A dominant victory

Waikohu fullback Ethine Reeves takes the ball to the line and fends off High School Old Boys centre Will Hocquard during a resounding 34-0 victory for Waikohu in their semifinal. Picture by Paul Rickard

The second semifinal of the day for premier club rugby at Rugby Park was a primarily one-sided affair.

GT Shearing Waikohu continued their march towards the Civil Project Solutions Lee Brothers Shield with a dominant 34-0 victory over Contract Consultants High School Old Boys.

HSOB coach Danny Boyle said his team had flashes of opportunity, but ultimately the better team won.

“Waikohu were just too good on the day.”

The first half for HSOB was strong — they came to challenge the Waikohu side's defence and they did. In the opening 15 minutes, the team attacked in the Waikohu half, but they couldn't get their offence over the line despite creating some good opportunities.

HSOB had several chances to score but couldn't execute the final pass.

The Waikohu forwards were too strong up front as the game wore on, with their physicality at the breakdown proving too much.

Highlighting the dominance in the forwards, their first try started from a five-metre defensive scrum to HSOB which was pushed back on to their line and carried back for an attacking scrum to Waikohu.

Noting their dominance at the scrum, Waikohu tried to push the ball over the line but the scrum splintered before they could get the final push. In the confusion, Waikohu No.8 James Rutene scooped up the ball and darted through the congestion to score uncontested.

Waikohu player-coach Ra Broughton had an excellent game at halfback.

He had several probing runs around the ruck that opened wide holes in the HSOB side, and consistently made metres.

He also set up the second try for Waikohu, catching HSOB sleeping with a quick tap-and-go while they had their backs turned. He drew and passed to winger Leroy Taiapa, who ran the ball in for a try.

It was testament to the HSOB side that the score remained the same going into the break. They were down by only 12 points.

Unfortunately for HSOB, the Waikohu dominance up front only grew as time went on. Prop Jarryd Broughton played a good 50 minutes, hitting rucks with an unstoppable force that sent men flying.

His performance was rewarded with the first try of the second half, shortly before he went off.

HSOB got caught in their own 22 from a charged-down box kick and a series of pick-and-go moves set the stage for Broughton to pick the ball up and put his head down. His size and power are unstoppable that close to the line, and HSOB conceded their third try.

HSOB had some opportunities in the second half for points through penalties out in front, but by that time they were too far behind to worry about three points, needing the full seven to get within reaching distance.

As the game wore on, the HSOB bodies wore out, not for lack of spirit and effort, but through exhaustion.

Waikohu were a bigger team; they looked taller, heavier and stronger than their opponents and used that advantage at every opportunity.

The team continued their forward pressure and reaped the dividends, notching three more strong team tries to secure the victory.

Boyle said his HSOB side never gave up, and that is true. They fought with heart and gusto, but it was not enough to withstand the rampaging Waikohu side.

It was the third game in a row that the Waikohu defence had held firm and kept their opponents tryless, Broughton said.

He was proud of the effort his boys put in, and the tempo at which they played the game.

“We're hitting our stride; we've been building towards this.”

It was an honour to play in front of their fans again, he said.

The Waikohu support was the loudest and most passionate of the day as they cheered their team onwards and upwards into what will be an intriguing final.