First up win for SBHS 1st XV at World Youth Tournament
The 39-24 victory was a far-from-polished performance, but it was a job done as Southland Boys' High School accustomed itself to the heat and different style of rugby.
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Southland Boys’ High School has started the Sanix World Rugby Youth Tournament in Japan with a victory.
Southland Boys’ took on Japanese school Kokugakain University Tochigi High School on the opening day of the tournament on Sunday.
The Invercargill school recorded a 39-24 victory in a far-from-polished performance, but it was a job done as it accustomed itself to the heat, hard track, and different style of rugby.
The pool play games are played over 25-minute halves and it was the Japanese school that struck first with a long-range penalty to make it 3-0 after just two minutes.
However impressive prop Presley McHugh scored the first try of the Japan tour to go 7-3 up and Southland Boys’ High School started to dominate.
It scored four unanswered tries to lead 26-3 early in the second half.
However, Kokugakain played with plenty of sprit and intent and sent a scare into the Southland Boys’ camp when they reduced the margin to seven points at 33-24 with six minutes to play.
However, through the boot of first five-eighth Mika Muliaina Southland Boys’ landed two late penalties to grab the 39-24 victory.
They will have little time to reflect on that performance with Southland Boys’ back on the paddock on day two of the tournament on Monday.
They will take on another Japanese school, Higashi Fukoka High School.
Southland Boys’ High School booked the spot in the Sanix World Rugby Youth Tournament on the back of its 2023 national school title.
They are one of 16 teams at the tournament with eight of them Japanese schools.
The other international schools competing are Truro College (England), Windhoek Gymnasium (Namibia), Mahatma Gandhi Memorial School (Fiji), Chungbuk High School (Korea), St Augustine’s College (Australia), Chien Kuo High School (Chinese Taipei), and Jesuit High School (United States).
The 16 teams are split into four pools with the winners of each pool progressing to the semifinals.
Following the Sanix World Youth Tournament Southland Boys’ High School will head to Invercargill’s sister city Kumagaya for a visit where they will play a local university team.