Gisborne Boys' High First XV 2026: a young Tairāwhiti side that never stops fighting

Down on the East Coast, where Tairāwhiti's rugby whakapapa runs deep, Gisborne Boys' High School's First XV have spent 2026 proving that a scoreline never tells the whole story. This is a young side in the Super 8, one of the country's toughest schoolboy competitions, and their season so far has been defined by heart, late-game surges and a refusal to give in.

A pre-season statement

The signs were there early. In April, Gisborne opened their campaign by edging an experienced Feilding High School side 36-31 in a Central North Island pre-season match, with Sakenasa Senivono grabbing a double. "For our young team to beat an experienced, top-flight Feilding team was excellent," coach Tom Cairns told the Gisborne Herald. It set the tone for a team that would keep punching above its weight.

Pushing the world champions

The Super 8 draw offered no easy weeks. In mid-June, in front of a crowd of nearly 2,000, the Max Hammond-captained side pushed Rotorua Boys' High, the reigning Sanix world youth champions and a national top-four team, all the way before going down 31-26. Having trailed 31-7, Gisborne stormed back to within a converted try at the death.

"Our boys never gave up. They fought to the end and so easily could have stolen that," coach Mark Jefferson told the Gisborne Herald. Principal Tom Cairns put it simply: "They were only one pass away from a boilover."

The comeback of the season

That fighting spirit boiled over into something special in late June. At home to New Plymouth Boys' High, Gisborne trailed 22-0 early, 29-7 at the break, and by 25 points soon after, then produced one of the schoolboy comebacks of the year, scoring three tries in the final 29 minutes to win 33-32.

As NZ Herald reported, tighthead prop Lea'asi Tupou carried them home with a hat-trick, and Ruan Ludewig's conversion of a Coen-Theros Brown try put Gisborne in front for the first time in the 65th minute. Remarkably, across the final 25 minutes of their previous three games, the Red and Black had outscored their opposition 50-7, a finishing kick few sides in the Super 8 can match.

What's ahead

With that breakthrough win banked, Gisborne head into the back end of the Super 8 season knowing they can live with anyone for 80 minutes, and finish stronger than most. For a young group carrying a proud Māori rugby tradition, the arc of 2026 is all about momentum, growth and belief.

Backing a team like this is easy. Follow the boys on Facebook at GBHS 1st XV Rugby, on Instagram @gisboyshigh, and via the school at gisboyshigh.net.