St Paul’s played HBHS A in the final of the U14 competition on Saturday.
As expected it was the toughest game of the season. The teams were evenly matched with outstanding defence from both sides being the dominant feature of the match,
HBHS opened the scoring with a try after a mid-field break and led at half time 7-0.
Two more tries early in the second half saw HBHS out to a 19 – 0 lead.
St Paul’s could have folded at this point but the team has real self-belief and strength of character. They found another gear and lifted their intensity. Attack after attack finally saw Connor Gordon score in the corner.
With 5 minutes to play standout forward Ryan Ballantyne broke away from a maul and ran 50 metres to score under the posts. Ferg converted to bring the score to 19 – 12.
St Paul’s pressed hard in the final 5 minutes but HBHS managed to repel every attack.
The team was disappointed but can be very proud of their efforts - not only for their presence in the final but for a great season.
