Ngatapa JAB players salute Sione Ngatu ahead of Saturday's premier game at Patutahi.
Two-try Jody Allen and his OBM teammates ended High School Old Boys’ bid to retain the Lee Bros Shield by beating Ngatapa 20-15 at Paddy’s Park, Patutahi, on Saturday.
The loss was also a bitter-sweet occasion for Larsawn Ngatapa player-coach Sione Ngatu, making his 200th premier appearance for Ngatapa and halfback and captain Chris Richardson, playing his 100th premier game for the green-and-whites.
Ngatu said the game was never about “that” (playing 200 games).
“It’s always been about the team,” he said.
“I’m just one of 22 players on match day and we all have a part to play. We’ve got a great bunch of supporters and we’d love to have won for them.”
A disappointed Richardson said “it could have been better”.
“That’s why we play rugby, to win.”
Enterprise Cars OBM cemented fourth place on the table, on 32 points with two games remaining. Coach Tom Solomon’s men are 11 points clear of Earthwork Solutions, who also have two games to play before the top-four semifinals.
However, OBM came close to blowing the chance to book a spot in the playoffs.
They were leading 20-8 after 75 minutes and Ngatapa were down to 14 men after lock Richard Webby was sent off by referee Matt Smith for stomping. OBM tried to run the ball out from inside their 22 and after the ball was lost, Ngatapa second five-eighth Matt Raleigh scored a try under the bar and converted to put the home side within five points of a draw.
With nothing to lose, Ngatapa — already assured of a top-four place — threw everything at a nervous and tiring OBM side who had used all their reserves.
“We did all the hard work, got ourselves into a great position and then, with five minutes to go, lost concentration,” Solomon said.
“Hopefully if we get ourselves into a similar position in the semis, we won’t do that again (try to run the ball out). It was hard to watch those last couple of minutes.”
Although in fourth place, OBM can move into second or third, depending on the results of their last two games — against YMP and competition leaders Waikohu, who will go into the playoffs in pole position, taking on the fourth-placed side.
Once again the OBM pack were superb. Props Jody Allen, his twin brother Juston (lock) and openside flanker Callum McDonald led the way. They had great support from Lance Dickson (prop), Rikki Terekia (hooker), Jacob Cook (lock), Te Otane Ria (blindside flanker) and No.8 Ngahiwi Manuel.
They had the better of their opposites who, despite giving away height and weight, kept their side in the game.
Prop Campbell Chrisp is returning to the form that had him playing some of the best rugby of his career before a serious hand injury ruled him out of action.
At 37, Ngatu can be regarded as a veteran but he, too, showed he is still able to foot it on attack and defence.
“OBM now have a monster pack who are coming right at the right time of the season,” Ngatau’s co-coach, David McDonald, said.
“But I felt our forwards, for the most part, held their own and in the end we were unlucky not to come away with a draw or even a win.”
Second-five Anthony Karauria was another who could feel aggrieved at his side’s loss.
Karauria, his teammates and the Ngatapa supporters thought he had scored a try on the stroke of halftime.
With OBM reduced to 14 men after McDonald was sinbinned and the score at 17-8, Ngatapa had a scrum five metres from the line.
Ngatu broke off the back of the scrum and passed to Karauria, who looked to have scored under the bar. But referee Smith disallowed the try, ruling that he had got in the way of an OBM player.
“There was no one who could have tackled me,” said Karauria, who was the player who caused the turnover for Raleigh’s try.
“A try then, with the conversion, would have made the score 17-15, and they still had to play with 14 men at the start of the second half.”
It was while McDonald was in the sinbin that the Allen brothers, in particular, showed their class. They controlled possession using the pick-and-go. Cook, Ria, Manuel, Dickson and Terekia came to the party.
And when Ngatapa got their hands on the ball, the OBM backs, with second-five and skipper Jake Holmes leading from the front, were rock-solid on defence.
A Holmes penalty with 10 minutes to play put OBM in a strong position. But Holmes, centre John Jones and fullback Scott McKinley earned their keep with some try-saving tackles as Ngatapa started to get the ball out wide to dangerous right wing Karl Macpherson. It was Macpherson who scored Ngatapa’s try in the first half after great work by left wing Henry Seymour and fullback Cameron Rowden.
OBM halfback Keith Henderson, first five-eighth Dean Pohatu and wingers Blake Brown and Semisi Tagivetaua all made valuable contributions to the win.
When Bay halfback Willy Grogan returns from Ireland, OBM will have a halfback who plays like an extra loose forward.
OBM 20 (Jody Allen 2 tries; J Holmes 2 pen, 2 con).
Ngatapa 15 (K Macpherson, M Raleigh tries; M Raleigh pen, con).
HT: 17-8.