1st XV v Scots College Match Report
The 1st XV squad travelled down to Scots College Wellington to play its second fixture in its pre-season campaign.
The game was played in very windy and squally conditions with the cross field wind not really favouring any one side. We wanted to continue on the foundations that had been laid against Lindisfarne and bring a more disciplined approach to our kicking game. This is an important part of our game plan as Winter comes and our beloved number one turns into the bog.
And so it transpired with our halves kicking intelligently and often, pinning the Scots team in their own 30 metre zone for most of the fourth half. Once there, our defensive line stayed connected and had good line speed and aggression as Scots struggled to make gain line. Unfortunately, our lineout was dysfunctional and so our source of ball tended to come from Scots handling errors due to pressure. This was used as counterattack ball or our dominant scrum gave us a good platform. The three tries we scored in the first half came from good team play and had a 17-0 lead at the half.
The second half played out much the same as the first. Scots failed to trouble the scorers while we managed to dot down for two more tries. Then final score was 27-0.
The most pleasing aspect of the game was the manner in which we got the “nil”. Our aggression post contact has been a major focus during the preseason and it was on display during throughout the game.
Our next game is against St Pauls Collegiate from Hamilton. The Quad trophy is on the line and after holding a bit of a mortgage on it for an extended period of time, St Pauls have been the dominant team in the last couple of years so it promises to be another tight encounter.
Points Scorers:
Tries: Korie Winters, Tyler Laubscher, Soane Fakahau, Bryn Gordon
Conversions: Stewart Cruden