Rugby: Rotorua Boys wary of Gisborne prowess

Discipline is one aspect Rotorua Boys' High School will need to improve on ahead of their Super 8 fixture with Gisborne Boys' High School.

Rotorua Boys' High School first XV lost in a close contest last weekend against rivals Tauranga Boys' College, losing a man to a red card inside the first minute.

Rotorua coach Gordon Hunt said they were focusing on a couple of aspects ahead of their next game in Gisborne tomorrow.

"Discipline is a huge thing for us and making sure we can hold onto our own ball and release the exciting players that we have," he said.

Hunt said a loss in the first round of competition last weekend was not the be all and end all for Rotorua, with a rematch against Tauranga Boys' College scheduled for August 17.

Hunt said they were now just focussing on Gisborne Boys' High School.

"Gisborne Boys' have a lot of national titles and they won the Super 8 competition in 2011, I think.

"They are always tough, especially at home, but the record between the two sides has been pretty even."

Rotorua has an exciting array of young players coming through the ranks at the moment, but Hunt was hesitant to label this year a development season.

"We don't like to lose any game," he said. "But this year has a development focus about it.

"We have got a lot of Year 12 and Year 11s, I think 14 players will be back again next year."

The Super 8 rugby competition has been running since 1998 with eight all-boys high schools in the central North Island fighting it out for supremacy.

"For us we are taking one game at a time. Any team in the Super 8 can beat any other on their day," Hunt said.

Rotorua Boys' High School has won the competition on two occasions, 1998 and 2001.

Hunt said they would be forced to make a few changes this weekend as a result of injury, including swapping out their hard-running second-five Palu Fihaki.

Other schools competing in the Super 8 include Hamilton Boys' High School, Hastings Boys' High School, Napier Boys' High School, New Plymouth Boys' High School and Palmerston North Boys' High School.

RBHS Super 8 record 2003-2012

• 
  2003: 2nd
• 
  2004: 3rd
• 
  2005: 3rd
• 
  2006: 6th
• 
  2007: 4th
• 
  2008: 2nd
• 
  2009: 5th
• 
  2010: 3rd
• 
  2011: 5th
• 
  2012: 5th