Hawkes Bay Schoolboy Rugby

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Try Napier! I can only assume this is the first score of the game.

The try is not converted.

Napier Boys' lead 5 - 0 (I think).

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That score has just been confirmed on YouTube by PNBHS.

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Napier Boys again on attack.

Palmy Boys offside, not penalised. Napier still have the ball, about midway Palmy's half.

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Palmy kick the ball, deep into Napier's half. In fact, it rolls over the try line.

Napier's kick goes reasonable far, but Palmy back on attack.

Great clearing kick from Napier.

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Palmy line-out. Way too close to Napier's try line.

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Overthrown. Napier have it.

Why did they try to run it out?

Napier scrum at about 10m from their try line.

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Too many cheering Palmy supporters on this stream!

Palmy hot on attack again.

Damn, they score. A very good try, too, close to the sticks. Easy conversion.

5 - 7 Palmy

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The momentum is clearly with Palmy now. Palmy line-out on Napier's 22.

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Palmy knock on, phew. Napier scrum, again on their 22.

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The camera person is worried about the camera's batteries and says if it dies, they're stuffed.

And now it's buffering again.

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It seems to be half time:

Napier Boys' 5 - 7 Palmy Boys'

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I'll be watching the Ranfurly Shield game from now on, but will try to keep an eye on the score ... if I can.

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The stream has died; it's 14 -5 to Palmy. Bugger.

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19 - 5 Palmy

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I think the last HB school is finishing its season today.

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19 - 10 Palmy

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Full time: Napier Boys' 10 - 19 Palmerston North BHS

No HB school to the Hurricanes Final and Top 4, this year.

I predicted this at the beginning of the season, but I hoped I'd be wrong.

Both Napier and Hastings' squads were too young, I guess. Hopefully better next year.

They'll again lose some good players though, as happens with school rugby.

[Higgins]

Only got there about five minutes into the second half and it looked to be pretty much all Palmy for most of the time I watched. They looked way more classy out in the backs whilst Napier looked to be several notches below their best right throughout the team. Too many turnovers conceded plus plenty of handling errors, some lineout woes, a number of missed touch finders and a Palmy scrum that got on top with about twenty minutes to go all contributed to a disappointing result. Napier seemed to be struggling along whilst I awaited their customary big finishing effort but today was not their day. Things seemed to get worse after a penalty directly in front from about thirty metres was missed when the score was NBHS 05 - 12 PNBHS and it was all down hill from them on despite having the chilly northerly breeze behind them.

[Nepia]

Ah that's a bummer. Go Palmy against the Wellington schools.

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The NZ Schools', NZ Barbarians U18 and NZ Maori U18 teams have been named. See this post.

As I predicted, not a single Hawke's Bay player in the NZ Schools' team.

The three that are in the Barbarians U18 team - Joel Russell, Josh Augustine and Shaun McNaughten fully deserve it (maybe they are the ones to get poached), and there are two in the NZ Maori U18 team, Maiti Leef and Oscar Ritchie.

But probably our best player this year, Angus Prouting, isn't in any of the squads. I can only imagine that that is because he was injured when Napier Boys' played their last two games, because it just doesn't make sense. Although, if they follow the teams the whole season, he shouldn't have missed out. It's frustrating to see a good player like him not getting picked, but what is new.

Ta$man Soanai-Oeti, Luke Thomas and CJ Mienie unlucky, too.