Cruden kicks late winner
It took a fair bit of nerve, but Stewart Cruden showed a cool head as he kicked a match-winning penalty for Palmerston North Boys’ High School against Rotorua Boys’ High School in Palmerston North on Saturday.
Standing 40m out from the line, 15m in from touch, with boggy ground underneath him and a gusting wind blowing into his face, it was a far from easy kick.
But the side’s co-captain nailed it in the final play of the match to hand Boys’ High the 16-13 win and a major upset considering how the school has been tracking in recent weeks.
Despite embarrassing losses to Hastings and Hamilton, Boys’ High now have the chance to bank a winning record in the Super Eight this year.
With just the Polson Banner match against Napier left, they have won three and lost three.
The win over Rotorua is one they would look to emulate in that match.
Palmerston North shot out to a 6-0 lead after a pair of penalties to Cruden.
The muddy field dictated the match would be a slog for both sides.
But a lot of the general field kicking was inaccurate.
Rotorua cashed in with two tries after Palmerston North was slow to react to quick taps, giving Rotorua a 10-6 lead at halftime.
Right after the break Rotorua added another penalty to move seven points clear.
But Boys’ High, led by Tyler Labuscher and centre Ethan Helumakasini, kept battling away.
Tireless flanker Mackenzie Tansley crossed from short range to level the scores and they held on
to set up the final penalty attempt.
Their next game is against Napier in Palmerston North on Wednesday.
Meanwhile, Feilding High School were out to restore pride as they crushed Lindisfarne 53-0 in the CNI on Saturday.
The team, still reeling after an embarrassing perform in their loss to Napier last week, turned on one of their best displays of rugby this season.
Coach Mark Mcalley said they put a big focus into getting their core roles right this week.
With the wind at their backs, they scored twice in the first half with their strong defence around the fringes standing out.
But as they turned around for the second half, the call was made to play a more attacking brand of rugby. And it paid off.
Flanker Lennox Shanks, prop Ethan Mcquinlan and No 8 David Parker all played starring roles as they racked up nine tries.
With one round to play in the CNI, just three competition points separate the top five teams, who all share an equal six-wins-fromeight-matches record.
Wesley hold top spot with 31 points, Francis Douglas Memorial College and St Paul’s are on 30, Feilding on 29 and St Peter’s on 28.
But with St Peter’s, St Paul’s and Wesley all having favourable final match-ups, it will be an effective knock-out match between FDMC and Feilding to decide the final spot.