🗞️ HEARTLAND REPORT: Finals bound : Veterans do the business

🗞️ HEARTLAND REPORT
Finals bound : Veterans do the business
From the keyboard of the touring Tighthead Ted

Don’t try and tell Tighthead Ted he’s not happy! The romantic weekend away to Whanganui with Mrs THT resulted in a thumping win to the Swamp Foxes 38-15.

Payback for the horrible loss to the Butcher Boys a few weeks back. Looking back now, probably a good loss to wear, as conditions were the same, a strong wind, again in the first spell, but this time the boys used it well, and the result came.

It was a very focused Valley side that hit the field at Cooks Gardens, a forward pack primed and ready for action, and Whanganui feeling the pressure of being firm favourites for this match. However, they shelled the first kickoff of the match, backpedalled in their first two scrums, and were on the receiving end of some ferocious offensive defence. The defended an early Valley attacking lineout, before those early scrums, and end result, four minutes in, Sione Etoni dotting down in the right hand corner after some good work from Laulea Mau . It was quick hands, then great strength saw Etoni carry half the Whanganui backline over to score. Quinn Collard missed the bonus points.

Whanganui failed to put the restart ten metres, and more pressure mounted for the home side. Another strong Valley scrum saw the ball go to the right touchline, before swinging back to the left. Alex Thrupp hit the line hard in midfield, then threw a nice long pass to Oneone Faufou who was lurking on the left wing, Faafou galloped along almost to the goalline before throwing a nice inside pass to Charlie Marsh, and the little mystro dotted down.

Eight minutes in, and after the Collard conversion, Valley was ahead 12-0.

Whanganui started to get their act together, holding the ball together and string phases together into the wind. But another error saw Valley enter their 22 again, and another penalty saw Collard extend the lead to 15-0. Finally though, on the back of a few penalties as the Valley defence tired, a five metre lineout saw Whanganui drive over for their first five pointer. Unconverted into the stiff breeze, but the home team was starting to look the goods. A break up the middle of the ruck from their big arse flanker saw Toddy Doolan sin binned for loitering on the ball too long, and Whanganui took the gift three points. The score now at 15-8 with ten to go in the half, a repeat of the Thames match was looking in the offing.

The Valley veterans up front thought otherwise, and after a big break from Connor McVerry saw Brett Ranga bundled out in the corner. From the ensuing defensive lineout , Mau charged the clearing kick down, and a five metre scrum saw Valley pile on the pressure. Whanganui held strong though, but after conceding a penalty, they then upgraded to a penalty and a yellow card following a Charlie Marsh quick tap. The first five was given the card, but it looked to ole Tighthead more like their thirteen had put in a cheap no-arms shot to the back of Marsh’s head. Skipper Matty Axtens seemed a bit more upset than just a ‘not back five’ call. Regardless, a penalty slotted by Collard, and the Whanganui comeback was slowed.

 

Then the highlight of the match, first McVerry stole a lineout that Axtens cleaned up nicely. Etoni came in off his blindside wing for a solid run before finding Faufou who battled on. Quick ruck ball saw a text book short side quick hands putting Cam Dromgool into the clear. Dromgool timed an inside pass to the ever present Marsh for the heartbreaking five pointer, which became seven after the Collard conversion. The best part of the try though was the quick hands – Marsh to tighthead prop Te Huia Kutia to Axtens to Dromgool. It was training ground stuff, repeated a thousand times this season, and executed to perfection on the field. Bought a tear to the eye I can tell ya. The fact that it also blew the score out to 25-8, instead of 18-8 at the half must have screwed a few minds in the Whanganui camp too!

The second half opened with Valley shelling the kickoff, but taking early control, Mau and Faufou keeping the Valley pack rumbling forward with some powerful carries. Valley started to steal a bit of lineout pill through this early period too, but couldn’t capitalise. Axten’s was held up over the line after some more good work from Etoni, a second yellow card to Whanganui after another high shot on Marsh, a try saving steal from Rodney Tongotea saw the next ten minutes filled with neither side having real ascendancy.

The deadlock was broken with twenty to go, when the Valley, who were giving the ball plenty of air throughout the match went wide after some phase play, and hooker Josh Tye put Etoni into space. The big unit stepped inside the final defender to register his second try of the match. The regulation Collard two points after saw the match put away 32-8. Whanganui came back into the match, winning some field position, and after a concerted period of pressure, one of their reserve fatties rolled over for a try, making it 32-15 with 12 minutes to go.

But there was not going to be a fairy tale ending for the Butcher Boys. Valley poured back onto the attack, Tayne Tupaea leading the way with multiple carries, and the match was closed out with two more penalties to the Swampies – Collard and then Fletch Morgan getting onto the score sheet with the final three pointer in the match. Final score 38-15, and a spot booked in the final.

Hard really to pick any standouts in the match, as pretty much every man played well. The pack really laid it on – tackled like trojans, if it wasn’t McVerry, it was Axtens, if not Axtens, Ranga, or Kutia, or Martin, or Faufou and Mau or any combination. The low number stepped up and made their tackles count. Defence was super throughout, and not only the big boys, out wide the pretty boys were doing the damage too, led by the midfield pairing of Morgan (still needs that haircut) and Tongotea. Doolan kicked well into the wind after a couple of dusty early efforts, and as per usual, whoever was kicking for goal, the points kept coming off the boot.

But wait, there was more, ole THT had barely blown the froth of his fifth lemonade when Mid Canterbury came back from the dead against their neighbours South Canterbury. A penalty with time up on the clock saw the yellow and greens lead for the first time in the match, 17-16. I must say a handy time to lead too, when the ref blows the whistle for full time! So a HOME FINAL for the lads this coming weekend. What a difference a week makes. Last week we were lamenting losing a home semi final, and getting ready to head south for a final – if we won this week’s away semi. But colour me pink, the unbeaten, since Adam ate that apple, South Canterbury go down, and ‘wallah’, home ground advantage.

And geez, the lemonade tastes sweet.

PS, old mate Bart’s going to be happy – one more game to cover with his box brownie. As we all know he’s too tight to travel, this week’s photos come from me new mates at KiwiTV 2017 Ltd.

Meads Cup Semi Final Results; 👇🏼
Whanganui 15 (2 tries; conversion; penalty) lost to Thames Valley 38 (C Marsh 2, S Etoni 2 tries; Q Collard 3 conversions, 3 penalties; F Morgan penalty).
South Canterbury 16 lost to Mid Canterbury 17

Final to be hosted by Thames Valley

Lochore Cup Semi Final Results: 👇🏼
King Country 34 beat East Coast 31
Horowhenua Kapiti 51 lost to West Coast 52

Final to be hosted by King Country