Hawkes Bay Schoolboy Rugby
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It's hard watching two games and posting comments at the same time, so I may be wrong, but I thought the stand-outs for Napier were Khan Stevenson, CJ Mienie and Luke Thomas.
As I've only seen a few Hastings games, I find it harder to recognise players and to remember their names, but Mokau Lambert was definitely one of their better players today, but there were more.
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From a pay-walled article in the HBT:
The Napier Boys’ High School First XV suffered their first loss in this year’s Super 8 schoolboys rugby with Tauranga Boys’ College claiming the Joe Schmidt Trophy with a 25-21 win.
Playing in treacherous conditions, the home side scored a converted try late in the first half to make it 15-7 at the turn.
With a first-half try to flanker Angus Prouting followed by the first of three conversions by first five-eighths Luke Thomas, Napier fought back well and with tries to second five-eighths CJ Mienie and hooker Troy Thomas took the lead at 21-18 after a significant period on attack and with about 15 minutes remaining.
Tauranga stole the game with a try from the second phase after a scrum inside the last two minutes.
Napier had won their first three games and next Saturday, in Napier, play Hamilton Boys’ High School, who maintained their unbeaten record with a 40-7 win over Rotorua Boys’ High School in a game which was also a Moascar Cup defence in Hamilton.
In Hastings, Hastings Boys’ High School had their first win in three Super 8 matches this season, beating Gisborne Boys’ High School 26-19, after leading 14-0 early and 21-5 at halftime.
No 8 Shaun McNaughten scored two tries, with one each to hooker Joseph Lilo-Iosefo and fullback Mokau Lambert, who also kicked three conversions.
The Super 8 focus will be on Hawke’s Bay next Saturday, with Napier hosting Hamilton Boys’ High School and Hastings hosting Rotorua Boys’ High School.
In the Central North Island Schools competition, Lindisfarne College hosted co-ed school Feilding High School in Hastings, with former Chiefs Super Rugby and Hawke’s Bay Magpies NPC midfield back Andrew Horrell this year joining former Lindisfarne pupil, France Under-21 representative and Paris and La Rochelle French Top 14 competition prop Laurent Simutoga in the coaching team.
Lindisfarne were competitive for much of the time before the visitors took charge and won 38-17, with tries to prop Sam Rasmussen and halfback Tom Baines, with a penalty and two conversions to second five-eighths Jack Brittin.
It was 14-10 to Feilding at halftime, Simutoga saying Feilding’s ability with the offload became difficult to stop, leading to the slight blowout in the score.
Horrell has been focused on his Hawke’s Bay Regional Council job since his last game seven years ago and has no connection to Lindisfarne other than taking on the backs coaching role he took up this year as he looked “to get back into the game”, and says he enjoying the experience, with two training sessions twice a week and matches on Saturdays.
Also in the CNI competition, St John’s College Hastings were heavily beaten in Hamilton by St John’s College Hamilton.
Napier Boys' High blot copybook ahead of Hamilton Boys' rugby clash
The big showdown awaits in Napier next week, as defending champs Hamilton ride in.
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All Hawke's Bay school rugby games, including the Super 8 and CNI games to be played at home, have been postponed due to ground and road closures (incl Napier Taupo Rd) after the heavy rain.
That affects Hastings Boys' v Rotorua Boys', Napier Boys v Hamilton Boys' and St John's College v Wesley College.
Assuming Lindisfarne is able to get to New Plymouth, their game against Francis Douglas MC will go ahead (I haven't seen an announcement of this game being postponed).
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Somehow I mistook the start time and only tuned in at 12.00 and see I have missed the first three quarters of the game. Obviously not the best of conditions but hey it's a winter sport and there are times that you have to accept mud bogs. Sadly, for such an eagerly anticipated clash, this is one of them.
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