Fumble, bumble, but we get the job done!

Ordinary with a capital 0.
That would pretty much sum up Wairarapa-Bush's performance as they bumbled and fumbled their way to a 31-11 win over Horowhenua-Kapiti in their Heartland championship rugby match at Memorial Park, Masterton on Saturday.
While victory guaranteed the home team a place in the Meads Cup semi-finals, it was frustrating that they should make such hard work of overcoming a Horowhenua-Kapiti side which demonstrated plenty of spirit but little else.
The visitors humiliated Wairarapa-Bush in the lineouts, winning their own ball with ease and continually snaffling possession on Wairarapa-Bush's throws as well, and they also managed to turn over a lot of Wairarapa-Bush ball at the breakdowns too.
But, in the end, the wealth of possession they attained in those areas became an embarrassment because of an almost complete lack of structure in their back play.
All they offered on attack was the occasional crash and bash in midfield, otherwise it was a case of shovelling the ball out into the three-quarters and hoping they could make some decent headway, and generally they couldn't.
Mind you, the Wairarapa-Bush backs weren't exactly in vintage form either. The insides were all too often pedestrian in their clearance of the ball and this meant that the midfield were invariably receiving the ball and tackler at about the same time. And so the chances for wingers Junior Togia and Francis Seumanutata to show their paces were few and far between.
Seumanutata did though score the try of the match in the last minute of play when a couple of slick passes put fullback Peato Lafaele into space. He cleverly put boot to ball when challenged and it bounced over the goalline where Seumanutata seized upon it.
Lafaele was involved in the other two Wairarapa-Bush tries too, both of them scored in a first half which ended with the home side ahead by a rather flattering 23-3. He was responsible for the initial thrust when halfback Hamish McKenzie touched down and then scored himself after a group of Horowhenua-Kapiti defenders were caught napping when the ball took an awkward bounce.
Horowhenua-Kapiti's sole try went to hooker Easton and it came at a time when Wairarapa-bush had only 13 players on the paddock. In the sin bin were lock Mike Robinson and prop Dylan Higgison with Higgison, in particular, seemingly hard done by. He did throw a punch in a melee but that was only after his fellow front rower Albertus Buckle had been punched while lying on the ground.
Unfortunately for Wairarapa-Bush neither the referee Josh Noonon or the touch judge saw the Buckle incident and so the Horowhenua-Kapiti offender got off scot - free.
This was by no means the only time during the course of the match where Noonan created frustration in the Wairarapa-Bush ranks, and those of Horowhenua-Kapiti for that matter. Several of his decisions were impossible to fathom from the sidelines, and by the reaction of the players it was just as difficult on the field as well.
Wairarapa-Bush couldn't blame Noonan though for their inadequacies in the lineouts, a department in which they have been so efficient through most of the season. Hooker Joe Harwood probably only found his man with his throws four or five times in the whole game and no doubt the reasons why will be carefully scrutinised at training this week.
Horowhenua-Kapiti did though show the benefit of competing keenly for ball in this area but even they must have been amazed at just how successful they were at grabbing opposition throws.
It was a completely different story in the scrums. There Wairarapa-Bush were so dominant that even when they were a forward short they still managed to dismantle the Horowhenua-Kapiti pack. Higgison, Harwood and Buckle were the anchor men there with locks Mike Robinson, Tomasi Kedarabuka and Langi Peters (who replaced Kedarabuka in the second half) giving them able support.
Robinson also used his experience to telling effect in the rucks and mauls, and along with flanker Sam Henderson was probably the most effective of the Wairarapa-Bush forwards with ball in hand.
Henderson continued a fine season by also leading what was a ruggedly aggressive Wairarapa-Bush defence in close quarter situations, an area where Sylvanus Iro was also good value.
Much was anticipated from the Wairarapa-Bush backs in this game but, as mentioned previously, they suffered from a lack of quick ball from their insides, and also from some pretty indifferent option taking.
One did have to admire though the sureness of Nathan Couch on the tackle and the improvement shown by Lafaele at fullback in his positional play and his decisiveness on the counter attack.
For seasoned campaigner Patrick Rimene at first-five there have been better-much better-days in general play but again his goal kicking was a huge plus for Wairarapa-Bush. He landed four penalties and two conversions for a personal tally of 16 points.
Apart from Easton's try Horowhenua-Kapiti's points came from the boot of their first-five So'o who kicked two penalty goals.