Waikohu player-coach Kelvin Smith paid tribute to his team's ability to stay within their structure and retain possession of the ball, noting that Waikohu couldn't have done much more in their match-effort, while captain and halfback Mario Counsell said: “Once we got outside Ngatapa's tight pods — out to the edges — momentum was ours.”
Ngatapa captain and blindside flanker Dan Law won the toss and chose direction, forcing Waikohu to look into the sun.
Before the defending champions kicked off, a moment of silence was observed for Ian Moore, Ngatapa club captain between 1986 and 1989, as before the second semifinal a moment was observed for Avon Webber, great-hearted OBM supporter and wife of former Poverty Bay Rugby Football Union patron, the late Keith Webber.
In the first semifinal, the penalty count was 11-7 to Ngatapa, the lineout count was 9-4 to Waikohu and the scrum count was 5-5.
Ngatapa first five-eighth Ricardo Patricio was unsuccessful in his first two attempts at penalty goal in the fourth and sixth minutes of play.
Waikohu hooker Geoff Pari scored the game's opening try in typically rambunctious style after 16 minutes. That try was converted for 7-0 by fullback Moses Christie.
In the 20th minute, a try-saving tackle prevented Ngatapa from scoring on the right side of the ground, and on the left side of the ground three minutes later, they lost the ball forward on the goal-line.
Sixty seconds after that, Waikohu kept the ball alive after three desperation tackles almost put paid to what ended up as a classic team try to lock James Rutene at the other end of the ground. He took the last pass from first-five Ruan du Plooy to score a metre to the right of the posts. Christie converted for 14-0.
In the 27th minute, another kick at penalty was off and in the 30th minute, Counsell dived from a goal-line ruck five metres in from the left corner to score. The try was not converted . . . 19-0.
In the 33rd minute, Waikohu left wing Tione Hubbard scored by virtue of his tremendous pace, having circled wide to a gap for 24-0, the score at the break.
Ngatapa No.9 Michael Livingston scored a great halfback's try in the 42nd minute after a side-stepping burst from the green-and-whites' fullback Matt Raleigh had Waikohu back-pedalling. Livingston's try nine metres to the left of the posts closed the score to 24-5.
In the 46th minute, Pari held a great pass from Counsell on the charge to score 12m to the left of the posts, a try that Christie converted for 31-5.
Referee Mark Greene had an excellent game, with one particular non-call standing out — no knock-on against Ngatapa in the 49th minute after the ball had hit a player on the chest.
In the 52nd minute, Ngatapa reserve loosehead prop James Higgins made a powerful surge from his second touch of consequence.
Inspired by that, giant Waikohu tighthead prop Jarryd Broughton got to ground under the crossbar, a mighty try for 36-5, converted by Christie for 38-5.
In the 54th minute, du Plooy scored a long-range try in the left corner for 43-5. It was not converted.
In the 58th minute, Waikohu centre Tane McGuire latched on to a long Ngatapa pass left-side, scoring his intercept try behind the posts. The conversion gave Waikohu a 50-5 lead.
In the 65th minute, the big men from Te Karaka posted their eighth try through dynamic openside flanker Kupu Lloyd, running off du Plooy from an attacking lineout in the left corner. Lloyd, often an unsung hero, scored for 57-5, soon to be 59-5.
In the 66th minute, blindside flanker Adrian Wyrill linked with Lloyd, who gave a magic pass for right wing KC Wilson to score in the corner, the last try of the first semifinal, for 64-5.
Openside flanker Jacob Samuel's lineout form was again strong for Ngatapa. Saturday was not a day on which their backs had many opportunities to run.
Dan Law said: “Our set-piece play was good, our defence let us down. We played well in patches.”
