First five-eighth John Jones was fantastic from the tee, kicking six of seven conversion attempts from both sides of the pitch in variable strong winds.
OBM continued to pile on the points and wear down the HSOB squad.
There were moments of HSOB brilliance, but they were few and far between as the team struggled to gain momentum.
OBM's defence was good and repelled several HSOB attacks, but it was not perfect.
HSOB were able to cross the line, although they couldn't slow down the steady stream of points at the other end.
With their scrum in all sorts of trouble, their lineout also struggled to get going. It was obvious that the lack of numbers at training had affected their set-piece, with several breakdowns in communication leading to mistakes at lineout.
HSOB lock Fletcher Scammell had a good game. He is a workhorse on the field and has a never-say-die attitude that keeps him going to the final whistle.
He was efficient across the park and often first to the breakdown, but it was not enough to turn the tide, and HSOB suffered their eighth defeat of the season.
HSOB finished the season without a competition point.
Under the leadership of head coach Danny Boyle the team have had their ups and downs but should be commended for fronting a team every weekend.
Often they struggled to get a team together, but the great pride within the club helped them scrape together enough players.
Boyle said the club spirit was on full display on Saturday. He had to turn away people wanting to play, because they had a full squad.
He said that despite the loss, he was proud of the way his team had responded to the adversity they'd faced this year.
“One of the great things I loved was that everybody gave it their all and didn't give up,” he said.
“We're going to get together, review the season and look towards next season. We know we're at the bottom and there's only one way to go and that's up.
He said that the loss of flanker Sam Middleton to concussion, and halfback Scott Tallot early in the game was a continuation of the season “theme” for HSOB.
“All the boys got on, had a run and enjoyed the night,” Boyle said.
“The club spirit was strong.”
OBM coach Clint Pirihi said the game was a good hit-out to brush away the cobwebs going into the semifinals.
He said they played their game plan in patches, but gave HSOB some opportunities to get back into the game.
“They started to realise they could throw the ball around and have fun, and things we're happening for them.”
He said OBM's dominance at scrum time had been something the team had been working on in the second half of the season, and it was good to see the hard work come to fruition.
It was the first time since their first-round victory over Waikohu that OBM had both preferred props — Lance Dickson and Jamie Barnett — in the starting line-up, Pirihi said.
“We've just got to believe (next weekend). We have a lot of work to do this week, though.”
With the regular season wrapped up, players have only two more weeks to make their mark on the Taste One MVP leaderboard. This year it has an updated format, with every team having an MVP (most valuable player) earning three points for the leaderboard.
As of last week, Ngatapa's Dan Law was in the lead on 12 points, followed closely by OBM's Juston Allen and Waikohu's Toru Noanoa, who are second-equal on 10 points.
In the other premier game at the weekend, Waikohu beat Ngatapa 38-21.
In Lew Patterson Cup Senior One rugby, Pirates beat YMP Bumbles 24-12, Tapuae beat Ngatapa 43-10, and competition leaders Wairoa beat Waikohu 33-18.
