2022 School rugby
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went along to WBHS hosting Massey today.
While both sides had a few big boys, they looked smaller than previous years, especially WBHS.
WBHS was leading at the break 9-0, despite spending most of the half inside thier half.
They opened the scoring in the 2nd spell and looked to be cruising as they went ahead 16-0.
Then thier disipline went out the window, got a YC for a high tackle, Massey scored and unconverted try.
Player returned, a few minutes later another YC for a high tackle, about 5 mins later WBHS recived another YC for a breakdown infringement, and in the 5 mins they had 13, Massey hit back with 2 more tries, both unconverted.
Somehow WBHS still lead with about 10 or so on the clock, but they were gettign pinged, short arm and long arm all over the show, Massey scored again to take the lead 22-16, and then, on the stroke of FT, to rub salt in the wound, WBHS were pinged in front of the posts and the penalty denied even a BP.
Were several penalties that were harsh, but ultimately, WBHS fell to pieces and lost the ref in the final 30.
Was about 3 or 4 to go, and despite what I thought was the best option for Massey, they took a penalty tap on thier 22, walked up to the contact, 2 phases, won another penalty, tap, walk into contact, 2 phases, penalty, and again, next thing they are in WBHS 22.
I think WBHS were the better team, bar thier disipline, but lost the plot and couldnt seem to get themselves back.
Not sure of names, as the Website doesnt have the Massey numbers on the names, but think it was a mid-fielder Orlando Faaasou, he was a unit, strong, fast, hard to put down, thier pack probably shaded WBHS at scrumtime.
For WBHS Ben Love, thier 9 is an electric runner, and centre Nathan Salmon makes alot of tackles, cleans out, huge workrate, is tall and quick too.
Both sides have talent, but WBHS need to sort thier disipline.
Anyone know the rulings in this grade for free kicks, as in, what wins one? I think one might be tackles on the chest are a free kick, as there were several instances when free kicks were awarded and I had no idea why.
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Results Sat 14 May 2022
Preseason/traditionals:
Matamata College 5 - 57 Tauranga BC
Harbour 1A
Round 2- Rosmini College 14 - 16 Westlake BHS
- Orewa College 20 - 16 Rangitoto College
- Takapuna Grammar 16 - 24 Manurewa HS
- Whangarei BHS 16 - 25 Massey HS
Auckland 1A
Round 1
*St Kentigern 18 - 24 St Peter's College- Mt Albert Grammar 37 - 10 Auckland Grammar (Centenary Game)
- Sacred Heart College 15 - 20 Kelston BHS
- Aorere College 12 - 57 Dilworth School
- Kings College 76 - 0 Liston College
- Tangaroa College 3 - 36 De La Salle College
Central North Island
Round 1- St John's (Hamilton) 46 - 3 Whanganui Collegiate
- Lindisfarne College 14 - 24 St Paul's Collegiate
- Rathkeale College 24 - 19 St John's (Hastings)
- Feilding HS 41 - 7 Francis Douglas MC
- St Peter's Cambridge 22 - 22 Wesley College
Tranzit Coachlines Rugby 1st XV Festival (Hurricanes region top schools)
Round 2- Gisborne Boys' 11 - 39 St Pat's Silverstream
- Palmerston North Boys' 47 - 5 St Pat's Wellington
- Napier Boys' 52 - 7 Wellington College
- Hastings Boys' 51 - 17 Scots College
Miles Toyota Championship
Round 2- Christ’s College 42 - 7 Waimea Combined
- Timaru BHS 15 - 16 Shirley BHS
- Roncalli Combined 0 - 36 Christchurch BHS
- Marlborough BC 10 - 19 St Bede's College
- Rangiora HS 0 - 47 Selwyn Schools Combined
- St Thomas College 40 - 17 St Andrews College
Otago Schools (Division 1)
Round 1- Waiktaki BHS v Otago BHS - POSTPONED
- St Kevin's College 0 - 48 King's HS
- Southland BHS 17 - 23 John McGlashan College (played on Wed 11 May 2022)
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@Stargazer st Johns Hastings and Tauranaga boys dark horses this year?
Good to see a wellington get up finally. Watched all 4 games. St Pats town and Wellington Coll look out of their depth. Scots were down a few injuries so i take that score with a grain of salt. Stream played average and still won easy
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@Left-Right-Out-0 Unless new coach Sam McNicol can work miracles, St John's, Hastings will probably finish about 8th-10th in the CNI (bottom spots), like they do most years; I've seen no signs of them being a dark horse. Some of their best players from last year have left school and they have a young, new squad. Only 6 of today's 23 were in last year's squad.
Tauranga Boys have had very mixed results - including against weaker schools - but that may be a matter of not having their top squad available for the entire preseason. Very hard to say how strong they are, based on preseason.
I understand Hastings Boys are still missing players, too, but take as many grains of salt as you like.
On 25 May, Scots College will play Napier Boys. -
@Stargazer i expect Napier to put 30+ on Scots. Hard to see any Wellington team competing with them, Hastings or Palmy
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I went to Te Awa to watch the NBHS team comprehensively and utterly destroy Wellington College. I honestly though the score was higher than the 52 – 7 reported above and suggest a closer look at the video might show it was over the sixty mark. If not then Wellington College can count themselves lucky that NBHS bombed at least four good chances of tries, usually through inaccurate passes to men with semi overlaps and in one galling instance a hungas with unmarked players outside him five metres short of the line on both sides going on his own and getting tackled!
NBHS certainly looked the much better drilled team in terms of drawing and passing, kicking when required and reasonably safe on the tackle. Some of the passing along the backline was a bit inaccurate on occasions with at least five or six passes missing their target. Did not have a programme with me but I thought the tighthead prop (who was Greg Halford’s son according to the people sitting next to me), the number 8 (who turned out to be the coach’s son) looked to be destined for higher honours whilst I though the first five did the basics well and most competently without really saying “I am a star – pick me” and the smallish starting hooker with the blond hair showed one instance of gorgeous hands and ran and bumped defenders nicely a couple of times.
The Napier scrum had the upper hand and that set the platform for the overall and overwhelming dominance they showed. I have to confess that they were helped by some instances of foolish Well Coll play like when the winger flicked a ball that was going into touch back into play over his head with his back turned to the field, end result a Napier player grabbed it and raced in for the try untouched. Similarly some wayward kicking by the Wgtn first five (yes I know I talked him up last week!) saw at least three tries scored from the Napier returns. They probably won’t get so lucky in their Super 8 games. Seeing Wgtn offering very little resistance probably saw a lessening of Napier’s urgency and intensity and with them so far from providing a decent level of opposition it was difficult to get a gauge on how good Napier could be when faced with stronger opposition. One possible cause for concern was the Napier backline did not have any large physically imposing players, oh and no Fijian wingers!
Over on the other field Hastings looked to be quite a big team size wise but it was a bit difficult to know for sure as it was about 150 metres (or way more when play was down the other end of the field) south of where I was sitting. All I know is they scored quite a number of times when I glanced down that way. Scots looked to have a couple of big players too and I got the impression that they might have been behind HBHS fitness wise but then again I was too far away to be sure about that. Having said that Scots did get at least one nice looking try that was somewhat long range. No doubt @stargazer will give us the verdict when he has had the time to thoroughly scrutinize both games.
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@Higgins Hastings look like men theyre that big. Not just big, skillful and quick right across the park. Watched the game yesterday and last week in Wellington. Front row is outstanding and the inside backs look calm and composed.
St Pats Stream look like they could push a couple of these better teams. They blew a number of chances yesterday and still put 39 on GBHS. They have a prop whose on the verge of pulling on a NZ schools jersey i believe and their 2nd 5 looks very useful. Their halfbacks and 10 look to be letting this side down with some poor passing and lack of control. The outside backs looked deadly in the 2nd half, scoring all their tries i believe - will watch the replay.
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Look what happened today in the (round 3) game between Timaru Boys and Nelson College!!
Timaru Boys High School’s First XV have won secondary schools’ rugby’s Trust Bank Cup, a South Island-wide challenge trophy, for the first time in 15 years.
The team’s co-coach, Kent Adams said Tuesday’s 25-22 win over Nelson College in Timaru was even more special because the captain and four senior players were injured, meaning it was a “new, young team out on the field”.Tuesday’s match was TBHS’s first win in the Miles Toyota Championship for secondary schools in the Crusaders region in which Nelson College are the defending champions. TBHS’s other results in the championship have been 59-19 and 16-15 losses to Christchurch Boys’ High and Shirley Boys’ High respectively.
TBHS’s first defence of The Trust Bank Cup is against Waimea Combined in Nelson on May 28.https://www.stuff.co.nz/timaru-herald/sport/300590790/big-rugby-win-for-timaru-boys-high-school
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@Stargazer Covid? OBHS were missing some players for their southern derby.
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Does anyone use the hs top 200 page as a means to see who the best players are?
Personally i think its average and to big a job for one guy. Dont get me wrong, he does well for someone who just wants to help the boys but the rankings are all over the show
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@Left-Right-Out-0 said in 2022 School rugby:
Does anyone use the hs top 200 page as a means to see who the best players are?
Personally i think its average and to big a job for one guy. Dont get me wrong, he does well for someone who just wants to help the boys but the rankings are all over the show
Herschel is finishing up after this season. I've never joined his website myself, but like anyone, it is only his opinion, and we all look for different things in players. To his credit, he watches heaps of games so will include players from lesser rugby schools. I'll usually watch his youtube videos.
Francis Manuleleua (King's College 2nd 5) is his no.1 player isn't he? A fair call.
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@Left-Right-Out-0 said in 2022 School rugby:
Does anyone use the hs top 200 page as a means to see who the best players are?
Personally i think its average and to big a job for one guy. Dont get me wrong, he does well for someone who just wants to help the boys but the rankings are all over the show
No, as @Bovidae says, it's just one man's opinion and he has his own preferences (I do read articles on his website). I remember when he just started (years ago), he said something about using some kind of rating system (from the US?, from basketball?) and I remember shaking my head hearing the few things he said about it, but he has never been willing to explain (again) what it is. I appreciate his involvement and posting clips from games, but his player ratings are meaningless to me. It doesn't mean he's wrong, just as it doesn't mean he's right.
When I post scores on the Fern, I rarely get them from him, because usually I either watch the games (live or online) or get scores from schools' social media. It's more work, but Herschel gets them wrong sometimes (he often gets them from people posting comments on his FB page).
One thing I really disagree with, and many other visitors to his FB page (including parents and teachers) is that he has been actively promoting players going from smaller schools to richer schools and basically giving players false expectations that there is a pot of gold at the other end of the rainbow.
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I hear you both. I too read his articles but often am left scratching my head. Example, his teams of the week. There were some hugle impressive scores and individual players last weekend and then i see some of his picks for team of the week and i just laugh. Picking players from Wellington College and St Pats Town, both of whom got thumped and looked awful (i watched both games) stinks of favouritism.
