Napier side too strong in second half

Gisborne Boys' High School First XV openside flanker Mano Tavake attempts to charge down a clearing kick from Napier Boys' first-five Luke Thomas, as GBHS captain No 8 Luke Bidois and NBHS openside flanker Khan Stevenson look on. Photo / Tim Shirriffs (NBHS)

By Ben O’Brien-Leaf

The biggest First XV rugby moments between Gisborne Boys’ High School and Napier BHS have turned on tries.

From GBHS’s first-five Mackie Turei’s shock try from the kick-off at Rectory No 1 on June 30, 1993, to Napier No 8 Riley Mullany’s knife through butter in the second half of Saturday’s clash, the 31 years between then and now, are treasured threads in the rivalry.

On Saturday at home, Napier defended the Football Challenge Cup that they took from Gisborne 21-20 in 2016 - with hooker Troy Thomas, Mullany and openside flanker Khan Stevenson scoring for the hosts in their season-opening 27-14 win.

Gisborne, which began their Super 8 campaign with an 8-42 loss to Palmerston North BHS away three weeks ago, led Napier 14-13 at half-time. Their game-day skipper, No 8 Luke Bidois - deputising for their regular captain second-five Puna Hihi - and in-form left-wing Safin Tuwairua-Brown scored tries. Second-five Impala Waipara converted both, and the visitors led the Sky Blues in the latest instalment for 56 minutes.

“We were pleased with our first-half effort and also with our defence, but Napier played for the full 70 minutes,” GBHS head coach Duane Hihi said.

The Napier front row of Damian Annandale, Thomas and Fasitau Lapa led the strongest scrummaging effort by their school v GBHS in recent history. Their captain lock George Prouting also played his part in a tenacious come-from-behind victory against a Gisborne team that fought desperately hard to stay in front.

NBHS head coach Tai Te Rito was impressed by the stickability of the visiting team.

“They played with purpose and physicality throughout the match while we began frantically, but after 20 minutes we began to build phases and had 80 per cent of the ball for the next quarter of an hour,” said Te Rito.

“In the second half, our goal was to accumulate points early – Riley and (openside flanker) Khan (Stevenson) did that for us by scoring tries. We played most of the rest of the game in Gisborne territory.”

Gisborne Boys’, which kicked off in perfect conditions with a crowd of 900 in Napier, brought the battle to them immediately, with quick ball movement and powerful carries. They took a tighthead from GBHS at the first scrum but the visitors, with excellent structure, scored the first try in the eighth minute.

From a line-out 23m from the right corner at the Sky Blues’ end of Field 1, hooker Tyrone Mauheni found lock Tahana Bristowe at two, and over eight phases, the Black and Red team went left, back to the middle for fullback Kahurangi Leach-Waihi to penetrate and then - two rucks later - Bidois scored 7m to the right of the posts.

Second-five Impala Waipara, one of Gisborne’s quiet achievers this season, converted his try for 7-0.

The lead-up to the first try of the game was textbook, bar a juggle before Leach-Waihi made his break (local referee Jordan Cameron making an excellent decision on that spilled ball going down but not forward). The score highlighted how GBHS wanted to play their best rugby.

After 19 minutes, at a lineout 5m from the left corner at Gisborne’s end, rake Troy Thomas hit lock Oli MacLachlan at three. Napier put the lineout drive on - Troy scored 7m in from the corner - and his twin, first-five Luke Thomas, made good on the conversion for 7-7.

In the 35th minute, Gisborne scored another great try. On the NBHS 22, right side, Mauheni hit Bristowe at lineout time and the Bidois-led side zig-zagged with punch in Napier’s half over nine phases of play before winger Safin Tuwairua-Brown dived full-length to score 11m to the left of the posts.

Waipara did duty for 14-7, the half-time score.

Cameron found Gisborne off-side in the 37th minute and from the GBHS 22, 15m off the left touch, Thomas kicked a penalty goal for Napier 10, Gisborne 14. In the 42nd minute, GBHS were penalised for not releasing the ball carrier 21m out from their goal line, 3m to the right of the posts. Thomas’ second penalty made the score NBHS 13, GBHS 14.

Napier No 8 Mullany took everyone by surprise in the 56th minute. From the base of a scrum, 14m off the left touch, 10m from the goal line - having sold the merest hint of a dummy to reserve halfback Zach Forster and Luke Thomas - he tore openside to score under the crossbar.

That and the Thomas conversion gave the hosts their first lead of the game, 20-14.

In the 70th minute, NBHS sealed the deal with an anticlimactic try for the ages. At a lineout 5m from the right corner at GBHS’s end, reserve hooker Liam Reid got Stevenson at three. Stevenson took mini steps in reverse towards the goal line without handing the ball to his teammates - both sides kept their hands off Stevenson - and the fetcher finally spun and dropped to score 8m infield.

Thomas converted Stevenson’s try for 27-14.

Second XV in narrow loss to NBHS

The Joe Aukuso-coached Gisborne Boys’ High School Second XV can hold their heads up.

They led their Napier BHS opponents away, almost to the last, at Field 1 on Saturday. The teams were led by their fullbacks - NBHS under Harry Bain and GBHS under David Gray.

Gray’s side led the home team 14-12 at the break and Bain’s outfit scored the only try of the second half to win the game 19-14.

Gisborne Boys’ Ludwig brothers (Franco at prop being older than first-five Ruan) scored all of the visitors’ hard-won, team-generated points.

Franco Ludwig scored the opening try of the match in the seventh minute, which with Ruan’s conversion made the score 7-0. Napier hit back in the 19th minute – powerful right-wing Kiane Tuifao was the try scorer. Tuifao’s try was converted by Bain for 7-7.

Napier hooker Mitchell Innes scored in the 27th minute - minus a conversion - for 12-7 to the hosts. The older Ludwig dotted down again three minutes before half-time, with Ruan’s second successful conversion putting Gisborne back in front.

NBHS No 8 Carter Pirie scored their third try in the 47th minute, which - converted by Bain - put them up 19-17. Gisborne never stopped hammering at Napier, a penalty shot at goal hit the right post. The home team saved the ball in play and found touch, and their defensive qualities were put to the test to the end, with GBHS twice appealing for tries at the goal line to referee Shaun Smith.

Napier BHS Second XV coach James Pakoti gave the Gisborne crew credit well-deserved.

“Gisborne Boys’ got off to a great start and put us under a lot of pressure,” said Pakoti. “They were well-drilled – they played with a passion, and controlled aggression. They put us under pressure for long periods of the game and our boys had to dig deep to hold on for that win.”

The scores:

1st XV - Napier BHS 27 (Troy Thomas, Riley Mullany, Khan Stevenson tries; Luke Thomas 2 pen, 3 con) Gisborne 14 (Luke Bidois, SafinTuwairua-Brown tries; Impala Waipara 2 con). HT NBHS 7 GBHS 14.

2nd XV - Napier BHS 19 (Kiane Tuifao, Mitchell Innes, Carter Pirie tries; Harry Bain 2 con) GBHS 14 (Franco Ludwig 2 tries; Ruan Ludwig 2 con). HT NBHS 12 GBHS 14.

Player of the Day Awards: Quaydon Chaffey-Kora (GBHS 1st XV), Patelisio Tavake (GBHS 2nd XV).

Other Super 8 Scores - Tauranga Boys’ College 57 Rotorua BHS 14, New Plymouth BHS 0 Hamilton BHS 29, Palmerston North BHS 14 Hastings BHS 23.

(Note: for Palmerston North BHS, Gisborne BHS, New Plymouth BHS and Hastings BHS, Saturday was Round 2 - for Napier BHS, Hamilton BHS, Rotorua BHS and Tauranga Boys’ College, Saturday was Round 1)