There wasn't much difference between the two sides.
The end result 35-12 in favour of Old Boys' Marist (OMB) against Waipū didn't accurately reflect the ebb and flow of this match in the Tyrepower Premier Club Rugby competition in Whangārei on Saturday.
If anything, Waipū failed to capitalise on anumber of opportunities, especially in the first quarter, when hosts OBM gave away silly penalties as the visitors hammered away at or near the tryline.
Frustration crept in during the error-ridden match, resulting in yellow cards to Brandon Wyatt and Harley Iraia of OBM and Waipū flanker Popoai Finau as both sides struggled to hold on to the slippery ball for long periods of play.
Hosts OBM, currently at the top of the table with just one loss from 10 games, could not have asked for a better start after a knock-on from Waipū in their 22m line from kick-off.
Lock Trevor Attwood secured a lineout throw and set up a rolling maul from which flanker Jarod Byrnes barged over in just the 3rd minute.
But it didn't take long for Waipū to hit back. A quick tap by Northland prop Luatangi Li and No 8 Nick Murray dotted down in the corner.
From then on, OBM profited from the opposition's mistakes and raced to a 20-5 lead at the breather. Shorn of props Tom Stevens and Pasi Uluilakepa, OBM struggled in the scrum and were a touch slow at the breakdown as Waipū forwards put the hammer down but couldn't capitalise on their domination.
Once Waipū started to leak tries, they couldn't stop an ooze turning into a flood.
At times, they showed some semblance of pattern, ambition and ability but it was far too sporadic.
"Their forward pack was good but I don't think they got as much value from them as they'd wanted to. We turned over the pill but our defence was good. In the 20 minutes after half time, we collected some points but were under the pump in the last 20," OBM coach Paul Biddle summed up the match.
Cutting down on errors and making sure the defence was better organised, he said, would be the key focus at training ahead of the top-of-the-table clash against in-form Kamo next weekend.
"We set ourselves high goals and want to set standards in the competition and for the other teams to chase us," Biddle said.
OBM wing Brandon Wyatt dives to score in the corner in his side's win.
Photo / Michael Cunningham
OBM's solitary loss was against the Western Sharks in Dargaville.
Waipū mentor Leon Clyde blamed a combination of misfires by his backs and referee's decisions but praised the way his side dominated the set-piece, particularly the scrum.
Injuries and the fact about five of his Premier players played for the Waipū reserves didn't help, he said.
Club rugby resumes next week after the Northland Rugby Union's centenary celebrations this long weekend. A number of club rugby players such as Stevens and Uluilakepa will play in the North v South men's game on Saturday.
In the other Premier results from Saturday, Kerikeri lost at home to Kamo 29-27, Western Sharks thumped Wellsford 48-12, Mid Northern got their second win over Ngati Hine Moerewa 17-7, and winless Hikurangi lost to Horahora 38-19.
