2nd XV v St Pat's Silverstream - Wednesday 2 September
The 2nd XV welcomed St Pat's Silverstream to Palmerston North for their traditional fixture. This is always a tough game and with very challenging conditions, a tight tussle was on the cards. A strong start from PNBHS saw them take the game to Stream and after strong charges from Keanu Watson and Kalis Mason, the ball was shifted to the edge for Regan Fleming to dot down. Silverstream responded well, keeping PNBHS pinned in their 22 and were rewarded with a score in the corner and a 7-5 lead.
The 2nd XV returned fire, stringing together multiple phases of good attack before Dom Smith burrowed over from a ‘pick n go’ and PNBHS were back in front. More PNBHS pressure saw Silverstream make an error and Simi Togoloa profited to extend the lead. PNBHS were on top and should have added to their lead just before halftime, but a lack of patience saw the opportunity wasted.
The second half kicked off in worsening conditions and the field beginning to show signs of wear. Silverstream came out fired up, determined to get back in the game. Some big charges put Silverstream in the ascendency, but the PNBHS defence was equal to it. The weather made handling a lottery and so it became a battle of field position, with PNBHS managing the game reasonably well.
Silverstream got into good field position with 10 minutes to play and managed to put together phases, before some good interplay saw them dot down and reduce the deficit to 17-12 and it was game on. PNBHS re-grouped, they kicked deep and challenged Silverstream to go the distance. Some good defence held them at bay before the 2nd XV forced a turnover and had a chance to attack the Silverstream line. This time PNBHS was able to string together phases and they built pressure on the line before a flick pass from Fletcher Carpenter saw Keanu Watson crash over to seal the game for PNBHS
Final score was a 24-12 win.
Point Scorers
Tries: Regan Fleming, Dom Smith, Simi Togoloa and Keanu Watson
Conversions: Vince Tahiwi and Jonty Fleck
