“Ngatapa came hard at us from the get-go and we were slow getting to the ruck initially,” Scammell said. “It took us most of the first half to sort that out.”
“It was a physical game,” said Ngatapa head coach and Poverty Bay Rugby Football Union president Sione Ngatu, who, alongside team manager Tim Gardner, started for the Green and Whites at No 8 and halfback respectively.
“Our scrum was pretty good, we pride ourselves on that, and as to the seven tries HSOB scored, we know that those can be fixed with good tackling one-on-one.”
The HSOB backs had a memorable day. Halfback Liam Beattie scored two tries, Loffler dotted down in his 30th appearance, second five Rylan Tuwairua-Brown played his 40th game for the competition’s team of the moment and centre Braedyn Grant grabbed a double in his run-on debut.
HSOB won the toss on a warm day and Ngatapa kicked off, with referee Ben Holt in charge in front of a crowd of around 300.
HSOB bagged four tries in the first half, although it took them 22 minutes to get the first.
Holt awarded HSOB a penalty 5m out from Ngatapa’s goal-line, Beattie took the tap kick and leapt over to score. Loffler landed the first of his five conversions for 7-0.
Beattie raced down the right side of the ground five minutes later to dot down under the crossbar, Loffler’s conversion making it 14-0.
Good lineout ball from Scammell and blindside flanker Selisio Palusa gave HSOB a platform from which to attack.
After 31 minutes, Loffler, from left to right midfield on a curving carry, sliced through to score, but failed to convert.
Trailing 19-0, Ngatapa struck back in the 34th minute with an intercept try to fullback Jake Holmes, who latched on to a pass intended for HSOB left wing Bryan Howard and hared 40m to score in the right corner.
First five Tsugunosuke Hirai converted from the sideline for 19-7.
Stung by this, HSOB responded in the 37th with a great try under the bar to the elusive and strong-running Grant, who brushed off three would-be tacklers.
Loffler’s conversion put HSOB 26-7 up at the break, although they had not had everything their own way.
Scammell was involved in every close encounter up front and was the right man in the right place at the right time to take a magic last pass from right wing Josaia Bosaka Tikicidre two minutes after the resumption.
Tikicidre made a 60m swooping run, walked the tightrope down the sideline and found Scammell in support.
His try was converted for 33-7.
Neither side looked like breaking the other again until reserve loosehead prop and Ngatapa club stalwart Campbell Chrisp went across in the 63rd.
Having been awarded a penalty, the visitors opted to tap and run, sending two mighty props at the goal-line – Lance Dickson and then Chrisp, who scored 15m in from the left corner.
In the 68th minute, Grant weaved in and away en route to the black dot, and Loffler converted for 40-12.
Near fulltime, fullback Matthew Proffit converted a popular try to reserve loosehead prop Mango Halofonua to see HSOB end proceedings as the undefeated form team of the first round.
That record will be put to the test in this Saturday’s round 2 opener against YMP.
