Buller win a thriller at Last Chance Saloon

STEPPING OUT: Poverty Bay loosehead prop Toru Noanoa prepares to step out of a tackle from a Buller defender in a Heartland Championship game in Gisborne on Saturday. Buller won 41-27. Picture by Paul Rickard

Rugby Park was Poverty Bay’s Last Chance Saloon on Saturday, but Buller won the game 41-27.

As has been the case in four of their eight games in this Heartland Championship season (two games were nail-biting wins, and one game was lost on a 45-metre penalty goal), the Tamanui Hill-led side “refused to go away”. Buller were 19-3 ahead at the break but the Bay scored two tries in five minutes following the resumption to make it 19-13.

“It was a spectacle,” Bay coach Mana Otai said.

“The key difference is that they were in our 22, Buller came away with points. We were camped on their goal-line in the first 10 minutes of the game but they defended well.

“Andrew Stephens (Buller halfback and captain) and James Lash (first five-eighth) directed play well for them; Buller kept the scoreboard ticking over even though we were always in the game.”

Buller left wing Iliesa Ravudra scored twice — the opening try and the last try of the match — in his 50th game for the visitors. That first try in the 17th minute was taken from a scrum set five metres short of the Bay’s goal-line, 15m off the left touch. Ravudra ran hard, and his halfback swung the ball back to him on an angle for the left corner.

Hard-working Buller lock Caleb Aperahama scored in the 28th minute. The 6ft 7in titan surged 15m before dotting down. Lash converted for 12-0.

In the 31st minute, Bay second-five Kelvin Smith kicked a penalty to close it to 12-3.

The left-footed Lash “made” the next try — on the right side of the ground, in the 33rd minute — for centre Michael Wells, courtesy of a perfectly placed chip-kick into Poverty Bay’s 22. With Lash’s conversion, it was 19-3.

Poverty Bay made a lightning start to the second half with tries to right wing Te Peehi Fairlie (41st minute) and loosehead prop Toru Noanoa (43rd minute) and it was 19-13.

In the 47th minute, hitherto unemployed Buller right wing Joel Hands scored in the corner to make it 24-13. A Lash penalty made it 27-13 in the 54th minute. Aperahama’s locking partner, Robbie Bonisch, who had been shown a yellow card by Wairarapa-Bush referee Rebecca Mahoney in the 36th minute, came good with a try in the 57th minute. Lash converted for 34-13.

Former Mako tighthead prop Andrew Petelo then scored two tries for the Bay — in the 64th minute and the 68th minute. With both being converted by fullback Andrew Tauatevalu, the home team crept up behind Buller, closing it to 34-27.

Ravudra’s try in the 71st minute — his 30th for Buller — got the visitors out to 39-27. Lash then topped off an incredible day with a sideline conversion from the grandstand touch for 41-27.

“Our goal was to start well and play with confidence — we went well when we held on to the ball,” said Poverty Bay captain and hooker Tamanui Hill, who — like reserve blindside flanker Ken Houkamau and assistant coach Dwayne Russell — brought up his 30th game with Poverty Bay on Saturday.

“Holding on to possession was key going into the second half because our scrum was good against a relatively big pack; our lineout we’re still working on.”

Lively openside flanker Callum McDonald, who — like No.8 Jesse Kapene played his 10th game for the Bay — was the home team’s player of the day.

Industrious No.8 Jeff Lepa claimed that honour for Buller.

Buller captain Stephens, with 117 caps, was one of three centurions to take the field for the visitors.

“Poverty Bay created good tries in their comeback but fortunately for us we finished the game strongly,” hed said.

“Iliesa stood up to be counted, and Lepa and Bonisch led the forwards.”

Craig Scanlon has been Buller coach since 2007.

“We were desperate,” he said.

“We’ve lost some close games this season — we had to finish the year on a high.

“We targeted the defensive lineout to stop Poverty Bay at the source because they’ve got some real threats. Our guys worked hard for each other.”