Tui Cup: Gladstone cut loose

Gladstone made a mockery of pre-match speculation when they walloped Carterton 50-11 in the grand final of the Wairarapa-Bush Rugby Union's Tui Cup premier division competition at Memorial Park, Masterton, on Saturday.
Going into the match everything seemed to point to a close, enthralling battle with precious little between the two teams at the final whistle but, as it turned out, the Steve Thompson-coached Gladstone were in an absolute class of their own, running in nine tries to Carterton's one.
There was nothing extraordinary in the Gladstone game plan, rather it was simply a case of having the forwards do the donkey work up front and attain enough quality ball for their slick backs to cut loose on a regular basis.
The Gladstone pack fulfilled their part of that bargain perfectly.Yes, they did get taught a lesson by their well-drilled Carterton counterparts at scrum time but in every other facet of the forward game they were in total control.
Locks Andrew McLean and Corey Reid ensured they invariably managed to take down their own lineout ball and, aided and abetted by Duncan Law and John Stevenson, either stole or spoiled a good many of Carterton's throws.
Perhaps the most impressive aspect of the Gladstone forward play was their unity in the numerous short passing rushes they launched over the 80 minutes. McLean and Reid were often at the forefront of them as well and even bulky front rowers like Aaron Cook, Joe Nuku and Lance Graves relished any chance to get their hands on the ball.
It was to Gladstone's advantage, too, that not only did loosies Alistair Potts, Law and Stevenson get to the breakdowns quickly but the mobility of the rest of the pack meant they generally had good numbers supporting them as they looked to free up possession.
With their forwards operating on a full head of steam, the Gladstone backs were always going to pose huge problems for what was all too often a shaky Carterton defence and they had a field day with the constant supply of quality ball coming their way.
Eight of the Gladstone tries were scored by their backs with centre Michael Vuicikau clearly the most imposing of them. Not only did he run aggressively but he also displayed nifty footwork and an eye for a gap.More than that he also showed the ability to link well with his supports when any scoring opportunity arose.Throw in a dropped goal to open the scoring and his was an all-round performance of the highest calibre.
And halfback Inia Katia was his usual livewire self, first-five John Bailey had an off day with his goal kicking but called the shots effectively in general play and second-five Jason Coffey and, wings Joseva Naivalu and Peter Oosteroff did everything required of them.
But, with the exception of Vuicikau, it was fullback Andrew McKay, who was biggest menace for Gladstone on attack, often threading his way through a bevy of tackles before being halted and also impressing with his positional play on defence.
Carterton, the defending champions, will probably still be wondering what hit them. They pushed Gladstone close in two previous clashes this season but were clearly outgunned on Saturday.
The maroons would, however, have taken some satisfaction from the solidness of a scrum anchored by three of their hardest workers in front rowers Blair Heming, Mana Apiata and Dylan Higgison and nobody could quibble at the industriousness in broken play of both lock Tomasi Kedrabuka and flanker Mike Wakefield, who was red-carded by referee Chris Jefferies in the last minute of play for an offence impossible to detect from the grandstand.
The Carterton backs struggled to keep their Gladstone opposites in check and the missing of several first tackles didn't help. Wing Deon Field did pull off one try-saving tackle though and fullback Jarrod Nyssen made a couple of penetrating runs.
Joseva Naivalu scored two of the Gladstone tries with others going to Duncan Law, Inia Katia, John Bailey, Jason Coffey, Michael Vuicikau, Peter Oosterhoff and Andrew McKay. Vuicikau dropped a goal and Bailey kicked one conversion. Mana Apiata scored the only Carterton try and Jarrod Nyssen landed two penalties.