Gully becomes lake for Super 8 match
It was hard to imagine how a game of rugby was played at the Gully on Saturday.
Torrential rain from start to finish meant the Super 8 match between New Plymouth Boys’ High School and Hastings Boys’ High School was played in the most trying of circumstances.
As the rain became heavier and heavier, water started pouring down the terraces, the sidelines became flooded and the field saturated.
It was so bad the assistant referee was wading through a flood of water that was up to his shins.
Still, the game carried on, somehow.
By the end Hastings, who have dominated the competition and even put a century of points on Palmerston North Boys’ High School, won 32-0, scoring six tries in the process.
There was no doubt their game was blunted by the conditions but they still managed to show some of their quality, especially at the breakdown and with their support play.
There was much to admire about the attitude New Plymouth brought to the game, though.
They defended stoutly from the outset and were generally well organised. They had to be because Hastings had the lions share of the ball and were on attack for long periods.
That domination saw them score twice in the opening half and take a 12-0 lead into the break.
New Plymouth competed well early in the second half and had a rare attacking moment of their own but Hastings had too much quality off the bench and ran in several tries late in the match.