Rugby: Superior HBHS skills help roll NZ champs

Hastings Boys' High School's 1st XV rugby team maintained their unbeaten Super 8 run with an away 39-15 drubbing of national champions Rotorua Boys' High School on Saturday.

"It was our best performance of the season. We outscored them seven tries to two and while they were pretty big our superior skill level was the point of difference," HBHS manager Steve Small said.

He was impressed with his troops' ability to stick to the structures coaches Mark Ozich and Tafai Ioasa have put in place.

HBHS led 19-12 at halftime.

Centre Hunta Marsh and halfback Folau Fakatava both scored two tries.

Winger Trent Hape, first five-eighth Lincoln McClutchie and hooker Jacob Devery scored a try each and fullback Danny Toala kicked two conversions.

Folau and McClutchie controlled the game well. Lock Liam Bauckham was busy in his first outing in six weeks after recovering from an ankle injury and joined flanker Donovan Mataira and captain and prop Kianu Kereru-Symes as the pick of the Hastings forwards. Their team have recorded 12 consecutive wins this season, four of them in Super 8 play.

"We took the backlash from their loss to Rotorua Boys High School the previous week," Napier Boys High School 1st XV coach Russell Hewitt remarked as he reflected on Saturday's away 53-12 loss to Hamilton Boys High School.

His team missed the services of prop Tim Farrell and winger Al Momoisea, who are both Hurricanes under-18 squad members. Lock Toby Holden and No8 Will Tremain were tireless toilers in the Napier pack.

Centre Mitch Drew, who scored two tries and kicked a conversion, was the best of the Napier backs. The NBHS 2nd XV lost 22-13 to their Hamilton Boys High counterparts.