Tauranga Boys' College prop Josh Bartlett makes a rampaging run. Photo / Andrew Warner
Tauranga Boys' College prop Josh Bartlett makes a rampaging run. Photo / Andrew Warner
Tauranga Boys' College finished the Super 8 First XV Championship on a high with a 36-24 win over Gisborne Boys' High School on Saturday.
It was a grand occasion with the 1999 Super 8 winning side celebrating their 20-year reunion on the same day.
The win ensures they finish the championship in fifth place, six points behind fourth placed Palmerston North Boys' High.
Tauranga coach Dan Goodwin said the game was "a tough battle".
"Gisborne are a tough side and it was a pretty hard fought game. The boys started well, then sort of let them into the game a little bit. What they did do is they fought back as well. We managed to close out the game towards the end."
He said there were several players who stood out during the game.
"Hunter Dickson, our midfielder and captain, he's had a hard season – he's played bloody well all season and been overlooked for higher honours but he was fantastic yesterday again. He asks all sorts of questions of the opposition defence, he runs hard, tackles well and he's a good leader too.
Tauranga Boys' College beat Gisborne Boys' High School 36-24 on Saturday. Photo / Andrew Warner
"Also, Dylan French who's a bit of a journeyman and goes under the radar but he always works hard and got through a lot of work on Saturday. One of our props Josh Bartlett played bloody well too."
Tauranga Boys' will now focus on preparing for Rotorua Boys' in the Bay of Plenty final in a fortnight's time.
"We've got a heap of work to do, just around details in our game that we sort of let slip yesterday. We've just got to keep working hard, nothing really changes in our schedule.
"If we want to get one over them we have to be physical and just get stuck in. Hold the ball and play our game. We've got nothing to lose, we just want to go out and enjoy ourselves."
Meanwhile, a 47-3 hammering of New Plymouth Boys' at home was not enough for Rotorua Boys' High School to make the Super 8 final.
To leapfrog Hamilton into the top two, they needed to beat New Plymouth and hope that Hamilton lost to Hastings. Unfortunately, Hamilton defeated Hastings 26-3 meaning it will be those two who meet again in the final next week. Rotorua finished third.
Rotorua Boys' High School's Tukimihia Simpkins makes a run against New Plymouth Boys' High School. Photo / Stephen Parker
Rotorua Boys' co-director of rugby Ngarimu Simpkins said there was not too much disappointment as the focus was on themselves and playing well.
"We really just concentrated on this game and what was to be, was to be. We played one of our better games of the year and weren't quite good enough to get into the final, so it is what it is.
"The two teams ahead of us, Hamilton and Hastings, we're not daunted by them. They're good sides but we know on our day we can really compete with those teams. That's the big thing we got out of the Super 8 - we've got a lot of confidence coming out of that tournament."
From here on in it is knock out footy for Rotorua Boys' on their mission to qualify for the National Top Four Tournament. On August 17, they play Tauranga Boys' College in the Bay of Plenty final. The winner of that faces New Plymouth and the winner of that takes on Waikato champions Hamilton.
"The boys are listening, we're developing as a side and I think this is great timing for us. Yeah, it would've been nice to play in a final but now we get to have a week off to recover from some niggles, keep building that team spirit and get back into it guns blazing."
Super 8 Rugby results Palmerston North Boys' High School 27 Napier Boys' High School 15, Hamilton Boys' High School 26 Hastings Boys' High School 3, Rotorua Boys' High School 47 New Plymouth Boys' High School 3, Tauranga Boys' College 36 Gisborne Boys' High School 24.
