YMP get their revenge in premier club rugby round robin

Bracing for contact: YMP captain Shayde Skudder gets ready to take a tackle by the OBM defence on Saturday. YMP claimed the win over OBM at the Oval 36-17 to finish second on the table. In the 35th minute, 11m from glory, OBM were given a penalty, tap-kicked and over eight pick-and-go plays ground their way home to score in the left corner through lock Jakob Teneti. They could not convert. Picture by Paul Rickard

Andrew Tauatevalu was at his brilliant best to close the premier club rugby round robin in Gisborne on Saturday.

The big fullback scored two tries and 21 points as East Coast Farm Vets YMP beat Enterprise Cars OBM 36-17 on Barry Park 1.

A week after their giant-killing exploits against previously unbeaten GT Shearing Waikohu, 38-19 at Te Karaka Domain, they avenged their eight-point loss to OBM of a month ago at the Oval with victory by five tries to three.

Kahu Tamatea's side led last year's finalists 26-12 at halftime in Saturday's clash, and YMP's first-year head coach was delighted at how his crew began their 10th outing, and fifth home game.

“We started very well, and starting well is something we've been working on since the first round,” Tamatea said.

“As a coach or as a player, you've got to be happy when you win, but we've still got things to do — such as more fitness — in the lead-up to our semifinal next weekend.”

YMP captain and rake Shayde Skudder sees discipline as a key element in three tries being scored against his side, and it's a work-on that he aims to address this week.

OBM skipper and second five-eighth Rikki Terekia acknowledged both the fact that YMP put great pressure on his red-white-and blue unit throughout and also his forward pack's strength with ball in hand at Barry Park. No.8 Blake Beard notably gave as good as he got on the charge and in the tackle.

OBM head coach Clint Pirihi said: “It was a hard game for us but I'm proud of our boys' second-half effort. We began to compete in all areas.”

Terekia won the toss and chose to kick off, Skudder opted to take an end, playing into the wind in the first half.

In terms of set-piece possession overall, OBM won the scrum-count 8-7 and lineout count 10-6, although they lost three of their own first-half lineouts and conceded a tighthead at the first scrum.

YMP won ball from kick-off and restart 8-2, with OBM being awarded 21 penalties to 11.

Referee Mark Greene did a fine job of controlling two of Civil Project Solutions Premier Rugby's most physical teams.

From the start, YMP were aggressive and focused on attack.

Tauatevalu scored the first points of the match and opening try in the left corner after 11 minutes.

YMP led 5-0, and despite some good work from OBM (a Terekia tackle on YMP No.8 Jesse Kapene creating a turnover), OBM had to work hard to contain their hosts.

In the 17th minute, from a scrum set 15 metres on their side of halfway, centrefield, they went left, put a grubber-kick through, and big powerhouse openside flanker Niko Lauti scored YMP's second try. Tauatevalu converted for 12-0.

In the 22nd minute, from a scrum 18m into YMP territory, the ball went right and one ruck later, Tauatevalu weaved and dodged off the right touch and ran 50m to score behind the posts. He converted his second try for 19-0. It was now flight or fight for OBM.

So they fought.

Greene gave OBM a penalty 28 minutes in, eight metres left of centre ground, 11m from YMP's goal-line. They tap-kicked the ball and fetcher Keanu Taumata scored three metres to the left of the posts. First-five Austin Brown converted Taumata's try for OBM 7, YMP 19.

In the 35th minute, 11m from glory, OBM were given a penalty, tap-kicked and over eight pick-and-go plays ground their way home to score in the left corner through lock Jakob Teneti. They could not convert.

YMP struck back hard on the cusp of halftime. A tap-kick was taken five metres from the OBM goal-line and loosehead prop Nehe Papuni — who has been in great form in the past month, went low and straight to score 15m in from the right corner. Tauatevalu converted, and YMP led 26-12 at the break.

Tauatevalu made it a personal double in the first minute of the second spell, scoring in the left corner then converting his second try for 33-12.

From that time on, OBM tightened their belts. Their wiry lock Harawira Kahukura continued to have a great game at the front of the lineout, and reserve scrum-anchor Lance Dickson made great ground, ball in hand, on the comeback trail from a knock he took in OBM's 27-19 win against YMP at the Oval.

It took the brawny likes of the black-and-whites' blindside flanker Stuart Leach to put paid to Dickson with a good hard tackle, Leach showing soon after that he can lead a counter-attack as dangerous as any.

In the 74th minute, Tauatevalu potted a penalty goal for 36-12 and Brown, OBM having been awarded five consecutive penalties, scored in the left corner in the 80th minute to close it to 36-17.

YMP had better field position and as much possession in the second half as they had in the first, but OBM made better and more first-up tackles after the resumption.

Pirihi is the best sort of club coach, passionate and committed. And his team responded to it. YMP outscored them in the second half by 10 points to 5, where a lesser team might have conceded a further 20 points.