SBHS again tips up Auckland school with late try
"You can have the best [defensive] system in the world but if you are not going to have 15 kids that will stand in front of people, front up and smack people, then it’s no use having a system.”
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Southland Boys’ High School first XV coach Jason Dermody says they’ve moved on from last year.
The 2023 first XV wrote their names into school folklore when they became national rugby champions for the first time.
But the class of 2024 is its own team, Dermody points out.
“We have got players from last year, but they are not last year’s team. I think as a coach you’ve got to realise that, so I’m really big on not talking about last year.”
But in saying all of that, on Tuesday, this year’s team did a very good job of replicating the key characteristics of the 2023 national champions.
Southland Boys’ beat visiting Auckland school King’s College 24-22 in Invercargill in a performance that we’ve all become accustomed to from the boys in blue.
The much smaller Southland Boys’ team fought hard in defence and found a way to win late in the game when it looked unlikely - as the 2023 team repeatedly did last year.
Southland Boys’ raced out to a 19-0 lead on the back of some first-half dominance that probably should have resulted in a larger scoreline at halftime.
However, the momentum swung in the second half as King’s College rolled some decent-sized units off the bench and took charge.
The Auckland school scored three tries to level the score up at 19-19 before kicking a penalty to go up 22-19 for the first time in the game.
Considering Southland Boys’ spent little time on attack in the second half it was hard to see where Southland Boys’ was going to find a match-winner.
However, the plucky Invercargill school team did have one trump card up its sleeve - its scrum.
It had dominated at scrum time throughout, and with minutes remaining Southland Boys’ blitzed King’s College to secure a tight-head against the feed.
From there the ball was sent wide and wing Will Garrick finished in the corner to put Southland Boys’ High School up 24-22.
Southland Boys’ then hung tough for the limited time left to secure the win.
It was the fourth straight game between Southland Boys’ and King’s College which was won by Southland Boys’. They also knocked over Auckland Grammer last year.
Not surprisingly Dermody was delighted with what his team showed, particularly in defence, on Tuesday.
“Macca [Chris McIlwrick] does a great job with our defence, and we have a great system.
“But you can have the best system in the world but if you don’t have 15 kids that will stand in front of people, front up, and smack people, then it’s no use having a system.”
Southland Boys’ now has an exciting assignment ahead of them - a trip to Japan to line up in the Sanix World Rugby Youth Invitational Tournament.
They will depart on Tuesday for an 18-day tour.
The tournament involves eight top first XVs from throughout the world, as well as eight Japanese school teams.
There are four pools of four teams with each of the pool winners advancing to the semifinals.
Dermody isn’t sure what to expect at the tournament in Japan.
“It is a bit of the unknown, we can’t get any footage on these guys, so we just have to take care of ourselves.
“From what we saw today [against Kings’] the boys will front up.”
On top of the hard-working battler-type trademark, there is also some skill in the Southland Boys’ team, most notably through its talented first five-eighth Mika Muliaina.
During the first half against King’s the nephew of former All Black Mils Muliaina, highlighted his impressive running game.
Is there an avenue for well wishers to donate a dollar or two?
Great preparation game for your upcoming trip to Japan, have a great trip and good luck, on behalf of Rugby Southland