“Don’t keep writing Campbell up. He’ll get a big head,” one Ngatapa supporter told The Herald.
Sorry, but he is in the form of his life and he was the pick of the players once again, followed closely by Akana, Alex Chrisp and Samuel.
Hooker Corey McCarthy, locks Richard Webby and Scott Brodie and No.8 Pete Tamatea all made valuable contributions as they blew their opposites off the park, especially at the attacking and defensive breakdowns in the first 40 minutes.
Ngatapa scored four tries to lead 22-5 at halftimeNgatapa scored four tries to lead 22-5 at halftime.
Campbell Chrisp opened the scoring with a try after eight minutes following a storming run from second five-eighth Oka Sanerivi and Alex Chrisp.
Seven minutes later, Sanerivi looked destined to score a five-pointer. He charged down a clearing kick just outside the 22, gathered the loose ball and stepped inside the last defender for what seemed to be a stroll under the posts.
Unfortunately for Sanerivi, he lost his footing and the ball spilled forward as he fell with the line only seven metres away.
Such was Ngatapa’s dominance at set pieces, they had to wait only six minutes before increasing their lead with an 80-metre counter-attack.
Defending an OBM lineout 20m from the tryline, Chrisp pounced on a loose ball at the back of the lineout and took play over the halfway line. He offloaded to centre Anthony Karauria, who shrugged off some weak tackling to score. Left wing Mark Yanz converted to make it 12-0.
OBM hit back through a try to right wing Semisi TagivetauaOBM hit back through a try to right wing Semisi Tagivetaua, following good work from prop Anthony Kiwara and halfback Willy Grogan.
The Chrisp brothers and Sanerivi were then involved in the move that led to fullback Cameron Rowden dotting down in the 33rd minute. And when Karauria and Akana combined to give first five-eighth Matt Rawleigh his first Ngatapa try in only his second game for the club, the green-and-whites had their bonus point secured.
So did Ngatapa go to sleep in the second half, or did OBM lift their game?
“I think it was a bit of both,” Ngatapa coach Sione Ngatu said. “OBM played well and perhaps we were a bit complacent. But that’s OK; we’re a work in progress.”
What also happened was the introduction to the game of OBM player-coach Tom Solomon at No.8 and Juston Allen at lock for the second half. They lifted the intensity of the side on attack and defence.
Breaking off the first scrum of the half, Solomon charged at the Ngatapa defence, knocking over a couple of tacklers and making big metres.
Solomon’s presence looked to have been rewarded after only six minutesSolomon’s presence looked to have been rewarded after only six minutes, when he started the move that finished with centre Scott McKinley crossing the line close to the posts.
As the OBM players and fans celebrated, referee Ollie Holst consulted with touch judge Pete Brown and the try was disallowed for a neck-roll tackle by Solomon, who was sinbinned.
Undeterred and inspired by captain and first five-eighth Jake Holmes, Grogan, McKinley, Allen, lock Jacob Cook and props Lance Dickson and Jamie Barnett, OBM continued to take the game to Ngatapa.
Restored to 15 men, OBM closed the gap with a try to Barnett eight minutes from time. OBM bagged a bonus point when assistant coach Keith Henderson scored a try converted by Holmes on the stroke of fulltime.
Solomon said that in the first half it seemed his team hadn’t come to play.
“I don’t know why; we prepared well but didn’t fire a shot in that first half,” he said.
“We didn’t come up to meet them on attack. One player would but the next man didn’t, and that allowed them to run at us and get through the gaps.”
NGATAPA 22 (C Chrisp, A Karauria, C Rowden, M Rawleigh tries; M Yanz con).
OBM 17 (S Tagivetaua, J Barnett, K Henderson tries; J Holmes con).
HT: 22-5.
