Super 8 season around.

They play New Plymouth BHS on Gisborne's Rectory No.1 at 11am, with the second 15 fixture on at 9.30am.

The Rectory faithful know that the Duane Hihi-coached side are willing and have flair. They have been very good in the first half of all four games they've played.

Palmerston North BHS led 14-10 in the opening game at PNBHS on May 28, and won it 22-10. On June 11, Gisborne led their oldest rivals, Napier BHS, 17-7 at NBHS but lost by seven points.

On June 18, GBHS were ahead 8-7 against Rotorua at the break, but their hosts ran out 36-11 victors at Raukura.

Hihi's charges received help with their lineout before the Rotorua game from a former first 15 forward, Scottish international Blade Thomson, and have since shown improvement in that crucial facet of play. The 2021 Super 8 finalists Hastings led GBHS 19-10 at the Rectory and won 33-15.

The loss of Gisborne Boys' High School's MVP (most valuable player) last week — hooker Boston Morete — to an injury late in proceedings, has been keenly felt.

Yet tomorrow they welcome back the liveliest of blindside flankers, Dylan Bronlund, from five weeks on the injury list. He will give his all.

So far this season, New Plymouth have lost at their Gully to five-time defending Super 8 champions Hamilton BHS 24-12 and 33-17 to Tauranga Boys' College at Nicholson Field and are coming off a near heart-breaking loss, 28-24, at home to Palmerston North.

GBHS have back five players who started for them, one who started in the reserves and one then-reserve (Puna Hihi).

For New Plymouth, seven starters have returned, and openside flanker Harry Theodore and second-five Jayden Anaha have graduated from the bench. Tyler Houpapa, who was a reserve last year, will be keen to make his mark from the bench once more.

New Plymouth have not won here in 13 attempts since 1970, and Gisborne took the last match here 18-17 on September 12, 2020, to send then-captain Amos Roddick and six other players off with a hard-earned win.

NPBHS third-year head coach Ricky Tito didn't savour the full Rectory experience on the side's last trip here — the Covid-19 restrictions in place in 2020 kept the locals at arm's length — but he knows something is coming.

And being a good keen rugby man, he loves it.

“We know — you know — that you're in a place that doesn't like you, and this is the best Gisborne team they've had in three years,” Tito said.

“We're fighters, 12 are back from last year and we want to shift the ball. Our co-captains are big lock Jacob Mitchell and Cullum Tito at first-five. Jacob is a follow-me type with a massive work-rate whom I hope to see go close to New Zealand Schools selection this year.”

Tito's opposite, Duane Hihi, will have drummed into heads all week the need to focus and remain razor-sharp throughout; if anything, to lift as the game goes on.

He said: “Our goal remains what it was last week — to finish well — because that wasn't achieved. We've got do the job.”