6 May REVIEW: A big start from your heroes!
It might have been chilly at the dawn of the first in season game for your Pakuranga Penguins, but as we know, Penguins LOVE the cold. And kicking off the season at one of the most picturesque grounds in Auckland on a beautiful morning, well, rugby just doesn't get better.
First, a big thank you to all those Penguins that put their hand up to play for Te Papapa. Putting the game ahead of your own wants is the sign of a decent human, so thank you to Mason, Michael, Jake and J-Dub for helping make the game! Michael went that extra mile to show he's putting the game first by scoring a run away try in the first half from the kickoff, and turning around and doing the same in the second wearing Te Papapa black! Way to shake off any question of bias!
Early season games usually throw up teams of varying level of preparedness, and that was in evidence today. Still, Te Papapa Titans had some talented young men in their ranks, and it takes a good team to keep that talent in check. Fortunately, our Pakuranga Penguins are working hard on becoming a good team!
Moving forward, closing space and making good tackles shuts down good players. Josh, Riley and Noah all showed this in spades - all making a difference when getting forward quickly. However, every now and then a talented player gets past that first line of defence, and that's where a bit of heart takes over. Every break the Titans made, there were multiple Penguins in there chasing them down. No one embodied that better than Maddox, Drew and our man at the back Alex - with many potentially dangerous breaks being chased down and turned over by the "hot wheels" brigade.
As a coach, there are two things that I love to see on a rugby field - one is outstanding passing and handling that creates space and opportunities for a team mate (fair to say this is a work on at this early stage!). The other is beast mode clean outs that neutralises the opposition and, in best case scenarios, creates space around the ruck for good, hard straight gap running. This we had happening on a regular basis! Mason, Jake and Joey O'B all showed they understand what a good clean out can do! And in a highlight play 5m out from the Titans line, our dynamo half back Jack did the business on a weary Titans defence to open up the opportunity for another Penguins try.
All and all a fun day at the office! Games will get tougher, but so will your Pakuranga Penguins. Great start boys - let's bring that effort every week!
Key details:
Venue: War Memorial Reserve, Mt Wellington
Half time: Penguins 7 tries - Titans 1 try
Full time: Penguins 12 tries - Titans 4 tries (including a Penguin in stealth mode playing for the Titans!).
And this is what a good day at the office looks like:
First, a big thank you to all those Penguins that put their hand up to play for Te Papapa. Putting the game ahead of your own wants is the sign of a decent human, so thank you to Mason, Michael, Jake and J-Dub for helping make the game! Michael went that extra mile to show he's putting the game first by scoring a run away try in the first half from the kickoff, and turning around and doing the same in the second wearing Te Papapa black! Way to shake off any question of bias!
Early season games usually throw up teams of varying level of preparedness, and that was in evidence today. Still, Te Papapa Titans had some talented young men in their ranks, and it takes a good team to keep that talent in check. Fortunately, our Pakuranga Penguins are working hard on becoming a good team!
Moving forward, closing space and making good tackles shuts down good players. Josh, Riley and Noah all showed this in spades - all making a difference when getting forward quickly. However, every now and then a talented player gets past that first line of defence, and that's where a bit of heart takes over. Every break the Titans made, there were multiple Penguins in there chasing them down. No one embodied that better than Maddox, Drew and our man at the back Alex - with many potentially dangerous breaks being chased down and turned over by the "hot wheels" brigade.
As a coach, there are two things that I love to see on a rugby field - one is outstanding passing and handling that creates space and opportunities for a team mate (fair to say this is a work on at this early stage!). The other is beast mode clean outs that neutralises the opposition and, in best case scenarios, creates space around the ruck for good, hard straight gap running. This we had happening on a regular basis! Mason, Jake and Joey O'B all showed they understand what a good clean out can do! And in a highlight play 5m out from the Titans line, our dynamo half back Jack did the business on a weary Titans defence to open up the opportunity for another Penguins try.
All and all a fun day at the office! Games will get tougher, but so will your Pakuranga Penguins. Great start boys - let's bring that effort every week!
Key details:
Venue: War Memorial Reserve, Mt Wellington
Half time: Penguins 7 tries - Titans 1 try
Full time: Penguins 12 tries - Titans 4 tries (including a Penguin in stealth mode playing for the Titans!).
And this is what a good day at the office looks like:
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