Rugby: Hawke's Bay barely hang onto Shield

Andrew Horrell looks to offload during Hawke's Bay's Ranfurly Shield defence against Bay of Plenty. Photo / Getty

Hawke's Bay 23
Bay of Plenty 17

Hawke's Bay edged a step closer to securing the Ranfurly Shield for the summer after barely surviving the fierce challenge of Bay of Plenty today.

It was far from convincing from the Magpies but that mattered little as they moved within two defences of locking up the Log O' Wood for another season.

Hawke's Bay were given one of their biggest scares since claiming the Shield from Counties Manukau last August, forced to defend their goal line for dear life as Bay of Plenty battled for a last-minute try that could have won the match.

But, having struggled for much of the contest, the Magpies' defence stood strong when it mattered most, stopping an ominous rolling maul with inches to spare to ensure the Shield remained in the trophy cabinet for another week.

The victory also moved Hawke's Bay to the top of the ITM Cup Championship standings but they will have to find quick improvements in the coming days, for the sake of both their promotion ambitions and the extension of their Shield reign.

Auckland will on Thursday night represent their first Premiership challengers the Magpies have faced this season - and just the second in what will be their 11th defence - before Waikato come calling in the final week of the round robin.

A performance like today's will surely see the Shield disappear, with Hawke's Bay found wanting on both sides of the ball. The home side lacked fluency in attack throughout the encounter and had only themselves to blame for the nervy finish after missing far too many tackles on defence.

But that's hardly to suggest Bay of Plenty were anything less than worthy challengers. The Steamers, roared on by a powerful pack, enjoyed more of the ball and better field position for much of the encounter, let down only by a lack of accuracy at key moments.

It was why they went to the halftime break trailing by a point after dominating the opening spell through a structured attack that displayed good continuity between both forwards and backs.

That quality was something severely lacking from Hawke's Bay, although the ever-present threat of their electric outside backs was exemplified when Ryan Tongia grabbed the first try of the match, soon cancelled out by the visitors' Shahn Eru.

Ill-discipline was also costing both sides, with the Magpies conceding too many penalties and the Steamers helpless to watch their narrow lead disappear when Zak Hohneck saw yellow, allowing a pair of penalties from Ihiah West to earn ascendancy for the hosts.

Hawke's Bay continued making the most of their numerical advantage after the break, kicking for the corner and seizing a second try though a lineout drive finished off by Tom Stanley.

Their sudden relentless hinted at the rocket they must have received at halftime, with Tony Lamborn's try looking like it would break open the game. Just when Bay of Plenty looked like they would succumb to the continual waves of pressure, though, a quick counter from Elijah Nicholas eventually saw Nick Evemy pull his side within six.

But with the Steamers threatening to walk away with the Shield for only the second time in their history, Hawke's Bay held firm at the vital moment.

Hawke's Bay 23 (R. Tongia, T. Stanley, T. Lamborn tries; I. West 2 pens, con)
Bay of Plenty 17 (S. Eru, N. Evemy tries; N. Evemy pen, 2 cons)
HT: 11-10