Second straight win for YMP

CATCH ME IF YOU CAN: East Coast Farm Vets YMP centre Saul Chase races away from the Contract Consultants HSOB defence in their premier club rugby match at the Oval. YMP won 27-7. Picture by Paul Rickard

YMP have their heroes.

And under their captain and hooker Shayde Skudder, they beat High School Old Boys 29-7 — their second straight win — and took five points.

“Our set-piece worked well and our backs complemented the mahi (work) the forwards put in,” Skudder said.

“Niko Lauti (No.8), Jess Kapene (openside flanker) and Shyann Wyllie (blindside flanker) were awesome for us again — Niko was our player of the day, but all of those guys' work-rates are through the roof.”

HSOB captain and No.8 Tamanui Hill has every bit as much passion for the game as Skudder — there is no shortage of effort from Contract Consultants HSOB, but the past two weeks have required the perspective and empathy of good leadership.

Head coach Danny Boyle is keen to work.

“We have a group that's very committed and it's going to take time for them to learn the new system,” he said.

“For long periods in the game, we were in it and we put pressure on YMP. But we need to minimise handling errors. I think replicating pressure at practice will help, and now's the time for a little bit more intensity there.”

Loosehead prop cum hooker Russell Burns was HSOB player of the day and will play his 100th game for the club against Waikohu at Te Karaka Domain.

YMP centre Saul Chase scored the opening try nine minutes into the game. First five-eighth Austin Brown followed suit in the 22nd minute and left wing Enty Junior Masun scored two minutes before the break. It meant YMP had a 15-0 lead at halftime.

In the 50th minute, HSOB forwards produced a great try.

From an attacking lineout on the left touch, blindside flanker Viliami Kavai won great ball at No.2. HSOB drove lock Fletcher Scammell 15 metres to the goal-line. Hill then picked up the ball up from a ruck and crunched in to score. First-five Baxter Mackay converted the try to close it to 15-7.

Sixteen minutes passed before YMP second-five Peia Fililava scored the visitors' fourth try — securing a bonus point — and the conversion by Austin gave YMP a 15-point advantage, 22-7.

In the 77th minute, Wyllie (whose dedication to the cause could not be faulted) was nevertheless dismissed by referee Keelyn Smith.

Formidable right wing Te Peehi Fairlie scored on fulltime — with a conversion by Brown — to make it 29-7.

YMP coach Brian Leach said: “We started well and got a lot of a ball — the scrums and lineouts were good. We're still building, but getting better and sharper by the week.

“Keelyn had a good game with the whistle — he let the game flow and he had a nice manner with the boys, so he got respect back from us.”