Rugby: Drought breaks for Buller

NPC Third division

Lowly Buller, who last won an NPC rugby game in September 1997, came within a whisker of the upset of the round when the third division kicked off.

The visitors revelled in the sodden Paraparaumu Domain to shoot to a 19-0 lead over Horowhenua-Kapiti before eventually drawing 24-24.



Buller, bolstered this year by several imports from Christchurch club teams, showed they would be a tough proposition in Westport next weekend.

Their last NPC win was over Horowhenua-Kapiti, 29-28, in Levin nearly three years ago.

From 19-0 at halftime on Saturday they continued their domination into the third quarter of the match before the bigger Horowhenua-Kapiti pack gradually wore them down.

In Ruatoria, defending champions East Coast had to pull out all the stops over the last 10 minutes to beat South Canterbury 20-14 .

East Coast sealed their win after controlling 30 minutes of the second half and although both sides scored two tries, the home team always looked dangerous.

Their Hawkes Bay imports, Mano Flutey and Orcades Crawford, were valuable assets, Flutey reliable with his goalkicking. Crawford capped a 55m movement to score just before halftime.

The last minutes of the game were frantic, with South Canterbury mounting a number of onslaughts but East Coast held firm.

In Oamaru, a new-look Wairarapa Bush side made the most of the atrocious conditions to scores three tries in their 20-15 win over North Otago, coming back from a 5-12 halftime deficit.

In Greymouth, Poverty Bay lock James Robertson led a dominant forward effort as his team beat West Coast 51-6.

The few crumbs the home team did get were usually stolen by the bigger and more physical Bay pack, led impressively by No 8 Stu Ensor and flanker Mana Pohatu.

Poverty Bay led 17-6 at the break and ran riot in the second spell, running in five unanswered tries, the last, fittingly, to Robertson, who scored under the bar.

- NZPA