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Home / Rotorua Daily Post

Rugby: Whaka see off the premiers

By Ben Guild
Rotorua Daily Post·
20 Jul, 2014 05:00 PM2 mins to read

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Whakarewarewa first five-eighth Te Rangi Fraser (main picture) fended off Beau Williams as part of a fine all-round display. Whaka's Riiki Waitoa (right) lifts his hands to celebrate on Saturday. Photo/Andrew Warner

Whakarewarewa first five-eighth Te Rangi Fraser (main picture) fended off Beau Williams as part of a fine all-round display. Whaka's Riiki Waitoa (right) lifts his hands to celebrate on Saturday. Photo/Andrew Warner

Whakarewarewa have stormed into the Baywide premier grand final after knocking over defending champions Tauranga Sports.

Tauranga Sports were played off the park on Saturday by a growing Whakarewarewa force that proved some points at a home away from home.

Three times the Rotorua side has travelled to Tauranga Domain for semifinals since 2006. Three times they have emerged the victors.

They defeated Tauranga 18-17 on Saturday and will play Mount Maunganui this weekend in the final.

Running into a deceptive breeze in the first half, Whaka soaked up plenty of pressure and did well to be trailing only 12-5 at the break.

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Tauranga Sports had an Aifai Esera try - inexplicably unconverted from close range by Paul Morris - and a Nic Evemy candidate for try of the season to show for plenty of endeavour in the first half.

Evemy's try, featuring a grubber and two gorgeous wrap-arounds from Lewis Hancock and Byron McGuigan, looked to have blown the match open.

However, Whakarewarewa pivot Te Rangi Fraser grabbed the game by the scruff of the neck.

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He made back-foot ball look like front-foot ball, and went through Sports seemingly every time the outside backs flew up out wide.

One foray late in the half swung the contest for good. A clean break down the right for Whaka ended with a chip kick and a try to Jason Harvey.

The second half began poorly with a yellow card to fullback Whaimotu Craft-Chemis, but No8 Siegfried Fisiihoi flourished in his absence.

The willing ball runner rumbled over from more than 20m out to help level the scores and smashed into everything in a final 40 minutes in which Sports barely fired a shot.

Raking Fraser punts were left to bounce, kick-offs were dropped and balls were kicked out on the full by a home side incapable of holding back the red and black tide.

For all of that, Sports had a chance to steal it late when a clever Brent Hamlin box kick produced a try in the corner for McGuigan. Morris missed to the right from the touchline .

Mount Maunganui defeated Te Puke 35-20 in the other semifinal.

Tauranga Sports 17 (Aifai Esera, Nic Evemy, Byron McGuigan tries; Paul Morris con) lost to Whakarewarewa 18 (Jason Harvey, Siegfried Fisiihoi tries; Te Rangi Fraser 2 pens, con).

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