OBM flirt with disaster

JOHNNY ON THE SPOT: OBM centre John Jones scores his side’s third try in a 28-22 win against YMP in a premier semifinal clash at Rugby Park on Saturday. OBM play HSOB in the final. Picture by Paul Rickard

OBM coach Stu Blair has a week to make his players understand rugby is a team game . . . it doesn’t matter who scores.

If Blair doesn’t get the message across, High School Old Boys will make it back-to-back Lee Bros Shield wins.

OBM, who beat YMP 28-22 in Saturday’s semifinal, were always in control of this game but bombed at least three tries in each half because players were too greedy . . . forget the “took wrong options” terminology often used.

One, two and three-man overlaps were spurned as the ball-carrier took the glory road, only to lose possession.

“That was more nerve-racking than it should have been,” Blair said.

“We had chances to put them away in both halves but you saw what happened.”

OBM second five-eighth Jake Holmes posted the first points, after five minutes, from a penalty against a side who looked as though their long injury list had caught up with them, but who taught their opposition a lesson in hanging in and taking their limited opportunities.

In YMP’s first raid into OBM territory, fullback Brian Whaitiri-White finished off a move that involved player-coach Reihana Wyllie (second five), left-winger Jeremy Ferris, No.8 Mike Kemp and first-five Willie Brown. Whaitiri-White converted.

OBM had the majority of possession and position but blew golden opportunities, and it took them until the 30th minute to reclaim the lead.

Dencaucau raced along the sideline to score a try out of nothing. Holmes converted.

On the stroke of halftime, Dencaucau danced his way through three tacklers to score close to the posts. Holmes added the conversion for an 18-8 lead at halftime.

OBM looked to have taken the game away from YMP when centre John Jones bounced out of a tackle to score a six-pointer in the 47th minute, leaving Holmes an easy conversion.

However, OBM continued to squander chances when a simple draw-and-pass would have resulted in more tries.

YMP midfield back Mike Kora made them pay when he crossed the chalk line in the 52nd minute. Whaitiri-White added the extras and it was “game on”.

The introduction of fresh legs in the form of Kora, Jimmy Wilson, Taine Aupouri, Renata Pomana and Riwai Williams gave YMP a lift and in typical fashion they refused to give up, as they sensed some panic in the OBM ranks.

Holmes eased the OBM nerves with a penalty to make it 28-16 with 12 minutes on the clock.

OBM supporters must have been thinking this was surely “game over”.

They were in for a rude shock, as their team continued to let YMP back into the game.

When Wilson scored a try to close the gap to six points in the 73rd minute, with an easy conversion to come, it looked as though YMP would produce another of their famous comebacks.

Unfortunately for YMP, Whaitiri-White, who otherwise played well, failed to convert . . . leaving YMP to score a converted try to take the game to extra time.

“We didn’t play well enough to win,” said Wyllie.

“Our final passes killed us. It’s been our Achilles heel all season.

“The forwards kept us in the game but that’s it over for another season . . . another year to wait before we can try to make it into the final again.

“I’m gutted and so are the players.”

YMP hooker Isaiah Leach, skipper Willis Tamatea (No.8), Willie Brown, until he went off injured in the 43rd minute, and Wyllie played well.

OBM 28 (Vonijasi Dencaucau 2, John Jones tries; Jake Holmes 2 pen, 3 con).

YMP 22 (Brian Whaitiri-White, Mike Kopa, Jimmy Wilson tries; Brian Whaitiri-White 2 con)

HT: 18-8 (OBM).