Boys’ High suffer season’s first loss
SCHOOLBOY RUGBY: Four runaway tries, three from long range, made the Palmerston North Boys’ High School first XV pay dearly at Boys’ High on Tuesday.
The dashes got the Auckland Grammar School first XV home by 22-12, reversing last year’s result in Auckland, and delivered Boys’ High their first loss in four games this season.
With Blair van Stipriaan back as coach and former All Black Bruce Hemara guiding the forwards, Boys’ High can easily fix their lineout, which became a liability on Tuesday, and scrum, and deploy sentries to guard their flanks. Ultimately, they should have just tapped from penalties and gone.
‘‘We’ve been travelling pretty well,’’ van Stipriaan said. ‘‘And we’ve been allowed to get away with certain things.’’
Thus valuable lessons surely learnt, because they were combative around the track.
Grammar were full of running and there was silence when their first-five Rylee Samuela tore over from 35 metres untouched. Boys’ High’s driving play was making inroads and a try took them ahead 7-5 into the surging westerly. It could have been 10-all had they opted to flick over a penalty.
But despite imprisoning Grammar in their 22, they escaped three times from 80 metres out against the run of play through unguarded canyons, although one counter resulted in an intercept try to skilful Boys’ High fullback Ruben Love.
This 2018 first XV has enough beef and talent and van Stipriaan employed 24 players, including standout No 12 Daniel Lander. Boys’ High will get No 8 Tyler Laubscher back for the Francis Douglas Memorial College clash on May 2.
Scorers: Auckland Grammar School 22 (Rylee Samuela, Nick Livingston, Sia Moala, Marcel Connel, tries; Olly White con) Boys’ High 12 (Bryn Wilson, Ruben Love, tries; Stewart Cruden con) HT 10-7.