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    • Away vs HSOB

    Round 1

    10th April 2010 - 2:45pm

    Venue : Rugby Park

    Result : 48 - 0

    Match Report

    Not only was it the first game of the 2010 season against the old foes HSOB, it was a big occasion for a number of other reasons.

    Firstly it was Knuckles 250th game for the club an outstanding achievement from a true club stalwart; secondly it was Corry Gibbs 50th appearance for the club, Corry is a hugely underrated player and always makes an impact when he plays so it was good to see him make this mile stone, thirdly and perhaps the main reason that such a good crowd turned out was that we were lucky enough to have 4 current Super 14 player available in Isaac Ross, Tyson Keats, Jonathon Poff and Brett Mather.

    All of the above made for a special start to the season and the boys did not disappoint. Playing with the assistance of a strong wind behind them New Brighton got off to a good start, eventually their possession talking its toll with 3 good tries in the first 20mins to Ryan Hooper, Isaac Ross and Ben Murphy. This rattled HSOB but they eventually got some possession of their won and made some inroads before a missed penalty kick relieved the pressure. HSOB had by now realised that their only option was to pick and go as their backline was in disarray and when this tactic proved fruitless they succumbed to a further try, a second to Isaac before the interval.

    With a 29-0 lead at half time and having secured a bonus point the boys were happy with their first half work, however the wind was a factor and HSOB are a good side who we knew would come back at us. The first 20mins of the second half was all HSOB, they dominated possession and territory with Brighton struggling to get out of their own half against the strong breeze, however some excellent, well organised defence kept them out and with only 20mins to go and 29-0 HSOB threw a desperate pass that was intercepted and Misi Salave used his exceptional pace to sprint 80 metre and score.

    This broke the camel's back and Brighton began to assert their dominance again against a demoralised HSOB side, this resulted in two more tries in the last 10 mins, a superb individual try from man of the match Jonathan Poff and a good team try that saw Aaron McCoy dive over for a well deserved score on the hooter. The conversion attempt from Knuckles drifted just wide, making the final score 48-0!!!!!

    It was a fantastic result with all of the players stepping up; there were some good debuts appearances from some young players that are the future of the club which was great to see with the only negative was a number of injury concerns.

    Having 4 Super 14 players in your line up is always going to help and they all performed well, however it was the work rate and desire in defence of the whole team that stood out and if that is maintained throughout the season it is sure to be a good 2010 for New Brighton.