Rotorua too good for GBHS

CRUNCH: Gisborne Boys’ High School prop Sione Mafileo takes the ball up into a solid tackle by the Rotorua Boys’ High defender. The visitors beat Gisborne 57-5 in the Super 8 clash. Picture by Paul Rickard

RUGBY

Credit is due to them.

The Rotorua Boys’ High School first 15 beat Gisborne Boys’ 57-5 here last Saturday, handing the home team their third loss of the Super 8 rugby season.

From among the visitors’ ranks, blindside flanker Stuart Leach, the midfield pairing of Carlos Karaitiana-Manu Paea and fullback Ceiza James were superb.

The score was Boys’ High 0, Rotorua 29 at half-time and though first-five Ricardo Patricio scored a brilliant try for GBHS upon the resumption, and there was a 20-minute period during which RBHS didn’t score following the break, Rotorua never relaxed in the first contest for the Craig Callaghan Memorial Trophy.

The late Craig Callaghan, an old boy of RBHS, taught Maori studies and coached rugby at both Rotorua BHS and Gisborne BHS.

On Saturday in perfect conditions, the crowd numbering close to 1000, the home team played into the breeze and probed the visitors’ defence over eight phases of play before turning the ball over 10m into RBHS territory. Rotorua halfback Kane O’Connor read the play and cleared the ruck to fullback Ceiza James on the fly down the sideline to score one minute into the game. The try was not converted.

At the 10 minute-mark, Rotorua loosehead prop Haruto Takahashi drove in to score: again without a conversion. Then three minutes later right-wing Manu Akauola raced in to score off another good pass from O’Connor. First-five Tome Poona converted for 17-0.

Twenty-two minutes in, RBHS second-five Carlos Karaitiana’s jarring tackle on Boys’ High fullback Braedyn Grant 30m out from Gisborne’s goal-line dislodged the ball: two rucks later, the ball went slickly through five sets of hands for left-wing Te Hemara Gardiner-Toi to score in the corner off an assist by centre Manu Paea.

The score was 22-0 until the cusp of half-time, when Akauola went over at the corner for his second try. James relieved Poona and converted from the right sideline for 29-0.

Five minutes into the second half, Rotorua took a tighthead against the Gisborne pack 10m into RBHS territory, 5m off the defenders’ left sideline. Three phases later, the visitors had spread the ball both ways and openside flanker Nikki Jacobs gave the last pass to Gardiner-Toi for his double, scored in the corner. James converted for 36-0.

In the 46th minute came Gisborne Boys’ magic moment: from a scrum 5m out from Rotorua’s goal-line, 10m to the left of the posts, halfback Nic Proffit cleared to first-five Patricio on his right. Patricio took the ball at RBHS, merely hinted at passing, and scored a great try just to the right of the posts.

It was GBHS’ only try-scoring opportunity on the day and they took it: there was no conversion.

Rotorua then led 36-5 for the next quarter of an hour, as a reinvested Gisborne team doubled their efforts to tackle. Throughout the second half, they had been brave: young blindside flanker Lochi Mead literally dived face-first at a loose ball to stop Rotorua toeing it down the sideline; openside flanker Amos Roddick, in the tackle, found support off the left touch in TK Reihana and then braced himself off the sideline to hold Reihana infield v two Rotorua defenders determined to oust him.

In the 70th minute, reserve prop Brett Henry scored RBHS’ second second-half try next to the right post — converted by James, for 43-5. Lock Scott Leone then scored after three phases from the restart of play, following a long run by Gardiner-Toi: Leone drove hard from a ruck on the goal-line. James converted for 50-5.

Rotorua scored the last try of the game on full-time — after three phases of play from the restart, Paea receiving a typically unselfish pass from Leach to score. With the conversion by James, Rotorua won the game 57-5.

GBHS head coach Mark Jefferson said: “The Super 8 is a tough competition because you face high-quality opponents every week — but every week you get back up and try to get better. We get a break — the confidence will return.”