Falcons get the drop on Christchurch rivals

A dropped goal from the final play of the match earned the Marlborough Boys’ College First XV a thrilling 24-22 win over Miles Toyota premiership powerhouse Christchurch Boys’ High School on the MBC front field on Saturday afternoon.

With time running out and the home side trailing 21-22, unrelenting defensive pressure earned the Falcons a scrum on the Boys’ High 22.

Despite being shoved backwards at the set piece the ball was cleared to MBC vice-captain Hugh Robinson who produced a snap shot at goal, the ball glancing off the left upright to spark whoops of delight from the home side and their supporters.

Hugh who had missed a penalty goal opportunity just a few minutes earlier, said, “I made my mind up [to take a drop kick] pretty quickly … I was confident despite missing that penalty. All the boys were like ‘nah, nah, no, don’t do it’, but I trusted myself to get it done.”

He said the result was based on “all the boys digging in for each other”.

“We had a couple of focusses during the week … we had talked about doing it for our school and that this may be the last time some of us play on this field. So, it was great to do it for our fans, the local community and ourselves,” said Hugh who enjoyed victory over CBHS for the first time in his four-year MBC First XV career.

Although he was a pivotal figure, whether turning the visitors around with raking kicks or distributing cleverly, the win was very much based on a complete team effort. Although they often struggled at set piece time, especially at both attacking and defensive lineouts, MBC’s uncompromising defence kept them in the game.

Loosies Will Flynn, Jack Burdon and Ben Gibbons were ever-present threats at the breakdown, along with mobile locks Thomas Large and Luke Martella. Behind the scrum midfielders Koloa Moala Fotu and Carter Aitken kept their opponents in check, while outside backs Leo Marfell and Tim Petrie showed advanced skills in difficult conditions.

Underlining the even nature of the contest, just two points separated the teams at halftime, an early Carter Aitken try and a

Robinson penalty on the stroke of halftime being eclipsed by two close range tries to the visitors.

A converted try to hard-working MBC hooker Johnny Vakaloa after five minutes pushed the home side ahead 15-10 but CBHS came straight back, constant pressure resulting in a try to prop Ethan Webber and the scores were level again.

A smart kick and chase game allowed MBC to create good field position, from where Robinson landed two penalty goals, putting his side ahead 21-15 with 10 minutes to play. However, almost immediately Boys’ High went onto the attack, forcing defensive errors and a 5m lineout from where lock Jake Frost scored, replacement Victory Isaako seeming to have lived up to his name with a pressure conversion.

However, there was no denying MBC in the final minutes, their collective will producing another memorable occasion.

The result pushed MBC to sixth on the premiership table, meaning they will host seventh-placed Christ’s College in Blenheim next weekend, vying for a place in the second-tier final, although that had yet to be confirmed.

Scores: MBC 24 (Carter Aitken, Johnny Vakaloa tries, Hugh Robinson 3 pen, dropped goal, con) CBHS 22 (Manumaua Letiu 2, Jake Frost, Ethan Webber tries, Victory Isaako con). HT: 10-8 CBHS.

Final round robin points: Nelson College 44, Christchurch BHS 38, St Thomas 32, St Bede’s 25, St Andrew’s 24, Marlborough 23, Christ’s 19, Selwyn 16, Shirley 12, Timaru 7.