Palmerston North BHS win well, as Nelson College retain Moascar Cup

Palmerston North Boys' High School and Wellington College in action on Saturday. Photo: Blair Mockett.

First XV rugby is back in action across the country with the Hurricanes region pre-season Tranzit 1st XV Festival kicking off in Masterton this weekend, as well as the Auckland, North Harbour and Crusaders regions competitions where Nelson College defended the Moascar Cup on Saturday.

Tranzit 1st XV Festival
By Blair Mockett
 
Yesterday saw Palmerston North Boys’ High School run out 57-20 winners over Wellington rivals, Wellington College.

Wellington College managed to grab a good start with winger Reuben Puck going over to give his side the early lead.

Palmerston North Boys’ High would respond strongly with their winger Korie Winters going over in the corner to level the scores.

They would then pile on the points, firstly with No. 8 Tamati Ruawai picking up from the base of the scrum to score.

And then within the space of five minutes center Chance Malu and halfback Bryn Wilson bagged a try each to create a 21 point lead.

Wellington College managed to hit back with Number 8 Flynn Crampton scoring his team's second try with five minutes before halftime.

It would be in vain however as Tamati Ruawai grabbed his double to give his team a 31-10 lead heading into halftime.

Hopes of a comeback in the second half for Wellington College were sparked when tighthead prop Geordie Bean crossed over to make it a 16 point ball game.
​
Palmerston Boys’ High School would not be denied however with Bryn Wilson Grabbing his double ten minutes later and replacement Bryn Gordon charging down a kick to run nearly 40 metres to score. 

Photo: Blair Mockett.

With five minutes to go Palmerston North Boys’ High Openside flanker Ethan Johansen scored from a pick and go after fly half Stewart Cruden came close from the scrum.

Stewart Cruden would manage to score however, crossing over from short range to bring the score past fifty.
​
Wellington College would, however, grab a late consolation try with center Frank Coop catching the defence napping to run away to score.

The final score of that game 57-20 to Palmerston North Boys’ High School.

Palmerston North Boys High School Head Blair Van Stipriaan is happy with the result from his team but says there is still room for improvement.

“We really happy with what we were doing on attack but we left some points out there just through some un-clinical execution” Said Van Stipriaan.

“The danger from when you come away from a game like this is that you think sweet we are done, we score 40 so we must be alright, We know what’s coming we know the super 8 is what it is and so we gotta be really accurate at that time”

“Wellington College is a traditional exchange for us and to win in the first instance is confidence building and to get that score line is pretty handy for us too”.

Wellington College coach Lincoln Rawles was disappointed with the result but says there were still positives to take away from the game.

"At the end, there wasn't enough consistency in they play, we scored 20 points but then we'd switch off so they just need to stay focused for longer periods of time", Said Rawles.

“They still got their four tries, they played to their structures they scored the points so they’ve got to take that away from the game”.

In other results of the Tranzit Coachlines, 1st XV festival saw Scots College beat Gisborne Boys’ High School 31-22, St Pats Town beat Rathkeale 33-17 and Napier Boys High School defeating St Pat’s Silverstream 40-22.

Palmerston North Boys’ High School: 57

Tries: Korie Winters, 2 Tamati Ruawai, Chance Malu, 2 Bryn Wilson, Bryn Gordon, Ethan Johansen, Stewart Cruden. Con: 5 Stewart Cruden, Jayden Keelan

Wellington College: 20

Tries: Reuben Puck, Flynn Crampton, Geordie Bean, Frank Coop.

Half time: 31-10
​
Wellington 1st XV Premiership grading also kicked off this weekend with Rongotai defeating Hutt International Boys School 29-20, Wairarapa College thumping Tawa College 45-5, Porirua College beating Hutt Valley High School 19-12, Aotea beating Onslow 31-12, Naenae College winning over Mana 37-24, Upper Hutt smashing Bishop Viard 48-0, Wainuiomata defeating Taita 29-20, Kapiti defeating St Bernard's 30-14, Paraparaumu defeating Wellington Collge 2nd 22-10 and St Pats Town 2nd beating Silverstream 2nd 22-7. 

---

Nelson College defend Moascar Cup

Had St Andrew’s College scored in the 45th minute of their Moascar Cup challenge against Nelson College the result might have been very different.
 
Ahead 12-10, the challengers were within metres of scoring a third try, but a timely intercept by Nelson captain Anton Segner sparked a length of the field counter-attack which was finished with a storming run by No.8 Isiah Malaula.
 
Five minutes later Nelson’s inspirational openside caught St Andrew’s out of position with a quick tap and burrowed over for his second try to blow the game wide open.
 
Malaula (with a storming 40-metre charge) and Segner (brushing aside meek defence from a five-metre scrum) would both complete personal hat-trick’s as Nelson collected a UC Championship bonus point.
 
Earlier St Andrew’s made an encouraging start and anchored inside the Nelson 22 for the opening ten minutes. The breakthrough came from a charge down which bounced favourably for wing Angus Gilbert.
 
In the 11th minute St Andrew’s lost openside Jack Stokes to the sin bin for a cynical infringement and conceded their first points when Senger muscled over.
 
St Andrew’s quickly reground and in the 28th minute Gilbert scored for a second time when he  severed around his marker and dashed 40-metres.
 
It was a good spectacle with both teams looking to play expansively, but Nelson’s ability to punish turnovers and break tackles with their forward carriers in the last quarter was ultimately telling. Segener’s display was one of the best in the entire history of the program which started in 2010.
 
Over in Blenheim, Marlborough Boys’ College beat Mid Canterbury Combined 65-28, while in Christchurch, St Thomas’ beat the third Tasman side, Waimea Combined 44-10.
 
CBHS beat Aoraki Combined 57-7 and Christ’s College defeated Shirley Boys’ High School, while St Bede’s edged Timaru Boys’ High School 12-7 and Rangiora High School pipped Lincoln Combined 13-12. 

New Zealand Under-20s beat Australia
 
On the Gold Coast the New Zealand U20s won the Oceania Under-20 title on Saturday night with a resounding 43-28 victory over Australia. New Zealand conceded the first try after ten minutes when the hosts snatched an intercept, but New Zealand regrouped and led 24-7 at halftime.
 
Despite being dominated in the scrums, New Zealand’s superior finishing outside was telling, stretching to 43-14 before Australia gamley scored two consolation tries.
 
New Zealand Under-20: 43 (Ricky Jackson 2; Tom Christie, Leicester Faingaanuku, Jay Renton, Tom Christie tries; Harry Plummer 5 con, pen) Australia Under-20: 28 (Josh Kemeny, Tate McDermott, Mack Hanson, Matt McTaggert tries; Ryan Lonergan con, Isaac Lucas 3 con). HT: 24-7.