Page 11 - 1973 News Clippings

Highlight of Tour in Last Game

Huntly Press Ngaruawahia High tremendous experience from
12th September 1973 School team, captained by the time we started fund-
hooker Ian Bartlett and raising to the time we got
The highlight of Nga- coached by former Waikato back. It was certainly well
ruawahia High School first skipper Mr Bruce Stephens, worth the effort.” Apart from
XV’s school holiday tour of broke even on the trip, win- Bartlett and McFarlane, he
Fiji came in the last minute ning two and losing two. It particularly praised the ef-
of the last game. was the first football team forts of the team’s half-back,
With the Waikato boys from the school to go Thomas Tarawhiti.
trailing 9-10 to the toughest abroad. Results:— Lost to Rata
of their four opponents There were 23 boys and Sukuna School 18-8, beat
(combined Nausori Schools), two teachers in the party and Combined Suva Schools 10-
winger Murray McFarlane a remarkable feature of the 0, lost to Navuso Agricultur-
scored a last-gasp try which 11-day tour was that Nga- al School 16-3, beat Com-
lead to a 15-10 victory. ruawahia went through the bined Nausori Schools 15-
McFarlane had also scored whole trip without an injury. 10.
Ngaruawahia’s only earlier Manager, Mr Peter Vela,
try of the game. said after returning “It was a

Fijian trip help to Ngaruawahia

18th September 1973 dling and backing up. Schools was the high light of
The opening match the tour.
Latest Secondary school against Ratu Sukuna Memo- The Ngaruawahia team
to take on an overseas Rugby rial School was lost 8-18 by showed a strong team spirit
tour for the valuable experi- Ngaruawahia in very humid to grasp victory in the final
ence to be gained was Nga- conditions. few minutes after lead earlier
ruawahia High. Playing against the changed hands three times.
For 13 days during the strong Combined Suva
secondary schools’ vacation Schools team at Albert Park,
a squad of 23 boys from the the Ngaruawahia side mas-
Ngaruawahia 1st XV toured tered atrocious field condi-
Fiji. tions to win 10-0.
The party, managed by A feature of this game
Mr P. Vela and with Mr B. A. was the handling of the slip-
Stephens as coach, furthered pery ball by the Ngaruawa-
their rugby experience and hia backs - ironically in typ-
no doubt developed a wider ical Fijian style.
perspective of life as a con- Navusa Agricultural
sequence of the trip. School won the third game
The Ngaruawahia party 16-3 with a fine display by
encountered exhilarating its hard-running backs.
play by the Fijian school- A 15-10 win in the final
boys, who demonstrated a encounter against the confi-
high standard of ball han- dent Combine Nausori