Wednesday, 28 July 2010
TRIDENT High School had a dose of English rugby on Monday as part of the City of London Freeman’s School’s New Zealand tour.
The private school from Surrey had two teams on their three-week tour and they played the Trident under-15 team and first XV at the Trident grounds.
They were billeted with players and enjoyed Eastern Bay sights and activities prior to the afternoon games.
The under-15 Trident team put up a valiant effort but lost a close game that had Freeman’s score late in the game to win 25-21.
The visitors then formed a player tunnel to cheer the defeated Trident players off the field.
The Trident first XV were fired up after a stirring haka, but a strong Freeman’s defence was too good and early tries gave the visitors an advantage they kept throughout the game.
Freeman’s played with width and a quick backline and played a tactical game with the boot.
Trident made concerted attacks on their line but Freeman’s defence had their efforts unrewarded. Freeman’s went on to win 24-0 but the Trident side gained some valuable experience against a talented team.
Freeman’s tour also included Auckland, Rotorua, New Plymouth, Levin, Welling-ton, Queenstown, Invercargill and Christchurch.