As of Round 7, the Sky Blues (18 competition points) have jumped two places to sixth, the Bush (8pts) have dropped a place, to 11th. The Coast are out of the running for a Meads Cup semifinal but in good shape for a Lochore Cup semi, possibly at home.
Their last round-robin match will be the ultimate gut-check against defending Meads Cup champions South Canterbury (34pts, 21 consecutive wins) at Alpine Energy Stadium — soon to return to its historical name, Fraser Park — in Timaru at 2.30pm on Saturday.
Head coach Gear, whose crew have won two away and two at home, was chuffed with the Kaupoi posse’s match-effort in trying conditions.
“I’m proud of the boys: we played King Country last weekend with only 22 of a possible 23-man squad, and have had to get other players in during the past few weeks,” he said.
“That was this side’s best performance so far this season.”
Wairarapa-Bush coach Mark Rutene is a straight shooter: “The Coast played in the right parts of the field, and we couldn’t chase them down. It was a pretty tight game. They adapted to the wet weather better than we did.”
With both openside flanker Eddie Cranston and centre Tristan Flutey playing their 25th (blazer) game — and reserve Inia Katia coming on at halfback in the 50th minute for his 100th first-class cap — the Bush fought especially hard in their second-to-last hit-out of what has so far been a one-win season.
Bush captain and blindside flanker James Goodger said: “Sam’s boys brought physicality and put us under pressure. Their lineout worked well.”
The guts and grind of the Sky Blue forwards was a feature of the match but Parkes gave individual credit where it was most due: “The Kaupoi (East Coast Cowboy most valuable player) was our second-five Te Manu Herewini. This was a game in which a lot of people stood up to be counted, yet he shone the brightest. He was outstanding.”
In front of some 300 hardy fans able to get to the game and brave the wet weather, Goodger won the toss and chose to play from the town end. The temperature was 16 degrees with a north-easterly blowing as Coast first five-eighth Carlos Kemp went long with the kick-off.
Kemp converted both of the Coast’s tries — to hooker Joe Royal and fetcher Willie Bolingford — and also kicked two penalty goals. He is fifth on the competition individual pointscorers’ list with 55 points in seven games. South Canterbury first-five Sam Briggs is the leading pointscorer with 86 points in six appearances.
Wairarapa-Bush opened the scoring with a penalty goal from 24 metres out, just left of centre, from first-five and former Hurricanes under-20s halfback Aidan Champion in the 14th minute.
The weather then began to deteriorate.
The Coast took a 5-3 lead 20 minutes in through hooker Royal. At a lineout six metres from the left corner, he found big No.8 Fafilli Levave one from the back. Royal joined the ensuing drive, meshing with blindside flanker Jorian Tangaere. He took the ball from him and got it down 10m to the left of the goalposts.
Kemp’s conversion put the Kaupoi 7-3 up. His next kick at goal, a 24m penalty from five metres to the right of the posts, gave NPEC a 10-3 lead in the 22nd minute.
There were hairy moments for both teams. Hard on the heels of Kemp’s penalty goal, Parkes — who has good hands — lost what was at that stage a cake of soap to Flutey just short of halfway, on the right flank, and one pass on Cranston’s kick ahead had to be saved by Kemp, who slid with the ball in-goal under pressure from Bush left wing Soli Malatai.
In the 29th minute, the Bush twice set an attacking scrum five metres out, in front of the posts. Third time around, NPEC received a relieving penalty from Bay of Plenty referee Andrew Morton. The Kaupoi had survived a stern test.
They dodged another bullet just before the break, when the Bush’s industrious lock Sam Gammie lost the ball forward on the goal-line. The score was 10-3 to the Sky Blues.
Knowing that a good start to the second half was crucial, the Bush scored the first points 56 minutes in — a try to fearsome right wing Charles Mataitai.
A kicking duel — Kemp versus Bush fullback Aseri Waqa and centre Tafa Tafa, back and forth over halfway — was called to a halt by Herewini. The Coast pushed twice to the left before a long clearing pass from Parkes was intercepted by Mataitai, who went 43m to score six metres in from the corner. The conversion attempt missed and the Coast’s lead was now two points, 10-8.
Midway through the half, the Bush reserve first-five, left-footed Tipene Haira, missed a penalty shot from the left touch but came good a minute later, 18m off the right sideline, 17m out, to give the visitors their first lead in the game — 11-10.
Goodger’s side had toiled unceasingly.
The Kaupoi scored next, with 18 minutes to play. From a lineout 17m into the green-and-reds’ half on the left touch, Royal hit Levave at the tail. The ball was sent right, Herewini then broke the tackle of Tafa, Bolingford held the last pass and thundered 23m to score in the corner.
Herewini had worked wonders, and Bolingford — one of the most honest and valuable forwards going — got the try to put NPEC back in front, and Kemp’s sideline conversion made the score 17-11.
On club day in Ngāti Porou East Coast Rugby, Kemp’s Uawa and Bolingford’s Waiapu were doubtless as proud as punch.
In the 67th minute, the Sky Blues were awarded a penalty 13m into Bush territory. From 17m off the left touch, Kemp landed the longest shot of the day for 20-11.
The Bush kept fighting, and earned a bonus point for the loss within seven points on the back of Malatai’s try in the 78th minute.
The home team were good value at both lineout and scrum on Saturday, but Malatai owed his try in the first instance to a grand Bush forward effort. The Coast packed a scrum 19m on their own side of halfway, nine metres off the left touch. The Bush turned the scrum, Levave was mobbed by reserve fetcher Jared Hawkins, and the lively Katia sent the ball left through Tafa and Bush centre Tristan Flutey (a nephew of both Rutene and NPEC legend Mano Flutey) to Malatai, who scored in the corner.
Great quick hands and determined running from MVP (most valuable player) Katia out, put Malatai away. His try was unconverted, and Ngāti Porou East Coast had won the game 20-16. Parkes (who had gone close to scoring in the first half himself, before Royal did) and his men retained the Bill Osborne Taonga. The hosts at Whakarua Park got through this stoush on a heavy ground by virtue of their grit, not their glitz.
They played rugby that the conditions required.
