Rugby
East Coast had to dig deep for their 22-17 win over Gladstone in the Tui Cup premier division rugby match played at Whareama on Saturday.
It was an important game for both teams, East Coast because a win would guarantee them a semifinal spot and Gladstone because victory would keep them in contention for a top four placing as well.
Through most of the first half they played on surprisingly good underfoot conditions considering the heavy rain which had fallen over the previous couple of days and it was East Coast which looked the better of the two sides, not by much but by enough to suggest they would achieve their objective in relatively comfortable fashion.
With two durable campaigners Joe Feast and Robert O'Neale and talented youngster Ben Holmes leading the way they had the edge up front and the tactical excellence of Zeb Aporo at halfback and Byron Karaitiana in midfield ensured they kept moving in the right direction.
The second half was somewhat different. The Gladstone forwards looked the better of the two packs in the tighter exchanges. Their unity in the mauls and rucks was impressive and they were solid in the set piece of scrum and lineout as well. And with first-five John Bailey calling the shots the backs ran with purpose although they did find it difficult in the face of a determined East Coast defence.
Helping Gladstone too was a hefty penalty count against East Coast, one of which led to a penalty try and two others to East Coast players spending spells in the sin bin. It did speak volumes then for the resilience of the home team that they managed to keep their noses in front despite the pressures placed on them by Gladstone and a vigilant referee.
Ben Holmes, Byron Karaitiana and Robert O'Neale scored tries for East Coast and Karaitiana also kicked two conversions and one penalty. Cameron Hayton scored a try and kicked one penalty and two conversions for Gladstone, who were also awarded a penalty try. Hayton has now scored 185 points for the 2013 club season.
Wairarapa-Bush skipper Johan Van Vliet scored all three of Eketahuna's tries in their 17-3 win over Bush Sports. Tom Meuli added a conversion to the Eketahuna tally while Jodan Bennett Davies kicked a penalty for a plucky Bush Sports who were very competitive, especially in the forward exchanges. The other two matches scheduled in the Tui Cup competition were not played with Pioneer defaulting to Greytown and Martinborough defaulting to Marist.
In senior reserve play Pioneer edged out Greytown 21-18, East Coast beat Gladstone 14-10 and Masterton Red Star beat Marist 22-17.