Taieri scored 10 tries — including a couple of real beauties — as they won for a third time in four weeks in the Southern Schools Rugby Championship.
There are some tough tests to come but their recent performances, especially in front of a vocal home crowd at Kaye Field, suggest good things are happening in the school’s rugby programme.
Taieri stormed to a 38-0 lead inside the first 30 minutes.
After star prop Fergus Clark opened the scoring, Sam Robertson nabbed arguably the try of the game.
The nimble-footed midfielder wove and ducked past half a dozen defenders on his way to the line.
Fellow midfielder Hudson Shaw and flying winger Oakley Bird then scored doubles as they found gaps out wide.
Cromwell showed plenty of spirit and were dragged back into the game by Rocco Patterson.
The classy first five scored both his side’s tries, the first a wonderful chip-and-chase individual effort.
Taieri, however, would not be denied. Blake Shrimpton and Lachie Rule scored out wide, Robertson grabbed a second, and prop Liam Holley got the final try.
He did not appear on the scoresheet but Taieri blindside flanker Max Cross was almost unstoppable with ball in hand.
Clark and lock Hunter Stevens were prominent, Liam Lord and captain Harper Conley were sharp in the backs, and Robertson was always eager for work.
Patterson was excellent for Cromwell and both Layton Davis and Seth O’Neill worked hard in the forwards.
St Kevin’s halfback Tai McLean kicked a late penalty to seal a 29-28 win over Waitaki Boys’ in Oamaru.
Waitaki had been tracking rather better than their crosstown rivals in recent weeks, so this was an intriguing result ahead of the term-ending Blood Match.
Dunstan beat Mt Aspiring 35-0, Wakatipu beat Central Southland 31-18, and John McGlashan beat South Otago 38-14.
That marked the end of the first stage of the competition and the schools will now play crossover games.
In day one of the South Island Boys’ Schools super round in Christchurch, Southland Boys’ went to the top of the table with a 34-7 win over St Bede’s.
Otago Boys’ slipped to a 47-43 loss to Marlborough Boys’, and King’s fell 42-24 to Nelson College.
The schools play again today.
