Second string Boys’ High side caned
Out-sized, out-muscled and outmatched.
The second-string Palmerston North Boys’ High School first XV offered little resistance to impressive Australian touring side Scots School when losing 92-14 at Boys’ High yesterday.
With the match sandwiched between games against St Paul’s Collegiate and Auckland Grammar, coach Blair van Stipriaan opted to rest his starting group taking on the latter in Auckland on Saturday.
And against the Sydney side, the players picked never appeared to have a chance.
Scots School’s attacking charge was led by second five-eighth Billy Smith, whose impressive vision and timing constantly broke open the Boys’ High defence.
Giant wing Thomas Yassin, who scored four tries and gave away another to a team-mate once he was over the tryline, seeminly scored with almost every touch of the ball.
In the first half Boys’ High were falling off tackles, struggled at set piece, made poor decisions with the ball in hand, looked lost at the breakdown and were going into contact far too high.
They weren’t helped by Scots going unpunished for spending most of their time on defence offside.
As the tries mounted against Boys’ High, their heads started to drop and they were punished accordingly.
The halftime deficit of 47-0 could have been much worst.
But to their credit, Boys’ High were an improved unit in the second 40 minutes.
Prop Usaiah Fonongolea and midfielders Korie Winters and Jackson Scully all lifted their work rate and started carrying the ball lower into contact, while replacement halfback Bryn Wilson made a good impact off the bench.
They started to string together phases with a pair of tries to Fonongolea giving them some reward for their efforts.
But at the other end of the park, Scots were still waltzing in tries and wing Charles Burnett’s goalkicking radar was on song to add further damage to the scoreboard.
When the referee’s final whistle finally sounded, Scots School had racked up 14 tries in the comprehensive win.