PNBHS NEWS

PNBHS 1st XV vs St Pats Silverstream 1st XV Report

 
Picture of Sally Wenham
PNBHS 1st XV vs St Pats Silverstream 1st XV Report
by Sally Wenham - Monday, 24 May 2021, 10:09 AM
 

PNBHS traveled down to play Silverstream in their traditional fixture. There is a great rivalry between the schools and with a trophy on the line the team was anxious to put in a good performance.

Playing into the wind in the 1st half PNBHS started strongly applying pressure to the Silverstream line. Unfortunately, the Silverstream defence held firm and they were able to use the wind to get into the PNBHS 22 and were rewarded with the first try before another swiftly followed. PNBHS responded well and some good attack structure created space and Leo Gordon finished well to reduce the deficit. Stream then were able to punish PNBHS indiscipline and converted a catch & drive lineout to extend the lead again. The half-finished with PNBHS on attack, stringing numerous phases together but again, they were unable to cross the line and so went into the half trailing 21-7.

The chat at halftime focused on trusting our systems, staying composed, and just nailing our roles. With a big wind behind us, the team were confident we could turn the game around.

The second half started poorly with Stream immediately on attack and after a number of phases, they were rewarded with a score in the corner. Stung into action PNBHS were immediately on the attack and a grubber kick from Curtis Heaphy was finished by Ben Minhinnick before an intercept allowed Silverstream to restore their advantage.

At this stage, it was looking bleak for the 1st XV but to their credit, the team stood up and began to take the game to Stream. Buoyed by the impact from the bench they took control of the game and after some good patience, Javahn Stevenson crashed over. A break from Curtis Heaphy was then finished by Tayne Harvey and PNBHS were back in the hunt. An error from Stream was snapped up and finished by Curtis Heaphy to reduce the deficit to 2 points. Unfortunately, PNBHS were unable to find one last moment of magic and went down 33-31.

A game that the team will reflect on as ‘one that got away’. However, they will need to recover quickly and will have another opportunity to perform next Saturday as they head to Gisborne for their 1st Super 8 fixture.

Scorers:
Tries: Leo Gordon, Ben Minhinnick, Javahn Stevenson, Tayne Harvey & Curtis Heaphy
Conversions: Curtis Heaphy (3)

A big thank you to Ngani Laumape who came to the game to hand out Jerseys.

Thank you to our 1st XV Rugby Sponsors.