Tech end Melville's unbeaten run
28th April 2010 12:12PM
By EVAN PEGDEN - Waikato Times
Fraser-Tech ended the unbeaten run of Melville while Otorohanga powered into the top four of Waikato premier club rugby on Saturday.
In an eventful sixth week of the Ron Crawford Memorial Trophy preliminary round, CBD Hamilton Old Boys are now the only unbeaten side after smashing bottom-placed Reid and Harrison United Matamata Sports 106-7 at Matamata – the second time this season UMS have conceded more than 100 points.
Old Boys are now four points clear of second-placed Shenanigans Fraser-Tech, who had a 27-17 home victory over TDO Melville, Tech fullback Nathan Lamb contributing 17 points to take his season tally to 119.
OTC Otorohanga had their third impressive win in a row when they returned home for a five-tries-to-one 34-14 success over Hamilton Marist to vault that team into fourth place on the points table.
APL Hautapu picked up their third win of the season to improve to sixth on the table with a 43-10 victory away to Taupiri Tavern Taupiri, based heavily on a first-half rout.
But the battle for the top eight heated up considerably when University managed to spring a 26-25 home upset over Seafood Bazaar Te Rapa, while Wagon Wheel Morrinsville Sports got maximum points at home against Ecolab Te Awamutu Sports 34-13. That left Te Rapa seventh, one point behind Hautapu and one point ahead of Morrinsville, while University are now just two points adrift of the top eight with Te Awamutu one behind them.
Fraser-Tech27
Melville17
Fraser-Tech did not have everything their own way in this match at Elliot Park, with Melville attacking them aggressively at the breakdowns and adopting a successful kicking game in the second spell.
But at the same time the visitors seldom looked like cracking an efficient and hard-working Tech defence, while the lineout was a real weapon for the home team, particularly in the first spell.
Peniasi Iowane was the key man for the blue-and-whites in that phase and they took a 14-9 lead to halftime thanks to tries to Lamb and skipper Tyron Child respectively at the start and finish of the spell, both as a result of pinpoint high kicks to the corners, while blowing other scoring chances through either last-pass errors or lack of recognition of overlaps by midfield backs.
Melville got a lot more ball and territory in the second half but by then Tech had grown their lead to 21-9 early in spell with a try to replacement prop Latu Talakai through some good close-quarter attacking by both forwards and backs.
While replacement flanker Sam Chambers finished off an excellent try created by backs Logan Fisher and Tyler Leith midway through the spell to get within seven, the subsequent exchange of penalty goals shut Melville out of a bonus point.
Otorohanga34
Hamilton Marist14
This was another fine all-round team effort from Otorohanga at Island Reserve where solid forward play, creative back play and aggressive defence were all features.
Marist were shell-shocked in the first 20 minutes by the home effort of what was a penalty-marred half of rugby that saw two home team players sin-binned.
A young Otorohanga side, well led by a couple of old hands, managed to grab a lot of turnovers at the tackle and play as a complete unit, their defence not slipping up to let in a try until near the end of the match.
Up front locks Peke Manawaiti and Nathan Logonimoce had strong games while Hone Wanden marked another fine match at second-five with two tries, experienced wing Solo Korovata also scoring twice.
University26
Te Rapa25
A fine first half effort, which led to a 13-6 advantage at halftime after playing into the teeth of a strong headwind, coupled with some superb goal kicking from fullback Josh Sutcliffe, enabled University to get home by one point at the University grounds, John Holt reports.
A penalty goal from first five-eighth Nathan George gave Te Rapa an early 3-0 lead, but from then on most of the first half belonged to the home side.
University made fewer mistakes and managed to get more accuracy into their attacking play than their opponents, and slowly built a 13-3 lead, which included a try to hooker Sean Glassie.
George narrowed the lead to 13-6 with his second penalty goal right on halftime and then early in the second half front-rower Sione Mateaki barged over to score, following a period of sustained attack from the Te Rapa side, closing the scoreline to 13-11.
Sutcliffe banged over his third penalty goal, a huge effort from 53m, to extend the students' lead to 16-11, but Te Rapa then produced their best period of play and scored two further tries to wing Riley O'Donnell, from an intercept, and No8 Toby Lynn.
Ahead 25-16 going into the last 10 minutes of play, Te Rapa may have felt the game was safe, but University had the final say, capitalising on some weak defence for big prop Jerry Pomare to score and Sutcliffe to convert and then win the match with a wide-angled penalty goal.
Hamilton Old Boys106
Utd Matamata Sports7
This was as one-sided at Bedford Park as the scoreline suggests with Old Boys scoring 16 tries, converting 13 of them and only letting in the solitary UMS score right at the end.
The red-and-blacks were too fit, too fast, too organised and possessed a generally higher calibre of player for the struggling bottom side in the competition.
Winger Henry Speight, who scored four tries, was particularly outstanding in the first half, as were loose forwards Johan Bardoul and Adam Cathcart, while replacement midfield back Ruben Williams regularly broke the line in the second spell.
Morrinsville Sports34
Te Awamutu Sports13
Te Awamutu led 13-8 at halftime after having first use of a stiff breeze at Campbell Park and capitalising on Morrinsville errors to maintain a territorial advantage and score tries through backs Inoke Tuibua and Leon Emery.
But it was never a big enough lead in the conditions and the visitors never managed another point after the break as Morrinsville ran in four more tries to take complete control.
Hooker Tom Rowling led the way in a home pack where prop Sean Bagshaw, locks Aleki Hicks and Pio Vakovasaki and Alex Bradley were also prominent, while the growing influence of halfback Damon McKinnon after his return from injury was noticeable. Out wide Benji Olesen and Brook Tremayne had solid games.
Standout player for Te Awamutu was prop Adrian Tucker, who went forward strongly all game.
Hautapu43
Taupiri10
Hautapu won this match in the first half when they caught Taupiri off-guard at Murphy Field to race out to a 30-0 half-time advantage.
Winger Ruamai Erueti finished impressively for his three tries and young hooker Sam van der Valk was outstanding, setting up two of those touchdowns as Hautapu moved the ball wide off set-phase ball.
But Taupiri came back strongly in the second half, which they only lost 13-10, with some good, hard driving from the forwards that forced the visitors to infringe and Jason Te Brake, Liam Tansey and Grant Litt all played well for the home side.
The loss of a couple of key players and mass substitutions seemed to destabilise the Hautapu effort but they did have the final say with the last try.
