Rugby: Hastings Boys High rule in derby clash with Napier Boys

Hastings Boys High School's Devan Flanders and Kianu Kereru-Symes inspect the Ebbett Challenge Trophy after their victory over Napier Boys High. Photo/Warren Buckland

Hastings Boys High School's blistering run of form continued with an emphatic 38-3 win over local rivals Napier Boys High School on Saturday.

And they did it on the Napier side's home ground before a large and enthusiastic crowd.

Both sides had gone into the Super 8 local derby with impressive results - the Napier Boys First XV having beaten Gisborne Boys High 39-5 the previous weekend and the seemingly now unstoppable Hastings First XV dismantling Palmerston North Boys High by an impressive 100-0 also on the previous Saturday.

In past years the home side have gone into the annual game as favourites, and their form has been good this season.

But Hastings have been putting in a string of remarkable performances this year and had effectively kept their opponents down to either no points or single figures.

So the scene was set for a competitive encounter, but Napier had little answer to their rivals from the other side of the river.

In both attack and defence Hastings scored - literally.

They put together six tries and converted four of them - with their star winger Kini Naholo grabbing two of the tries.

Hastings team manager Jason Bird said the players were keeping their feet firmly on the ground because "there are still plenty of games to go this year".

But there was obvious delight in taking out the always-competitive derby.

"Any time you go to Napier Boys and come away with a win is great," Bird said.

"On average there's only been three or four points between them in the past so to come away with a win like that is awesome."

The Hastings side accordingly left the field of play with the trophy the schools play for in the annual derby.

"We have put a lot of effort and focus into defence, and teams like Napier are very good footballers so you have to shut them down."

Bird said the squad had put in a lot of pre-season work and had built "good depth" - and that was now coming to the fore.

A lot had been said about Hastings winger Kini Naholo, brother of All Black Waisake Naholo, and the young man's two tries take his total for the season so far to 30.

"Yeah he dotted down twice and played really well," Bird said.

"There were limited opportunities but when they did come up he took them so well."

Bird said that like the rest of his team-mates and skipper Kianu Kereru-Symes, Kini was humble about the win.

There are five more games to go in the Super 8 competition, which Hastings won last year, and the side were not taking anything, or anyone, for granted.

This weekend they travel to take on Gisborne Boys High, who were beaten by Napier when they met.

"Any team is beatable on the day, and now we have targets on our backs," Bird said.