School Rugby 2025
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@Bovidae said in School Rugby 2025:
So Palmy looks like the team to beat now. I had thought TBC would win at home.
I watched the game, as I was curious to see who would come out on top between these two. Tauranga had the bulk of territory and possession throughout the match but PNBHS is a team which seems very comfortable in defence, having very few weaknesses across their defensive line. They’re a side who are especially deadly on counter-attack, with players like Jamie Viljoen, Hunter Kennedy, Cole Cullen and Cayden Pardey all looking like they possess a lot of pace. The forwards were able to soak up most of the pressure from Tauranga and then the backs were able to strike efficiently on turnover ball.
Tauranga do look like they have another level to go to, as their speed of play in the opening 20 minutes of the game shows what they’re capable of. Their goal will be to keep up this pace for longer periods of the game, as, once this pace subsided, Palmerston North looked quite comfortable. Tauranga don’t have the amount of gamebreakers they did last year (Lasaqa, Draiva, Spratley, Riley, Sinton) so they’ll need a cohesive, collective effort to defend their Super 8 title.
The first fives
There were a lot of interesting match-ups in this game but I was especially interested in the two 10s. I’ve been impressed with Ivan Ward in the games that I’ve watched: he’s a 10 who’s very involved, constantly demanding the ball in his hands and directing the play. He varies his selection of passing nicely and he’s shown an ability to construct line-breaks across multiple phases. His kicking game, both in open play and at goal, is reasonably polished as well.Ward’s biggest hurdle at the moment looks to be his (in)ability to speed up his execution, getting the ball away quicker to his outsides. His movement – both in attacking the line or passing – can still be a bit laboured, which makes him susceptible to being caught behind the gainline or his pass being intercepted, like it was in this game. I’m not sure how much athletic development can still be expected of Ward but a bit more physical dynamism would probably go a long way.
Viljoen, on the other hand, is a typical 10/15: a player who is perhaps not as dominant in directing play on a phase-to-phase basis, he will instead look to inject himself into the line at pace when an opportunity arises, stressing opposition defence in midfield and out wide. He looks very comfortable attacking from deep on counter-attack, working very well together with Kennedy. Viljoen is also a player who seems to thrive in the big moments, whether it’s an important kick from the side line or a last ditch tackle on the goal line. He looks to be a mentally strong player, with an impressively complete defensive game.
So they’re very different players, each with their own point of difference: Ward is an excellent option when you’re looking to play a possession game, going through the phases and building pressure. Viljoen, on the other hand, is something what the French would call “un petit général”: a leader in both defence and attack who is able to inspire his team through his energy and physical commitment, despite his relatively modest size. It’ll be interesting to see how both players will be able to build and develop their (already quite advanced) game.
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@Higgins said in School Rugby 2025:
@Bovidae To be fair the referee (looks like it might have been Jono Bredin judging by his hairdo) was on the other side so had no view of the incident but somehow the touchie managed to miss it. Probably would have just been a reset scrum Rotorua ball as it looked like it was coming out of the same channel. Whether it had actually "come out" or not is the main point to ponder over as if it hadn't then clearly should have been a Hastings penalty.
Watch: 'Hand of God' controversy in schoolboy rugby scrum
Crestfallen Hastings Boys' players were 'pretty emotional' about the incident, says coach.
Was it Graham Purvis who pulled that trick in the 90s. NPC semi-final v Auckland IIRC. Can't remember the year. Waikato scored from it I think.
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Further to that ...
Reckon it was 1991. And I was at the game with some club mates (memory is slow). From where we were (supporting Akl) we were quite impressed that Gatland took a clean tighthead and someone made the comment he'd be doing somersaults. Wasn't till later later we found out it was skulduggery by Purvy. Kind of respect the balls to cheat so blatantly.
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Saw the Southland U16 boys training squad. 41 players from SBHS. Talk about a one school union.
