Facing down the Palmerston North Haka

Another day, another Haka

A firmer pitch and little rain set the scene for our final games in New Zealand against the boys from Palmerston North, where we faced down the second Haka in two games.

The U17s made a bright start against the Palmy North 3^rd XV,  playing into the teeth of a ferocious gale, with Conor Jones and Will Edgley again standing out with some excellent running and linebreaks after excellent service from Robbie MacDonald at scrum half. The platform was created, however, by some impressive rucking from the Epsom forwards.

The first half was capped by an outstanding try by Phil Glover, created by a series of offloads to supporting runners. Ollie Weir converted to add to his earlier penalty to give Epsom a 10-3 advantage as half time beckoned, but unfortunately, a lapse in concentration allowed the opposition a cheap try just before the break.

With the wind still making itself felt, we started the second half with the intention of pushing home the advantage. However, a few too many errors fielding kicks led to pressure on our line and a superb long range break from the Palmy North fly half turned the tide against us. Epsom struggled to regain control and we eventually lost to a disappointing 29-10 scoreline, adding no further scores in the second half. Robbie MacDonald was named player of the match for his excellent service and clever sniping around the fringes. Captain Conor Jones led by example, making many hard yards and dangerous line breaks.

Throughout the tour, the reputation of the Palmerston North Boys' HS has been mentioned by almost everyone we met. For the Epsom U18 XV, they were clearly an opposition that needed to be taken seriously despite the fact that we were only playing their 2nd team.

In the windy, but thankfully dry, conditions the Epsom forwards soon got on top. A poor kick into the opposition 22 was even more poorly dealt with as their fullback kicked the ball across the pitch into thestrong wind and straight into Alex Aves arms. He duly accelerated around his man and the cover for a try in the corner.

Further pressure from the pack enabled Kswarery Sabbat to drive over and Bradley Smith converted to give Epsom a 12-0 lead at half time.

In the second half, we faced the strong wind and our defensive determination and organisation was put to the test. However, some strong running by Kyle Sinckler enabled us to break out and he linked with Tom Bliss to  put Tom Harty free for a good try.

More good carrying by the forwards enabled Epsom to set Alex Aves free for his second before the opposition worked an overlap for their only score. A good turnover was carried on by Kyle Sinckler, whose extravagant flick out of the back of his hand put Jordan Burns clear for the best try of the match. Final score 31-5 to Epsom

This was a match for which our boys received much well-deserved praise from the opposition coaches and many in a knowledgeable crowd.