Pictures by Paul Rickard
DEFENDING champions High School Old Boys sealed first spot in Poverty Bay club rugby’s premier division with an 85-0 thumping of Pirates at the Oval on Saturday. Two games away from the top-four playoffs, Woodbank HSOB have an 11-point lead over OBM, who also went on a points-scoring spree.
Enterprise Cars OBM crushed third-placed Larsawn Ngatapa 60-14 at Rugby Park in the biggest upset scoreline of the season. Ngatapa had been chasing their eighth straight win. Meanwhile, at Manutuke, Farmvets YMP consolidated fourth place with a 20-14 victory over Aon Waikohu.
But the big talking point over the weekend was OBM’s eight-tries-to-two demolition of a side OBM coach Stu Blair rated as the “form team and the team to beat” going into the match.
“I never expected a score like that,” Blair said after the game. “I always knew we had it in us to produce a performance like that but maybe not against a side as good as Ngatapa.”
Weather and players came togetherHe was hoping for fine weather to give his side the chance to run the ball. The weather and his players came to the party big-time.
“We knew that players like Sione (Ngatu) and Semisi (Akana) would run the ball at us and we wanted to take that away from them,” Blair said. “In the end it was just one of those days when, for most parts of the game, things clicked for us. But at the same time, there were things we can improve on."
'We've no excuse . . . it's back to basics'Ngatapa coach Will Faulks said he did not see that scoreline coming.
“We’ve no excuse; we have to take that loss on the chin,” Faulks said. “We were blown off the park. They were all over us at the ruck but the really disappointing thing was how poor we were on defence. Last week defence won us a close game against Waikohu. Today was a different matter altogether. Our tackling was non-existent, and I’m not taking anything away from OBM . . . they blew us off the park. It’s back to basics for us for the next two games. I know the boys will be bitterly disapointed but we’ve got HSOB next up and that’s the focus.”
Outstanding game for ReevesSix of the OBM tries were scored by a backline ignited by the signing of first five-eighth Ethine Reeves, who capped another outstanding game with a try and two conversions. Second-five Jake Holmes converted four of the other six tries.
No.8 James Rutene opened the scoring with a try. By halftime, OBM were ahead 36-6, Ngatapa’s only points coming from a try to winger Seddon Smith. The second half was fairly even in terms of possession and territory. But it is what you do with the ball that counts. And on that basis, OBM were in a class of their own. They were helped by intercept tries to centre John Jones and Reeves, with Kieran Short replying for Ngatapa and first-five Chris Richardson kicking the conversion.
Although not on the scoresheet, OBM openside flanker Lynden Manuel was Blair’s man of the match. Skipper and lock Murray Hewson, halfback and tryscorer Willy Grogan, and new winger Vonijasi Dencaucau (another tryscorer) were not far behind.
OBM 60 (James Rutene, Jacob Cook, Willy Grogan, John Jones, George Halley, Vonijasi Dencaucau, Ethine Reeves, Scott McKinley tries; Jake Holmes 4 con, Ethine Reeves 2 con).
Ngatapa 14 (Seddon Smith, Kieran Short tries; Chris Richardson con).
HT: 36-6.