Wanganui Collegiate go down narrowly 15-5 to visitors New Plymouth Boys' High in their annual rugby clash

Marauding hooker Wareti Cooper (white) scored Wanganui Collegiate's only try in its 15-5 loss to visitors New Plymouth Boys' High on Wednesday. Photo/Lewis Gardner

A solid scrum and second half determination produced one of Wanganui Collegiate's 1st XV performances against traditional arch rival New Plymouth Boys' High School on Wednesday.

NPBHS has dominated Collegiate in recent years winning 39-7 in last year's traditional match-up in Taranaki, but this year only managed a 15-5 win. Playing on home turf yesterday Collegiate struggled for possession in the first spell with the visitors scoring twice for a 10-nil half time lead.

Early in the second half the Collegiate forward pack drove hard from a lineout for a pushover try for talented hooker Wareti Cooper.

Collegiate director of sport and team manager Barry Touzel described the game as a gutsy turnaround on last year's performance.

"They had the majority of the ball in the first half, although we did have the muscle at scrum time. We pretty much pushed them all over the park. Early in the second spell we did get that pushover try, but they managed to score again and hold us out," Touzel said.

Meanwhile, the appointment of well-known footballer and football coach Shane Rufer as director of football at Collegiate in February is already impacting on performance.

The next outing for the Collegiate 1st XV is an away fixture against St Peters Cambridge in the second game of the Central North Island Secondary School rugby competition on Wednesday.

The Collegiate 1st X1 beat the NPHS visitors 2-1 in a massive turnaround from last season's 8-1 loss.

"That is a massive, massive turnaround and is a direct result of Shane Rufer's influence," Touzel said.

"Shane has instilled a vibrancy within the team culture and that was evident today."

The Collegiate hockey 1st X1 lost 6-2 to NPBH, but yet again improved on last year's 7-nil performance in New Plymouth.