Four minutes into the game, Gisborne Boys’ High first five-eighth Quinn Collard opened the scoring with a penalty from 35 metres into the wind.
Lock Sione Ki-niua’s jolting tackle on New Plymouth tighthead prop Tuterangi Anderson forced a turnover in the visitors’ half, and three phases later — left of centreground, just outside the New Plymouth 22 — Collard, at first receiver from a ruck, sent the ball to fullback Moses Christie on the right, and Christie slid through to score in the 10th minute. Collard’s conversion made the score 10-0.
New Plymouth didn’t lack for skill. Tall first-five Adam Smith found excellent touch and is a good stepper while centre William Guthrie tackled hard-running opponents courageously.
Guthrie is a gutsy player but the likes of Gisborne No.8 Jordan McFarlane and hooker Billy Priestley kept their team on the front foot with surging carries.
New Plymouth looked for blindside flanker Thomas Murray-Edwards at an attacking lineout five metres into the Gisborne Boys’ High School half — on the New Plymouth’s right wing — but Ki-Niua won the ball against the throw. Eight phases later, Priestley scored 15m in from the left sideline in the 25th minute for 15-0, and Collard converted for 17-0.
New Plymouth halfback Kristian Standing was superb, probing at the fringes and coming within a metre of scoring himself.
The Standing-Smith combination came up trumps for the visitors just before halftime. New Plymouth set the scrum five metres from Gisborne’s goal-line, 10m in from the right-hand touch. Standing found Smith on the inside and Smith beat two men to score.
Gisborne led 17-7 at the break.
In the 37th minute, Ki-niua’s springheeled second-row partner Ofa Tauatevalu won his own ball five metres out from the left touchline and captain and openside flanker Dylan Hall scored from the resultant line-out drive 10m in from the corner. Collard’s conversion made it 24-7 to Gisborne.
Down a man with the sinbinning of Tauatevalu by referee Ollie Holst after a lineout, Gisborne raised the tempo.
Second-five Niko Lauti scored the first of his two tries a metre to the right of the posts off a bullet pass from Ki-niua, in the 50th minute following 10 phases of play. The visitors had dug deep to halt the charge for that long. Collard’s kick took Gisborne out to a 31-7 lead.
In the 56th minute, Ki-niua found Lauti on the fly, the inside centre breaking three tackles to score in virtually the same spot as for his first try. Collard converted for 38-7.
New Plymouth fullback Jack Parker made a try-saving tackle on Gisborne left wing TK Reihana, but two phases later — in the 59th minute — tighthead prop Amanakinoa Tonga burst through to score the home team’s sixth try, which Collard converted for 45-7.
Reserve forwards Khian Westrupp and Seth Lundon then combined brilliantly at the front of a lineout on the right-side touch a metre out from the New Plymouth goal-line. No.8 McFarlane switched from 1 to 2 with Westrupp, Westrupp returned the five-metre throw to hooker Lundon and Lundon tore around the corner to improve the angle for the goal-kicker. On this occasion — Collard being replaced by Tauatevalu — the score remained 50-7.
New Plymouth had the last say with a well-deserved try to replacement Bailey Hayward-Kingi, who backed up an outstanding read, dummy and 45m run by Murray-Edwards. New Plymouth had lost ground from an attacking scrum, Murray-Edwards got the ball at halfway and with Hayward-Kingi’s help gave their side a positive end to the game.
“We’re stoked to put in a really good performance at home, recycling the ball and scoring some nice tries from that,” Jefferson said.
“Amanakinoa Tonga was our ‘most valuable player’ — he stayed strong at scrum-time, was all over the park, carried the ball well and made some excellent turnovers.”
Hall was justifiably proud of his team, not just for their great showing against New Plymouth, but also for the strength of character they had shown since their last win — 48-8 — against Wellington College on May 12.
“The boys are stoked — it’d been a very tough past nine or so weeks — but our coaches never gave up on us, and to get the crowd we did on Saturday was awesome,” skipper Hall said.
“This has really picked us up; it’s a big confidence boost.”
New Plymouth captain and loosehead prop Corrigan Millar played his first game against Gisborne Boys’ High at under-15 level. On Saturday, he complimented the Gisborne first 15 on their composure.
“Losing five on the trot and then putting 50 points on any first 15 shows real heart,” he said.
“It was a physical battle. Quinn was exceptional, Nikau was destructive, Sione worked extremely hard and was strong in the contact zone.
“We had our moments — Thomas Murray-Edwards led the way with some strong tackling and he flew into rucks — but we were beaten by a better team on the day.”
The Sacred Heart College fixture that had been scheduled to be played in Auckland tomorrow has been postponed until the completion of the Super 8 competition.
