In the trenches, backs to the wall

Uawa just picked up their first win of the season — 28-27 against Ruatoria City on Saturday.

The score at Enterprise Cars Whakarua Park in Ruatoria was as true a measure of City's courageous match-effort as it was of Uawa's rugby nous and ability to dig deep when backed into a corner.

A rueful City coach knows his people almost achieved what Hicks Bay did in Week 2: victory over the current champions.

Ian Logan said: “It's one we let slip. The effort was there, but we missed opportunities to attack when they were on.

“Our defence at close quarters was good, our scrum was excellent but our option-taking needs to be better because our speedsters out wide were under-utilised.

“On behalf of the teams, I'd like to thank Bay of Plenty referee John Hoyle, who was here on exchange.

“He let the game flow, which is what we all want.”

Hoyle is a great servant of rugby as highly regarded by those on whose behalf he has blown his whistle in exchanges with NPEC and Counties-Manukau, as in Bay of Plenty.

Uawa captain and lock Paddy Allen said the game at NPEC headquarters was “physical and competitive — great rugby”.

Allen won the toss and chose to play into the wind.

City kicked off and opened the scoring with a penalty to goal-kicking lock Nathaniel Fox one minute into the game.

At the three-minute mark, Uawa right wing Puhi Tau scored in the corner, and the visitors led 5-3.

Ten minutes in, Uawa first five-eighth Carlos Kemp kicked a penalty for 8-3, then in the 24th minute the first shock of the afternoon occurred — City took a tighthead at scrum-time.

All up, they took four tightheads on Saturday.

After 31 minutes, Ruatoria City No.8 Rhys Walker scored a pushover try — which Fox did duty for — and Ruatoria led 10-8.

There followed a try to City right wing James Te Kahika in the 35th minute, which with Fox's conversion became 17-8.

From Uawa's standpoint, something (the scoreboard) needed to change . . . and it did, in the 39th minute.

Their 6ft 4in skipper Allen took a tap-kick for penalty, 12m out from City's goal-line and his try, unconverted, brought Uawa within four points of their hosts.

City led 17-13 at the break.

Uawa's dynamic openside flanker, Te Atapo Kirikiri, scored 42 minutes in to give Uawa the upper hand at 18-17.

His try was not converted, but the next try — to reserve blindside flanker Ben Edwards in the 61st minute — was, for 25-17.

From point-blank range, Kemp kicked another penalty for 28-17 and it looked as if Uawa might be drawing away.

Yet despite that flurry of activity from their opponents, City never gave the game away. Fox landed a penalty for City 20, Uawa 28.

With four minutes remaining, second-five Corey Walker scored an incredible try in the right corner.

Fox converted from near halfway — the longest kick made in a remarkable game.

Uawa then clung on, 28-27.

Uawa player-coach and tighthead prop-cum-rake Laman Davies said: “We've made massive improvements from the loss to Hicks Bay, which was what I was looking for — that was what we needed to get back on track.

“Games like the one on Saturday are the ones that you want to play in: you're in the trenches with your back to the wall and have to stay in the fight for 80 minutes.”