St Pats Silverstream Report
The PNBHS 1st XV returned to its home field to play the traditional fixture against St Pats Silverstream. The weather in the lead up to the game meant that the field was going to be heavy at best and the game was going to be a real tussle.
St Pats Stream made the most of the early dry ground with a well worked switch move that resulted in a try to be 5 points up after the first 3 minutes. We came back from the kick off and played relatively expansively while the ground allowed it. One foray into the opposition half resulted in a 5 metre scrum from which Matene Ruawai scored after a strong run from Ethan Helu-Makasini. Stewart Cruden converted in difficult kicking conditions and we were up 7-5. The score keepers remained untroubled for the most of the remaining time in the first half as play seesawed between the 22’s. St Pats Stream enjoyed the majority of the possession during this period however when we strung phases together at pace, we able to trouble them. As the ground conditions deteriorated however handling became more and more difficult. A break in the last throes of the half by Ben Nixon saw the opposition reduced to 14 men and Stewart Cruden kicked the resulting penalty to put us up 10-5 at the break.
The second half showcased the defensive heart of the team as a result of our struggles to exit our own half. St Pats Stream continued to attack through narrow channels and our tackling had a fair bit of vim and vigour in it as we defended our line. Our kicking game finally became more evident as the half progressed and we put the Silverstream back three under pressure. Our bench players came on and made immediate impact as we looked to close out the game and lift the intensity. One period of kicking put us into the opposition 22 and a series of errors forced upon the opposition through our pressure led to Brayden Iose latching onto a loose pass and driving over for a well deserved try. Cruden again nailed the kick, this time from the sideline, and we extended our lead out to 17-5. We held our line for the last five minutes of the game and scored a gritty victory thus retaining the Wallace Cup for another year.
Points Scorers:
Tries: Matene Ruawai
Brayden Iose
Conversions: Stewart Cruden x 2
Penalties: Stewart Cruden
To view photos, click on link. Thanks to Sam Scully for taking the pics. St Pat's Pics