Rugby Match Report: Trinity College vs Ōtākou Māori

At a cold and blustery Ōpoho Ground on Tuesday, our Trinity College Year 7 & 8 rugby team played Ōtākau Māori Year 7 & 8. Trinity started the game well and applied early pressure in the form of stout tackling and bossing the breakdown. Trinity played the territory game and this led to the first of our tries being scored by captain fantastic, George Mafi. George and Eastern Timberwolves workhorse, Zevi Jones, were the only Year 8s available for this game and both boys played exceptionally well leading from the front. The next 20 minutes saw the game momentum swing back in the favour of the opposition with Ōtākou Māori first five eight, Nikau Ford, using the wind and a clever kicking game to gain good field position deep in our half. From there Ōtākou Māori scored four unanswered tries and had our boys on the ropes. The halftime whistle sounded and it was straight into the sheds. 

During the break, former Kavanagh College 1st XV rugby legends, now dads and coaches, Ox Eathorne, Tony McEntyre and Chris Burke urged the team to be more clinical with tackling and protecting the ball. With the wind advantage, the team responded and did exactly as was asked from three three wise men. Trinity first five eighth, Tommy McEntyre, ran the cutter beautifully and used the breeze to turn the big Ōtākou pack around and pin them in their own 22 with the kick and chase plan. The Trinity team now had great field position and plenty of pill which turned into points with Tommy, Zevi, George and Eamon Henderson all dotting down in the second spell. Having the wind at our back and using it wisely made a big difference and the boys executed phase after phase perfectly which made our supporting parents very happy. Looking down from the coaches box, even the three wise men managed a wry smile and a nod of approval! After the final whistle the teams got together for speeches and a sausage sizzle just as the sun started to shine. The team’s next fixture before the Central Otago sports exchange is against Balmacewen Intermediate School on 3 September at Bishopscourt.