Dramatic Polson Banner rugby finish as Napier, Palmerston North boys’ schools clash in sports

One of New Zealand’s biggest high school sports exchanges had a fitting climax in Napier on Wednesday when two first XVs drew 38-all in the annual rugby match that started it all 120 years ago.

Palmerston North Boys’ High School, which has a roll of over 1700, sent 273 students and 36 staff in a fleet of six buses and four vans, a total of 22 teams for the big day out against Napier Boys’ High School, which has a roll of over 1300.

There were six rugby games, three each of football, basketball and hockey, plus badminton, golf, clay target shooting, water polo, canoe polo, and junior and senior debating. The action was spread across Napier BHS, Maraenui golf course, Park Island and the Mitre 10 Sports Park’s canoe polo facility.

But all eyes were on the first XVs’ match for the Polson Banner, which was first presented in 1907 and its history backdated to the first match in 1904. The game had one of its most dramatic finishes when Napier bench-player Joe Jury Senitu kicked a last-second penalty goal for Napier to snatch a draw and retain the bragging rights, the second draw in a row after a 12-12 result in Palmerston North last year.

While having not held the banner since 2020, and being beaten during the 2022 Napier school’s 150th anniversary weekend, Palmerston North did beat Napier in a second match last year, in a Hurricanes region semifinal in the national schools championship.

The fervour on Wednesday was strong even before kick-off, with a crowd of over 2000 pupils and ex-pupils on the sidelines as the Napier first and second XVs, and a small kapa haka roopu of about 80 schoolmates, faced the Palmerston North in the pre-match haka.

Leading 21-7 at halftime and widening the margin by another five points soon afterwards, the visitors outscored Napier six tries to five.

Napier fought back from the 19-point deficit, responding with four converted tries in 10 minutes, during which the visitors had two players yellow-carded, and led 35-26 with a quarter-hour to go, but PNBHS regained the lead with two more tries to lead 38-35 into injury time.

It was then that Napier charged down the PNBHS clearing kick from the kick-off, went onto attack and were awarded a penalty goal just to the right of the posts. Jury Senitu kicked the match-saving goal on fulltime, when Palmerston North needed to have won to take the prize west of the ranges for the first time since 2020.

For both sides it was the end of this year’s boys’ schools Super 8 competition, set to be fought out between defending champions and near perennial winners Hamilton BHS and Tauranga Boys’ College, this year’s only unbeaten side.

Hamilton take on Hastings BHS in Hamilton on Saturday in the last weekend of play before the final.

In the Central North Island schools competition, Lindisfarne College beat Rathkeale College 34-8 at Rathkeale on Tuesday, and, in fourth place but having finished their nine games, await other Saturday results before knowing if they will reach the semifinals.

Result of the Super 8 game at Napier Boys’ High School: Napier Boys’ High School 38 (Fasitau Lapa, Harvey O’Rourke, Damian Annandale, Ben Campbell, Jaziah Symons tries; Joe Jury Senitu penalty goal; Luke Thomas 5 conversions) Palmerston North 38 (Tevita Fakahau, Bradley Tocker, Viliami Rongokea-Tupou, Alex Palazzo, Cazna Sale, Nehemiah Su’a tries; Bailey Ngatai-Cribb 4 conversions).

Results of other events in the school exchange:

Rugby: Second XV – Napier 8 Palmerston North 7; Third XV - Napier 42 Palmerston North 10; Houses - Palmerston North 17 Scinde House 12; U15 - Napier 36 Palmerston North 32; U14 - Palmerston North 21 Napier 20.

Football: First XI - Napier 1 Palmerston North 0; Second XI - Palmerston North 2 Napier 1; Jnr - Palmerston North 2 Napier 0.

Hockey: First XI - Palmerston North 3 Napier 1; Second XI - Palmerston North 5 Napier 0; Colts - Palmerston North 10 Napier 0.

Basketball: Snr A - Napier 88 Palmerston North 56, Snr B - Palmerston North 99 Napier 52; Jnr - Napier Junior 105 Palmerston North 40.

Golf: Napier beat Palmerston North 10.5/1.5.

Badminton: Palmerston North 6 Napier 1.

Water polo: Palmerston North 9 Napier 8.

Canoe polo: Palmerston North 4 Napier 3.

Clay target shooting: Palmerston North beat Napier.

Debating: Palmerston North won both the Senior and Junior debates.

Doug Laing is a senior reporter based in Napier with Hawke’s Bay Today, and has 51 years of journalism experience, 40 of them in Hawke’s Bay, in news gathering, including breaking news, sports, local events, issues, and personalities.