A109 Light Utility Helicopter flight with mayor Gisborne City from the air in November 2023.
Gisborne Boys’ High School captain Amos Roddick will do anything within the laws of rugby to win.
And that includes mountain-climbing Hamilton’s rolling maul — as it drove from the 22 to within 10 metres of the GBHS goal-line four minutes into the second half — to get at the ball-carrier, Hamilton Boys’ High hooker Sean Ralph, in an 80-5 loss.
“Technically, it was an interesting situation and HBHS forward coach Alfie Daniels said it was their best maul all year,” said international test television match official Waikato referee Aaron Paterson.
“Gisborne never shied off a tackle and I’d say Gisborne had the better scrum in the second half. Their try was fantastic, too — well-deserved.”
Trying times call for innovative measures, and as it was good enough for Paterson, openside flanker Roddick has no regrets.
“If it needs doing again, it will be,” he said. “It was a hard day. To me, our halfback Kirk Ngatai was the best player on the field: he gave 100 percent, he made dominant tackles. Whetu King-Taufa (centre) and Nathaniel Hauiti (reserve loosehead prop) made some good runs too.”
Gisborne Boys’ trailed 41-0 at halftime and conceded 14 tries to one in their heaviest-ever loss, against unbeaten Super 8 leaders and two-time defending champions Hamilton at HBHS. There was little breeze to speak of and the No.1 field was in top condition.
There are no excuses to be made and none have been: GBHS knew the standard of the opposition and fought hard but Hamilton are very skilful and play up tempo, powerhouse rugby. With 6-6 in the Super 8, the side led by No.8 Solomona Tyrell is likely the best in the country.
HBHS first-five Taha Kemara opened the scoring with a try from eighth-phase play in the 12th minute: the hosts had set and won an attacking scrum 20m off the right touch, 23m out from the GBHS line.
Gisborne were tenacious, even as second-five Von Huata was issued with a yellow card in the 40th minute, and but for a pass being ruled forward in the 49th minute, blindside flanker Dylan Bronlund would have scored in the right corner. In the 58th minute, with the score 63-0, big No.8 Khian Westrupp reclaimed the ball from kick-off in the hosts’ 22, on the left side of the ground. Over the next 10 phases, GBHS worked to the right, then back to the left. twice, before Westrupp kicked a loose ball ahead and was dragged down by Hamilton tighthead prop Gabe Robinson just short of the left corner.
Gisborne went low and hard four times in the corner before Paterson, having spoken with vastly experienced assistant referee Murray Head, awarded GBHS anchor Sione Mafileo a try. The score was then 63-5.
Mafileo was GBHS’ Player of the Day.
Hamiton scored three more tries. Their leading try-scorer on the day, lock Tyler McNutt, got a hat-trick with doubles to 15-year-old left-wing Aki Tuivailala and right-wing Amos Faaola, a try each to Kemara, Tyrell, reserve right wing and national sprint champion Tyrone Hilton, blindside flanker Maximus Lestro, fetcher Heath MacEwan, halfback Noah Hotham and centre Westyn Cobb. Kemara also landed five conversions, with a special mention for hard-working reserve second-five Zack Paterson.
GBHS head coach Ryan Tapsell said: “Kirk tackled extremely well, Khian was good all-round as usual and lock Nik Patumaka once again got over the advantage line every time he carried the ball. Amos played another good all-round game, and so did fullback King Maxwell.
“Hamilton had the perfect game plan against us. They played great rugby — which is a credit to the coaching and systems they have in place — and we acknowledge that.”
The Gisborne Boys’ High School second 15, led by No.8 Sitiveni Tuilautala in the absence of second-five Xavier Henare-Brown (injured), lost 103-05 to Hamilton with their first-five cum fullback Payton Spencer scoring a record 48 points against GBHS. Gisborne’s sole try-scorer was centre Freedom Lemaua while their Player of the Day was blindside flanker Uetaha Wanoa.