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Orewa College has clinched the Murray Jones Shield again after squeezing past Mahurangi College for the second year running, winning 18-14.
The match was played in Orewa on April 10 and saw the home side win the title for a seventh consecutive year.
Orewa College First XV head coach Adam Wilson says the game was a very even battle that, like last year’s affair, could have gone either way.
“Both teams can be proud of their defensive efforts in what were extremely tough conditions with strong winds,” Adam says.
“I think our tackling effort and good line-out that allowed us to win a pivotal set piece at the end of the fixture saw us finish on top.”
Mahurangi College assistant coach Jon Blyth says despite being down 13-0 at halftime, his side felt they were in the game with the wind at their backs in the second half.
“In the end I think we lacked some fitness to pull off a positive result and also made some poor errors on attack that were probably subject to this being our first game of the year,” Blyth says.
Both sides have also taken on a number of new players this year with 16 entering the Orewa squad and eight going into the Mahurangi squad.
“It’s going to take time for some of those new combinations to gel, but I think the match was a great opportunity for those players to get a taste of First XV rugby,” Adam says.
“We know moving forwards this season will be a struggle again in the 1A competition, so we will just be focused on improving our performances each week rather than making the play-offs.”
