Rugby: Otamatea let chance go

If losing on the stroke of fulltime was tough enough to bear, working on a plan to upset the in-form Hora Hora this weekend will be a tough ask for Otamatea.

Coach Paul Mant is fuming at two yellow cards to his players and a disallowed try to replacement winger Sione Veleika after hosts Wellsford snatched victory from the jaws of defeat during the second round of the Bayleys Real Estate Premier Club competition on Saturday.

The final score was 37-35.

Both teams scored four tries a piece but poor set-piece play by Otamatea gave their neighbours the upper hand and the team managed to score the match-winner on the hooter.

"That [disallowed try] was a key moment in the game ... a very dubious decision. The touch judge said Sione was in touch but our video shows he wasn't," Mant lamented.

Skipper David Morgan and prop Malcolm Mills were sent to the bin for fighting.

The last time Otamatea beat Wellsford was 17 years ago.

Otamatea winger Michael Tovine scored a brace while halfback Nalu Tuigamala and blindside flanker Trevis Larsen bagged one each.

Mant said with hooker Matt Moulds and prop Lance Vale joining the team this week, he expected an improvement in their scrum and lineout during their clash with Hora Hora.

Despite the sobering loss, Mant said their performance had improved considerably from the initial rounds when the team was thrashed by more than 50 points by Mid Northern and Wellsford.

In other action, Hora Hora thrashed premier newcomers Waipu 52-32.

Winning coach Mark Wati said it was a tough game as Waipu pushed his players for the full 80 minutes and scored a few tries from Hora Hora's mistakes.

Hora Hora led 26-22 at half time and Wati said his players managed to get some dominance in the second spell and piled another 26 points. His team also won the first round 39-10. Wati said Waipu was a lot stronger than Kamo who Hora Hora beat 60-6 on June 8.