Waikohu made to work

Eye of the needle: Waikohu fullback Tane McGuire tries to thread the ball through the Ngatapa defence in Poverty Bay premier club rugby action from Saturday’s opening week of games. Waikohu won 24-19 at Patutahi. Picture by Paul Rickard

A CHALLENGE was laid down for Waikohu on Saturday and it was felt.

Ngatapa were determined to defend their patch but fell just short as the men from Te Karaka rallied to win their Poverty Bay premier club rugby game 24-19 at Paddy’s Park in Patutahi.

But they had to call on all their skill to hold off their hosts.

Larsawn Ngatapa co-coach Guy Allan said they took plenty of positives from the game.

“We’re a young team who took a little while to settle but at the end of the day we threw the ball around against a side who are normally top dogs.

“We have nine debutants so you know, you have got to be proud.”

Allan saw possession as the main difference between the sides.

“We didn’t have enough ball. If we had a bit more it might have changed the day . . . when we did get our hands on the ball we were pretty dangerous.”

GT Shearing Waikohu coach Tane McGuire gave their opposition due credit.

“Ngatapa gave it the 80 and they played to the 80,” McGuire said.

“I think that’s where we were lacking. We played for periods of the game whereas they played the whole game.”

That would be one area of focus as they upped their training regime in the wake of Cyclone Gabrielle.

“We kind of went on pure skill today. We were lucky we had that little bit extra.”

Waikohu opened the scoring in the 12th minute when quick ball movement from base of a ruck five metres from the tryline was finished by hooker Geoff Pari under the sticks for centre Ethine Reeves to convert.

Ngatapa retaliated with individual brilliance from first five-eighth Ricardo Patricio in the 17th, who bedazzled the opposition in an 80-metre chip, regather and jinking run to the tryline.

Waikohu replied in the 31st minute when flanker Richard Green finished a draw and pass movement, and his side went into the halftime break with a 12-5 advantage.

Ngatapa set up camp inside the Waikohu 22 early in the second half and unleashed an onslaught over 10 minutes.

After Reeves was sinbinned for backchat, Ngatapa finally cracked the defence and flanker James Law cruised over for the try in the 53rd minute, which Patricio converted to level the score.

Waikohu responded six minutes later after a long skip pass from a ruck found the hands of Jacob Leaf and he ran in flanker Kupu Lloyd in the corner.

Reeves nailed a difficult sideline kick to make it 19-12 and in the 69th minute Waikohu delivered what appeared to be the killer blow when No.8 Tristan Moren scored with a pick and go from a ruck a few metres from the line.

Ngatapa weren’t about to fly the white flag. From a lineout and quick hands to Patricio, he breached the defence and offloaded for centre Filimone Drua to score in the 73rd.

Patricio converted to close it to 24-19.

WAIKOHU 24 (Geoff Pari, Richard Green, Kupu Lloyd, Tristan Morten tries;  Reeves 2 con)

NGATAPA 19 (Ricardio Patricio, James Law, Filimone Drua tries; Patricio 2 con)