First XV rugby: Napier beat Hamilton for first time since 2011

Napier Boys' High School prop Richie Magele scores in the second minute to put his side up 5-0, the first try in his school's only first XV win over Hamilton BHS since 2011. Photo / Ian Cooper

The Napier Boys’ High School First XV has beaten near-perennial Super 8 Schools rugby champions Hamilton Boys’ High School for the first time in 12 years with a three-tries-to-two 17-15 victory at Napier Boys High School today.

In weather as bad as that a fortnight ago when the match had to be postponed because the closure of State Highway 5 between Taupō and Napier meant Hamilton could not get to the game, all five tries were scored by forwards, with prop Richie Magele scoring within two minutes as the Napier pack pummelled the Hamilton line in a raid launched right from kickoff to give Napier an early 5-0 lead.

Walking on water as Richie Magele tries to crash through the defence of the Hamilton loose forwards soon after scoring the opening try. Photo / Ian Cooper

No 8 Angus Prouting’s try in the 29th minute, converted by first five-eighth Luke Thomas, made it 12-7 to Napier, and the match-winner was scored by lock Gorge Prouting with five minutes to fulltime.

Hamilton’s first try went to prop Raharuhi Palmer in the 24th minute, and the conversion to first five-eighth Wyndham Patuawa made it 7-5 to Hamilton. The second, to lock Alex Arnold five minutes into the second half, made it 12-12.

While Hamilton tended to dominate territory, Patuawa’s penalty goal with 13 minutes to go was the last shot for the visiting team who had arrived in Napier to stay the night before the game, and Napier bided the time confidently until the right opportunity came.

Napier Boys’ last beat Hamilton Boys’ in 2011, and the annual matches, though there are sometimes two or even three a year, culminated last September with a national schools’ championships final in which Napier led 15-5 with 16 minutes to go, only to succumb to a comeback which saw Hamilton snatch the lead for the only time in the game in the last half-minute and win the national title for a record-equalling fifth time.

At the start of May this year, Hamilton beat Napier 52-19 in a World Youth Tournament semifinal in Japan.

With just one loss in the competition, to Tauranga Boys’ College in heavy rain in Tauranga in the Napier side’s last match three weeks ago, Napier, considered at the start of the season to be in a team-rebuilding phase, are now well-placed to reach the Super 8 final.

It would probably be against Hamilton, who have won the Super 8 Schools First XV rugby title 14 times since 2006. Napier have won the title just twice, most recently in 2003, and have been beaten by Hamilton in all three of their most recent Super 8 finals, in 2012, 2013 and 2018.

Sunday’s match was the first for the Del Whyte Super 8 Taonga, presented by long-time Napier Boys’ teacher, and former first XV mentor Del Whyte, who has lived through all of those past moments, but, being out of town at the weekend, was unable to be present for the big win.