Waikohu still dominant

Thundering run: Waikohu’s KC Wilson breaks free from HSOB Matt Naden in the Tiny White Cup weekend held at the Oval. Waikohu will want to continue their undefeated season when they play HSOB in Te Karaka tomorrow. Picture by Paul Rickard

Waikohu scored seven tries in a 43-0 win against High School Old Boys on Tiny White Opening Day.

Six weeks into the competition and in the second round, GT Shearing Waikohu are still the dominant team.

But equally, HSOB have improved. Coaches Danny Boyle and Wayne Ensor seem to be much happier with attitudes in the camp, and the blue-and-whites thoroughly deserved their 27-19 win against Pirates to end the first round.

It was a good game of rugby.

When it is said that the teams were evenly matched, that is to say that only eight points separated them. The Tamanui Hill-led HSOB fought hard for that result, and tomorrow they go up against the competition leaders.

To visit Te Karaka Domain is to experience real country rugby and HSOB know what to expect in between whistle-blasts, and afterwards. But they have a good line-out. Lock Fletcher Scammell is becoming a tremendous all-round forward — he was superb for Poverty Bay against Ngati Porou East Coast.

Of his goals for tomorrow, Boyle said: “We’re just taking small steps to improve, and committing to the things that are important to us.”

Boyle is referring to the need to represent the club well at all times: an honourable aim.

Waikohu are of the same mind, but in addition they will not want to let their standards slip. There is no danger, with the club and community culture, of anyone getting carried away with their own importance. Yet players can be anxious or over-eager.

If Waikohu remain focused on doing the little things well, on scrummaging and discipline, and play direct, skilful rugby, they will be hard to beat. To contain their hard-running forwards and rein in their backs will not be easy for HSOB (or anybody else, for that matter) yet it is a measure of the mature Waikohu outlook that player-coach Kelvin Smith never “talks his people up”.

He doesn’t need to.

Rather, he said: “Our focus is to retain possession. The forwards hold the key.”