WHERE’S THE SUPPORT?: Poverty Bay winger Tom Iosefo looks around for a teammate. Pictures by Paul Rickard
Mario Counsell broke the hearts of Ngati Porou East Coast players and supporters with a try deep into stoppage time to give Poverty Bay a bonus-point 26-19 win in their Heartland Championship rugby clash at Whakarua Park, Ruatoria, on Saturday.
With time almost up the scores were locked at 19-all after Coast replacement first five-eighth Ngarangi Haerewa failed to convert a try by Coast halfback Sam Parkes.
Not content with a share of the spoils, the Coast were determined to end their five-year losing streak in the Championship but halfback Counsell, on at halftime for Willy Grogan, intercepted a pass and scooted 32 metres to score under the posts, leaving winger Andrew Tauatevalu an easy conversion.
The win also meant the Bay retained the PJ Sayer Cup, contested every time the sides meet on the Coast.
The Coast only had time to restart before referee Mike Lash blew the whistle to end the game. It was a bitter-sweet ending to what could have been a historic day for the home side.
“Sport can be cruel,” said a bitterly disappointed Coast co-coach Troy Para.
“I just feel sick in the stomach,” said co-coach Wayne Ensor, who had watched their side produce their best performance of the season, only to be denied.
Poverty Bay coach Mana Otai said the Bay were lucky to win, but “happy and very relieved to come away with the win and a bonus point”.
Otai’s assistant coach, Dwayne Russell, agreed.“They (the Coast) didn’t allow us to play the way we wanted and credit to them, they defended brilliantly,” he said.
“Regardless of the scores from previous rounds, we always knew this would be a hard game. It’s our State of Origin in intensity. We probably didn’t deserve to win but the boys hung in, and we’ll take the win.”
The Coast face a trip to Ashburton on Saturday to play Mid Canterbury while the Bay host Thames Valley.
Another win could take the Bay to within one point of Valley, who are fourth.
Neither set of coaches will be happy with the number of mistakes. But at the end of the day the Coast will rue their missed opportunity after they led 14-0 nine minutes out from halftime.
Bay forwards get team through 14-man periodIt could have been more. Lock and skipper Hone Haerewa, who otherwise was outstanding, should have opened the scoring in the ninth minute when the line was in sight and he had no one to beat.
Coast supporters could not believe their eyes as Haerewa tossed the ball infield to no one and a golden opportunity was gone.
The Coast hit the front five minutes later when Lash awarded them a penalty try (automatic conversion) after Tauatevalu, who started the game at fullback, was adjudged to have stopped a try when he deliberately knocked the ball down after centre Verdon Bartlett passed to left wing Jayden Milner.
Bay fans thought it a harsh decision, especially as Tauatevalu was shown a yellow card. Those supporting the Sky Blues backed the referee.
With the Bay a man down, their forwards — Toru Noanoa, Tamanui Hill, Andrew Petelo, Micaiah Torrance-Reid, Sam McDell, Fawn White, Callum McDonald and Jesse Kapene — took up the challenge, with help from Grogan, as they put together a string of phases and camped inside Coast territory.
Para said before the game that his tight five — Pera Bishop, Wyntah Riki, Perrin Manuel, Hone Haerewa and Adaam Ross — had to front up, and they did, with support from loosies Rikki Kernohan, Jack Richardson and Maxwell Buchanan, and halfback Parkes.
Parkes was magnificent. He was everywhere on attack and in defence, and cleared danger with accurate long-range punts.
After weathering the Bay storm, the Coast stretched their lead with a try to Buchanan.
Coast fullback Morrison Siliko turned the Bay around with a huge kick that stopped one metre from the tryline and close to the right-wing touchline. Under pressure from right wing Epeli Lotawa, McDell tried to clear the danger by passing infield to a teammate.
Instead, his pass went to Buchanan, who scored, and Parkes converted to make it 14-0 to the Coast.
The mistakes continued. This time it was the Coast on the receiving end after a no-look pass inside the 22 went to ground and Tauatevalu closed the gap with a try that was not converted.
Hill further reduced the deficit with a try, converted by first-five Kelvin Smith, two minutes out from halftime . . . 14-12.
With the wind at their backs for the second half, the Bay had more possession and territory but could not break a Coast defence in which every player played his part. There was nothing they could do, though, when Cameron Rowden, on at fullback, with Tauatevalu moving to the wing, finished off a good move initiated by Torrance-Reid. It was Rowden’s second touch of the ball. Tauatevalu landed a sideline conversion to put the Bay ahead for the first time, 19-14.
Still the Coast refused to lie down and they roared back with a try to Parkes.
The Bay’s Oka Senerivi, on at second-five for Anthony Karauria, saved a certain try with a superb tackle on right wing Jayden Milner, only for the ball to be recycled out to the left. When Parkes received the ball, he was driven over the line by Richardson.
Some Coast players and spectators could not bear to watch as Ngarangi Haerewa lined up the kick that would have given his side a two-point lead, preferring to bury heads in hands and wait for the cheers or groans to tell the story.
Haerewa struck the ball well enough but it drifted wide, leaving Counsell to have the final say, after Bay No.8 Kapene was sinbinned for a high tackle in the 75th minute.
NGATI POROU EAST COAST 19 (penalty try — automatic conversion, Maxwell Buchanan, Sam Parkes tries; Parkes con).
POVERTY BAY 26 (Andrew Tauatevalu, Tamanui Hill, Cameron Rowden, Mario Counsell tries; A Tauatevalu 2 con, Kelvin Smith con).
HT: 14-12 (NPEC).