Second-15 bite put to good use

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

These Gisborne Boys’ High School second-15 players have bite.

The Mike Kora-coached GBHS side under captain and No.8 Noah Torrance-Cribb had their first Super 8 victory of 2022 at Coronation Park 2 on Saturday — a 22-16 win against their Palmerston North BHS opposites.

Right wing Safin Tuwairua-Brown scored two tries, and blindside flanker Keegan Jooste and left wing Apirana Kirkpatrick scored one apiece for the visitors, with a conversion to halfback Kauri Christie.

Jooste won the second-15’s MVP (most valuable player) award and played a major role in putting GBHS on the front foot from the start.

Fullback James Harrison won the MVP award for PNBHS.

“Our forwards got us over the advantage line, and we got the ball out wide — that’s how we won it,” said Torrance-Cribb, who won the toss and chose to kick off.

Palmerston North BHS skipper and first-five Alex Boblea chose an end.

Palmerston North led 11-10 at the break but Boblea played in the PNBHS Colts who lost at the Rectory last season. That 15-13 win to Gisborne has not been forgotten.

“I loved every minute of it last year because the Rectory’s a great ground to play on — Gisborne love to defend it,” Boblea said.

“Our team was pumped up this time around for what was, for many, their first Super 8 fixture.”

The GBHS under-15s can and will bounce back hard from a heavy loss on Coronation Park 3. Palmerston North led 27-0 at halftime and won 44-12.

Trevor Crosby’s GBHS u15s scored tries through reserve lock Felix Sparks and reserve blindside flanker James McKay. First-five Phoenix Pardoe-Crosby kicked one conversion.

The MVP award was shared by blindside flanker Logan Bruce and fullback Kahurangi Leach-Waihi for GBHS, while first-five Jamie Viljoen was the hosts’ MVP. Viljoen, lock Kisione Ma’asi and fullback Hunter Kennedy scored twice for PNBHS; blindside flanker Viliami Rongokea-Tupou and left wing Joseph Ratcliffe scored a try each, and second-five David Gray landed two conversions.