Kings Under The Mountain v2.0
Tighthead Ted signing out for the summer
Yes, ole Tighthead Ted’s used that headline once already this year, when the Valley beat North Otago in round robin play. But much like my early dating efforts, I was premature, so I’m rolling it out again. Kings under the mountain, Meads Cup Champions! How good is that, how good was Saturday, and how bad must the boys be feeling today as they bus around the Valley showing off the silverware! Bad as in I am sure that one or two fizz producing beverages would have been sampled overnight, a just reward after a season off hard work.
Have I said how good was it a million times yet? Perfect day for code, Boyd Park looked like a picture, much better than the gray days and dismal mud baths when I used to butt heads with me old mates Matt Barltett and Rog Wilton, with mud up to our knees and an Adidas leather ball. The track was hard, the breeze decent enough but not match deciding, and the crowd was pretty damn amazing. Four to five thousand, but by halftime from the refreshment tent, the ole vision was starting to see things by two, maybe three to four, but we’ll go with five, as the day deserved that sized crowd.
The match started like a final too, uncompromising, no holds barred, big carries, big hits, it was a great spectacle. Valley failed to get off to their usual fast start, and were looking a little nervous, forcing passes and trying to make things happen, as opposed to just sticking to their processes and knowing it will come with patience. A Collard penalty after the opening exchanges was replied to by the MC Hammers putting their massive left winget in for a go ahead try. Valley trailing three to 3-5 after ten minutes was not on the match day schedule pinned up in the changing sheds.
The home side kept trying to move the ball wide, as has been so successful this season, but the MC brains trust had obviously done their homework, and the high digit wearers in the Valley backline were in general shut down. A nice break from halfback Charlie Marsh was promising, but he was gone from the ruck so fast that he outstripped his support, and then the ball was turned over in the tackle.
Both teams had plenty of chances over the next few minutes, but attacks were diffused as neither team could gain any control. Valley were still forcing passes, and their normal accuracy was lacking. A ruck penalty on the Valley 22 saw the Hammers extend their lead to five, and after 20 minutes the visitors play was giving their large contingent of fans some hope of taking home the Meads Cup.
From the restart the Hammers put their clearing kick out on the full, and the Swampies had the throw on the 22 metre mark. Fletch Morgan in midfield made the initial dent in the Hammers line, before finding Brett Ranga in close support. The big fella barrelled on putting the Hammers on the back foot, before Laulea Mau scored under a pile of bodies. Quinn Collard added the regulation conversion for Valley to take the lead back, 10-8.
Valley had a monopoly of possession after the Mau try and hammered (pun intended), away at the Mid Canterbury defence to no avail. The visitors scrambled well and were giving as well as they were taking at the breakdowns. Finally after 35 minutes the Valley cracked the defence again, a lineout drive, then a nice surging run from Rodney Tongotea saw Mau grab a double with another hard earned try. Mau was driven over by his forwards and managed to wrestle the ball down under the pile of bodies.
Ole THT has to mention the Hammers tryline defence here, all the Swampies four tries were worked for, me old mate Bart would have needed turf cam to capture any of them. They also held two try efforts up for goal-line dropouts. Monumental stuff. Mau though, two tries in the first spell, and with Collard on fire with the boot, the two extras added, and the scoreline was starting to look more comfortable, 17-8 with five to go until the break for oranges.
From the kickoff Mid Canterbury fouled up some good work with a knock on, and the Valley scrum won a penalty after an almighty shove put the opposition eight into reverse. A lineout five metres out was held out by the Hammers, before another scrum was awarded to the Swampies, still five metres out. Sione Etoni with an old fashioned one off charge that Reuben Wiki would have been proud of, crashed over the line, but was held up, for another 22 metres dropout. Mid Canterbury kicked long, Morgan bought it back with a strong run, supported by McVerry with another tough carry. Eventually the Hammers left their feet at the following breakdown and were penalised. Collard did the rest, and 20-8 at the half.
The second spell did not start as planned, with the Hammers having upped their game and cut their error rate. Exerting all the early pressure, they breached the Valley line with a try to their left wing again, and the conversion from the sideline saw the lead slashed to 20-15. The Valley stung by the early setback swung back onto the attack and poured the pressure on. Big carries from Ranga, Alex Thrupp, Tongotea and Cam Dromgool saw the Hammers get pinged and rewarded with a yellow card on the five metre line.
Skipper Axtens called for the scrum, and went off the back, and was pulled down just short, Mau and McVerry also had goes for the line before another penalty saw another scrum called by the skip. Ole THT was loving this, almost as much as he loved the seven-one bench split Valley ran with for the final. But unfortunately that stupid held up rule came into play after halfback Marsh was held up over the line after numerous phases. How does that reward attacking play, letting the other team root the ball down the field, we’re not playing rugby league here folks, and a good scrum is as much a part of the game as anything those sandal wearers out the back do.
Rant over, no try, and the Hammers get to clear their line, and after a couple of good charges from Oneone Faafou, Te Huia Kutia and McVerry, the ball went loose and the Hammers kicked long. Valley scrambled back but knocked on, and from the ensuing scrum, some wires were certainly crossed on defence, and the Mid Canterbury right wing found himself with 30 metres of space to work in, and dotted down for the try. The cracking conversion saw the Hammers take the lead for the second time in the match, 22-20, and the Valley were looking rattled with 27 minutes to go.
But looking rattled and being rattled are two different things, the view from the lemonade stand at the end of the field was obviously getting more blurred, because the Swampies struck back from the kickoff. The Hammers clearing kick was charged, and with Faafou and Mau carrying like berserkers, a series of attacks saw prop Kutia pick and go from a ruck and make the line. Lead regained, and after the Collard conversion, extended to 27-22.
From the kickoff, Valley made it two in two minutes. Collard launched a kick from his 22 after his forwards bought the kickoff down safely, and the crowd watched it sail over the Hammer fullback’s head, bounce, and then roll gloriously into touch five metres from the line. The fatties did the rest, Dromgool took the lineout, and Lealau Mau, in fine try scoring form, scored his third for the day, all buried under a ton of bodies, much to the disgust of all the cameramen on duty. Collard from out wide slotted the conversion, using the wind perfectly to bend the ball between the uprights.
The score had gone from two points down to 12 points up in the blink of an eye. Three more were rapidly added after Dromgool was first on the scene to a ferocious tackle by Etoni, and the Mid Canterbury player was penalised for holding on. From about 48 metres out on the angle, Collard saw the ball bounce in off the crossbar. In an eight minute spell the Swampies had piled on 17 points and put the game out of reach.
Unfortunately for the home crowd, the buggers from Mid Canterbury didn’t get the above memo. As per last week when they came from 6-16 down to beat South Canterbury. With their bench adding some go forward, a try close to the posts against the tiring defence bought the score back to within eight, and still 12 minutes to go.
What a twelve minutes it was. A tackling clinic as the Hammers held onto the ball phase after phase, and the Valley defence, led by Kutia, Axten’s, replacement flanker Kenan Gillson and replacement hooker Josh Tye, repelled wave after wave of attack. Finally the Hammers coughed up the pill and were penalised, and fittingly, Mr Boot, Quinn Collard tapped and kicked the ball to touch, game over, CHAMPIONS!
Unlike in past weeks, the forwards scored all the tries, earning their post match tea and biscuits, four tries, all from five metres or closer. That tells the story of the match, and the tough defence from the Hammers out wide that shut down the lethal outsides who had been dotting down on a regular basis.
Geez it’s tough to single out any players in a final like this, but I like the tough jobs. First, prop Lance McIntyre. Gave a hell of a shift after getting limited game time all season behind young tyro Will Martin. But rolled up his sleeves and got stuck in, and is now a Meads Cup winner. On the subject of props, try scoring Te Huia Kutia. Eighty minutes. That’s what real props did back in the day, well done mate. Our old hooker mate Oneone Faafou was back to his running best, along with his locks, the veterans McVerry and Ranga. Both carried hard, and Ranga got around the field like a spring chicken running some great support lines. The loose trio were outstanding too – Axtens tackled himself to oblivion, Dromgool was a menace over the ball, and Mau, three tires ample reward for a top match. Mentioned the whole forward pack there haven’t I. Whoops, but it was a day for the forwards, not to say the back division didn’t earn their keep, just that this game was all about trench warfare, not cavalry charges!
The backs though we’re not just there to fill out their jumpers and brush their flowing locks. The midfield pairing of Morgan and Tongotea got the pack on the front foot with their strong running, as did Etoni on the wing. Etoni also put in some big hits that would have had the Hammers ball carriers looking for him. Ole mate the peroxide warrior, Alex Thrupp had limited chances and had to go looking for work, but he made the Hammers defence work hard to bring him down. Collard and Doolan, the fullback/first five hybrids controlled proceedings well with their boots, Collard’s goalkicking being a masterclass. Speaking of hybrids, halfback/winger Charlie Marsh cut the Hammers up early and was as per usual cleared crisply and accurately.
Geeeez, How PC is THT becoming, everyone gets a prize, but hell, it is the final, it was won, and no one made a prick of themselves, all is well in the world for another year.
Thames Valley 37 (L Mau 3, T Kutia tries; Q Collard 4 conversions, 3 penalties), beat Mid Canterbury 29 (4 tries, 3 conversions, penalty).
