Rugby: Premiers out of finals' contention

Whakarewarewa first five-eighth Te Rangi Fraser fended off Beau Williams as part of a fine all-round display. Photo/Andrew Warner

Defending Bayfair Baywide premier champions Tauranga Sports are out, played off their home paddock 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 certainly seemed right at home on Saturday afternoon.

They ran out second, leaving the home side waiting for a couple of minutes while they worked themselves into a controlled frenzy in the away sheds.

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

Tauranga Sports had only a powerful, twisting Aifai Esera effort - inexplicably unconverted from close range by Paul Morris - and a Nic Evemy candidate for try of the season, to show for plenty of endeavour inside their opponent's half.

Evemy's try, featuring a grubber and two gorgeous wrap-arounds from Lewis Hancock and Byron McGuigan, looked to have blown the match wide open at 12-0 before Whakarewarewa pivot Te Rangi Fraser grabbed the game by the scruff of the neck.

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 brought a chip kick that bounced wickedly twice and then into the arms of a flying Jason Harvey, arriving just in time.

The second half began poorly with a yellow card to fullback Whaimotu Craft-Chemis, but No8 Siegfried Fisi'ihoi grew an extra leg 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 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 black-and-red 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 Byron McGuigan.

Morris, who had been left to thump his home turf by Fraser a number of times, missed to the right from the touchline and Whakarewarewa closed the game down.

Whakarewarewa 18 (Jason Harvey, Siegfried Fisi'ihoi tries; Te Rangi Fraser 2 pens, con)

Tauranga Sports 17 (Aifai Esera, Nic Evemy, Byron McGuigan tries; Paul Morris con)