Academy Match and Blues U20 Squad

The NH Academy had a good first hit out against the Auckland and Northland Academies at Northcote RFC on Thursday night. A number of the players are in their first year of the Academy programme and the experience of playing against older boys from different regions was a valuable outcome.

In the first match against Auckland the physicality and speed of the game were highlights with both teams getting stuck into each other in the early stages. Auckland scored first through some miscommunication on defence, but Harbour worked hard to get ourselves back into the game and score twice before the final whistle.

In the second game Northland proved to be a very strong setpiece team and through that were able to keep the ball from us for extended periods of time. When we finally got the ball back we were able to make inroads in their defence through the hard running of James Little, Mark Telea and Dylan Lam. The final score in this match was 17-5 to Harbour.

A Blues U20 squad has subsequently been named for 3 matches against other franchises including the Hurricanes and Chiefs. A number of our players were selected for this team and we congratulate the following on their selection:

• Hapakuki Moala-Liava'a – Massey
• Lewis Gjaltema – Silverdale
• James Little – North Shore
• Martin Brink – Takapuna
• Mark Telea – Massey
• Dylan Lam – Massey
• Jack Bergin – Northcote