Rugby: High cost to Boys' first win

Mitch Holten scored two tries for Tauranga Boys' First XV against St Peter's College at Nicholson Field on Saturday. Photo / George Novak

Tauranga Boys' scored their first win in the Chiefs Cup with an emphatic 34-7 victory over St Peter's College from Cambridge at Nicholson Field on Saturday.

The game was called off 15 minutes early by former international referee Bryce Lawrence after an injury to Tauranga No8 Diamond Ioane.

Both captains agreed it was the right move with games under way on the other two fields and a long wait for the ambulance to arrive.

Ioane was initially thought to have sustained a neck injury but actually fractured his jaw, which is terribly bad luck for him and another injury blow to the squad overall. There are now 12 players out injured from the first and second XVs.

Tauranga never looked like losing from the moment they went ahead in the second minute with a try to winger Xavier Albert, after a sweeping move following a typically aggressive charge from Year 11 flanker Flynn Kelly.

Two further tries followed in the opening stanza, scored by mobile lock Mitch Holten, with St Peter's getting one back after Tauranga foolishly ran the ball out from behind their goal line and lost possession.

Tauranga scored shortly after the second half restart when prop Sam Veikoso crashed over under the posts to make it 22-7. Fullback Harris Williams benefited from some straight line running by captain Brad Armstrong to score unopposed, and replacement prop Afa Popalli'i finished off with the final try.

Tauranga coach Jason Spice was pleased to see his players notch their first win of the season after some tough games, including their last start against Hamilton Boys' High School.

"We have been working on new things that we have been getting closer each week to pulling off," Spice said. "Today we scored a few tries out of them. Without scoring points there is always self doubt so it will be good for confidence.

"There is lots of tough stuff to come (Super 8). We are down on numbers and we just regroup every week. It has been a funny old start to the season. We took lots out of the Hamilton Boys' game. They scored three tries in the last 10 minutes but up until then we were right in the game."