Cracker of a start!

The purists would grumble at a couple of lost scoring opportunities through poor passing and at the lack of stability in the first few scrums but overall Wairarapa-Bush could be well satisfied with their 31-13 win over Buller as they kicked off their Heartland championship campaign at Memorial Park, Masterton on Saturday.
To score four fine tries and concede just one to a spirited Buller side which will very probably take an important scalp or two as the competition progresses gave Wairarapa-Bush a flying start in their bid to qualify for the championship play-offs by finishing in the first three of their six-team pool.
And, what's more, it came despite being caned by Wellington referee Garrett Williamson who constantly found fault with them, especially in the ruck and maul situations.
Why that should be was very clearly as much a mystery to the Wairarapa-Bush players as it was to their large and vocal band of supporters, but that it never deterred their willingness to play an open, attractive brand of rugby spoke volumes for their resolve.
The home side's intentions to fully utilise the flair and speed in their outside backs was made evident as early as the second minute when second-five Nathan Couch carved through the Buller defence and created an overlap for winger Francis Seumanutata.
And he didn't need any second chances in what was his very first touch of the ball in a Wairarapa-Bush jersey, scoring close to the posts and making the conversion from Patrick Rimene a foregone conclusion.
Those opening exchanges did have some worrying signs for Wairarapa-Bush though, with Buller exerting considerable pressure in the scrums and making swift delivery of the ball from that important department almost impossible.
And they were also very proficient in the rolling maul, having Wairarapa-Bush back pedalling at a great rate of knots on at least three or four occasions.
A penalty to first-five Stu Neighbours in the 12th minute enabled Buller to reduce the lead to 7-3 and Wairarapa ?Bush held that tenuous advantage until the 25th minute when halfback Hamish McKenzie robbed his opposite off the ball at a scrum and ever-present flanker Sam Henderson pounced for the try. Rimene converted and Wairarapa-Bush led 14-3.
The only other scoring in the first half was a second Neighbours penalty which came after Wairarapa-Bush were penalised for playing the ball in a ruck, when to all and intents and purposes it looked to be lying free and in a position where it could be rightfully played at.
The second half started much the same as the first with the home side on hot attack, and a try went begging after first-five Patrick Rimene made a clean break but instead of passing to the unmarked Simanu Simanu outside him he looked to float the ball to winger Junior Togia. who spilled what was a difficult catch.
However, any thoughts about how costly that miss might be in the end result soon dissipated when just minutes later hooker and captain Joe Harwood scored, after the Wairarapa-Bush forwards had exerted considerable pressure on the Buller line. Rimene converted and Wairarapa-Bush was now looking comfortable at 21-6.
Then, some 12 minutes further on, came what was to be the try of the match.
Lock Tomasi Kedarabuka added punch to a Wairarapa-Bush attack and after he was stopped the ball went through five or six hands before Seumanutata was given the chance to hare away for his second try and, importantly, the fourth for his team, thereby earning them a bonus point Rimene was again on target with his conversion and Wairarapa-Bush was virtually home and hosed at 28-6.
A Rimene penalty then put the icing on the cake, although to Buller's credit they did launch a strong assault on the Wairarapa-Bush line in the dying stages and were rewarded with a try to replacement Glen McGuire which was converted by Neighbours. Wairarapa-Bush 31, Buller 13.
For the Wairarapa-Bush forwards this game was no walk in the park.
They had to battle hard to provide a stable platform at scrum time, which to their credit they did through most of the second half, and they were never entirely convincing at defending the rolling maul.
In the lineouts though Wairarapa-Bush were in a class of their own with Tomasi Kedarabuka the absolute star there. Not only did he consistently take down good ball on his own team's throws but he managed to snaffle Buller ball on more than a few occasions as well.
In broken play too the athleticism, determination and speed of Kedarabuka was plainly evident, but he was by no means the only Wairarapa-Bush forward to relish any chance of running the ball back at their opposition.
Front rowers Joe Harwood ,Bert Buckle and Dylan Higgison, lock Mike Robinson and flanker Sam Henderson were excellent value in that aspect of play as well.
Apart from the rolling mauls the defence of the Wairarapa-Bush forwards was also first class with Henderson often leading the way there, aided and abetted by fellow loosies Mike Spence and Sylvanus Iro.
Pleasing also was the depth in forward play with players like Brendon Walker and Langi Peters making an immediate impression once introduced to the action from the bench in the second half.
The Wairarapa-Bush backs were infinitely better than they had been against Poverty Bay the previous weekend.
They did "bomb" at least a couple of tries through poor passing and there was a tendency for players to try too much on their own at times in the second half but there was a lot to admire at the speed at which they ran onto the ball and their ability to break the first line of defence.
Both halfbacks used, Hamish McKenzie and James Bruce, provided a good service and were always quick to harass their opposite number at scrum time and first five Patrick Rimene was generally accurate in his decision making.
But the real thrust on attack came from powerful midfielders Nathan Couch and Simanu Simanu, who were both right back to the form which made them such a menace during their team's successful NPC third division campaign last season.
And they were equally as lethal on defence too, often nipping Buller counter attacks in the bud with ferocious spot tackles.
Wingers Junior Togia and Francis Seumanutata were all speed and elusiveness whenever the ball came their way with both showing the ability to make room for themselves in a confined space.
They look sure to be valuable acquisitions to the Wairarapa-Bush line-up this season, as does fullback Peato Lafaele who was positionally sound and made good metreage with his clearing kicks.