First XV rugby: Finals hopes gone for Hawke’s Bay schools in Super 8

Hawke’s Bay’s hopes of having a side in the Super 8 school First XV rugby final disappeared on Saturday when Tauranga Boys’ College and Hamilton Boys’ High School guaranteed top-two finishes with a game to play.

Hastings Boys’ High School travelled to Tauranga with big hopes of winning against the unbeaten home side, but after coming back from 12-3 down to lead 20-19 at halftime, they were beaten 41-30.

With Hamilton beating Gisborne Boys’ High School 64-5 in Hamilton, Napier Boys’ High School’s 44-36 win over New Plymouth Boys’ High School in New Plymouth became irrelevant to their chances of any payback from the school’s loss to Hamilton in last year’s final.

Tries for Hastings were scored by fullback Walter Kava, wing John Lameko, flanker Reed Paewai and prop Elijah Vui, while first five-eighths Tana Faumuina kicked two penalties and two conversions.

Napier, beaten by Hamilton in last year’s Super 8 final, scored five tries in the first half of their game on Saturday to lead New Plymouth 29-14 at the break, the points ultimately coming from tries to B. Campbell, props Damian Annandale and Fasitau Lapa, wing Ruben du Plessis, halfback Zach Forster and substitute wing Angus Lovatt, with second five-eighths Luke Thomas adding a penalty goal and three conversions.

Napier host Palmerston North Boys’ High School in what doubles as the schools’ 120th anniversary Polson Banner match on Wednesday, while Hastings host Hamilton next Saturday.

The schools will then turn their focus to the national secondary schools championship playoffs.

A pathway to bigger things – Leo Thompson, playing for Napier Boys' High School in the 2018 Polson Banner match against Palmerston North Boys' High School in Napier. The banner match will be played again in Napier on Wednesday. Thompson now plays rugby league for the NRL's Newcastle Knights, who are next up for the New Zealand Warriors on Saturday. Photo / Paul Taylor

Hamilton and Tauranga are the top two sides in the Second XV competition, the latter beating the Hastings seconds 41-21, while Napier were beaten 30-14 by New Plymouth in their match.

In the Central North Island Schools’ Championship, Lindisfarne College, of Hastings, were beaten 33-29 by St Peter’s Cambridge in Cambridge on Saturday and must win or draw their remaining match against Rathkeale College near Masterton on Tuesday to have any chance of making the semifinals.