Te Awamutu too strong for Thames Valley
24th August 2011 10:19AM
By Hamish Forsman
The Te Awamutu sub union rugby team has started their Stan Meads Cup campaign in emphatic fashion, running in ten tries as they cruised to a 61-19 win over Thames Valley B at Albert Park.
The match, which was also Te Awamutu’s first defence of the Peace Cup for the season, was a fine display of running rugby from the hosts in the mid-afternoon sun as they moved the ball around the park at pace whenever they got the chance.
Despite a positive start from Thames Valley who scored two tries in the opening quarter, Te Awamutu ran rampant scoring six tries in the first half with loose forward Cohen Masson and fullback Ryan Meacheam particularly impressive, scoring two tries each, while centre Inoke Tuibua made several telling breaks.
Prop Josh Ostern and halfback Kirtis McNaughten also got on the score sheet, while second five Ben Gisler added three conversions and a penalty to give Te Awamutu a comfortable 25 point lead at halftime to effectively end the match as a contest.
Ostern got his second try shortly after the break while Thames Valley were rewarded for a fighting effort with their third try.
Te Awamutu, however, finished strongly and scored three tries in the last quarter to complete the rout. Replacement back Leon Emery dotted down immediately after coming on and No8 Tu Waqa capped a strong game with a try, before Masson completed his hat trick on fulltime with Emery adding the conversion.
Te Awamutu coach David Fox was pleased that his side showed a willingness to move the ball and was impressed at how cohesive they were in their first outing together.
“I’m very happy with our first hit out – it was a great start. We played with a lot of enthusiasm and excitement and there were a few guys on debut that impressed which is a positive sign,” Fox said.
Te Awamutu now looks forward to their next Stan Meads Cup match, which again doubles as a Peace Cup defence, against King Country B on Friday night at Albert Park.
“It is tremendous to have this competition for these boys so they can play at a higher level than club and it is great for them to be able to play with players from other clubs and build a representative atmosphere,” Fox said.
Hamilton had the bye after their first round win over Central Bay of Plenty but took the opportunity to fine tune their game plan with a fixture against New Zealand Marist under 23s which they won 32-22.
After jumping out to an early 17-0 lead at Marist Park, and despite having a significant dominance up front, Hamilton let the young Marist side back into the match after a series of handling errors wasted good possession. The visitors scored 22 unanswered points to take the lead shortly after halftime.
Hamilton finally woke up again mid way through the second spell with a try and a penalty to reclaim the lead, before scoring with time nearly up to seal the match.
First five Kane Adams was influential with his tactical kicking in general play, while workaholic loose forward Toby Campbell and livewire halfback Matt Cameron also had strong games.
Hamilton’s next Stan Meads Cup game is against Thames Valley B this Saturday at Fred Jones Park.
