Lindisfarne College: 22 (Hugh Renton 2, Sam Godwin, Ben Parsons tries, Tiaan Falcon 1 con) Rathkeale College: 0

The Report

Lindisfarne College stayed in the Central North Island title race today, with a fairly convincing, 22-0 victory over Rathkeale College.

The game was played on a miserable Masterton day, and Lindisfarne’s larger forwards won an ample supply of ball, eventually subduing a spirited Rathkeale with three second half tries.

Lindisfarne’s game was built around a strong set-piece, precise tactical kicking by halfback George Collin and the industry of a mobile loose forward trio.

Lindisfarne started strongly with a series of attacks inside the Rathkeale 22. Centre, George Bridge, looked incisive in the midfield as Lindisfarne continually attacked the Rathkeale goal line. Eventually, the early pressure told, and blindside flanker Sam Godwin muscled over for the first try.

Rathkeale showed plenty of heart to restrict Lindisfarne’s lead to just five points at halftime. Prop Bobby Beddingham and Number 8 Josh Blatchford were productive on defence as Lindisfarne were hassled into errors. When Rathkeale attacked, their fullback Elliot Mason looked promising.

However, the weight of possession always meant that Lindisfarne were in control, and late in the second half the rewards finally materialised on the scoreboard. Impressive Number 8 Hugh Renton, the son of Hawke’s Bay centurion Paul Renton, scored two tries from close range. Lock Ben Parson completed the scoring, as Lindisfarne collected a crucial four try bonus point. This takes them to 15 points on the Central North Island table, and sets up a virtual championship decider with Feilding High School on Saturday.