Hikurangi win, but sense looming Sharks

A lack of discipline and quality balls killed off any hopes Whangarei Old Boys had of upsetting a determined Hikurangi outfit in a PGG Wrightsons Southern Districts Premier Grade thriller at Okara Park.
Hikurangi won the match 23-20, despite scoring just two tries to  Old Boys' three.
The city side  displayed better free flowing rugby, but the Matt Harrison-led side couldn't find the rhythm in the second half in heavy conditions.
Their loose forwards, particularly Harrison and former Blues and Auckland NPC representative Dean Budd, hoed into their opposite numbers at the ruck and featured prominently at lineout, but mistakes halted promising attacking moves.
"I'm very disappointed. I thought we did enough to win the game but full credit to Hikurangi, they came back strongly in the second half," Harrison summed up.
He said silly mistakes, penalties and leaking a try on the stroke of half time proved costly  in the end.
Henry Foy and Harry Darkins traded penalties for Hikurangi and Old Boys respectively, before Harrison burst through tacklers and scored the first try following a wave of attacks as Old Boys camped in the Hikurangi 22. Darkins converted for a  seven point lead.
Five minutes later, Hikurangi nearly scored from a brilliant blindside move had it not been for Budd's try-saving tackle.
Old Boys had a good attacking opportunity in the 20th minute through a scrum, just five metres  from the Hikurangi  line, but were penalised for unstable scrummaging. The team had another chance minutes later, but hooker Mikaeli Tu'uu  mistakenly passed the ball to the Hikurangi halfback Rhyan Caine, who sparked a counter attack.
Old Boys' flyhalf Troy Gilbert scored his team's first try in the 30th minute after the ball was spun wide from a scrum. The Hikurangi cover defence lacked the numbers to stop Gilbert barging over.
Budd blotted his copybook when he was sent to the bin minutes just before half time for a high tackle.
 Now that they had more numbers, Hikurangi hammered away through several phases of ruck and maul and  scored a converted try on the stroke of half-time.
Old Boys made a flying start to the second half when in the fourth minute, centre Ces Poa  charged a clearance kick from the Hikurangi flyhalf, gathered the ball and scooted about 10 metres to score.
Hikurangi replied five minutes later through wing Dirk Matthews, who scored in the corner from a brilliant blindside move, beating half a dozen tacklers in a zig-zagging run to the line.
Scores were locked at 20-all but a Dene Gavin infringement on the stroke of full time gifted Hikurangi a penalty  and Henry Foy made no mistake.
Hikurangi skipper Mike Paniora said the Old Boys kept the ball among their forwards and made it difficult for Hikurangi to get their hands on it.
"Our usual style is to play out wide but the conditions weren't suitable today . . . instead we tried to run but it was difficult," he said.
Mid Northern won the crunch match against Mid Western 23-15, pushing the Maungakaramea-based club into fifth place in the competition for the first time since the second round.
The Western Sharks now trail leaders Hikurangi by points differential only, after they grabbed a bonus point with their 37-15 win over Kamo.
There was reason for a double celebration at the Wellsford Rugby Club on Saturday night as they watched their favourite son, club-man  Rene Ranger, gain his first All Black cap against Wales, while celebrating their first win of the 2010 campaign,  a 27-20 win over Marist.