MBC First XV open with comprehensive victory

The Marlborough Boys’ College First XV may have, in the words of their coach, “left a lot of points out on the field” but they got their 2021 Miles Toyota Championship campaign off to a convincing start in Ashburton on Saturday.

The Falcons downed Mid Canterbury Combined 31-0, scoring five tries while creating opportunities to score a bucket load more.

“There was some really good stuff going on out there,” said head coach Matt MacDougall, “but the boys just got a little over-excited at times and we weren’t clinical enough, meaning our execution suffered.”

Leading the scoring was centre Cooper Roberts who is in a rich vein of form at the moment. He picked up two tries, the others going to No 8 Charles Tupoutoa, flanker Billy Sloan and winger Tom Leonard. First five Hugh Robinson landed one conversion, Kyren Taemoefolau booting two.

Matt said that after playing some big, physical teams in their pre-season games the MBC lads found they had a lot more space to work in on Saturday.

He praised the efforts of Roberts, Tupuotoa, openside flanker Jack Burdon, lock Ned Boyce, who ensured the lineouts ran smoothly while snaffling some opposition ball, and livewire halfback Jack Kelly.

“It was a really promising start,” he added. “We played some really attractive rugby and the problems we had are an easy fix.”

Next up for MBC is a meeting on Saturday, in Blenheim, with the powerful Christchurch Boys’ High School side, who thrashed Waimea Combined 71-8 at the weekend.

Other MTC results: St Thomas’s 38 Roncalli Combined 8; Timaru 35 Rangiora 0; St Bede’s 38 Shirley 8; Christ’s 73 Lincoln 7; Nelson 29 St Andrew’s 24.