Rugby: Loosie's all wound up

By Richard Boock

Otago flew back to Dunedin yesterday as much relieved with Isitolo Maka's suspension period ending as their table-topping effort in Pukekohe.

Sidelined by the judiciary after some inventive footwork against Southland a fortnight ago, Maka returns this weekend for the top-of-the-table showdown against Auckland, which can only be good news for his long-suffering team-mates.

"Isi's bursting out of his skin," said manager Des Smith after Otago's 38-25 win against Counties-Manukau on Saturday.

"He's been taking out his frustrations on the tackle bags at practice and, frankly, no one wants to hold them anymore.

"I've never seen him so worked up. If he can transfer the enthusiasm he's been showing at training on to Carisbrook next weekend then it could be worth watching. I know his team-mates will be much happier with him chasing the opposition, that's for sure."

Maka's expected return will allow skipper Kelvin Middleton to move back to the blindside flank but it would be a surprise if Otago did not continue to use substitute No 8 Mat O'Connell, who again impressed in a hard-running effort on Saturday.

Confronted with a Counties side desperate to put the embarrassment of the previous week behind them, the defending champions first squandered an early 14-point advantage and then found themselves trailing 20-17 with 25 minutes remaining - but finished strongly to score three tries and take maximum points.

The Steelers will be consoled by a far more courageous effort, with loose foward Koula Tukino maintaining a furious work-rate and the three-quarter line more threatening than their opposites.

Otago scored two early tries - from Counties' lineout and scrum blunders respectively - and of their three touchdowns later in the game, one was an intercept from substitute wing Mathew Priscott and another came after some brilliant individual work from the same player.

Only their last effort, when the tight forwards finally exploited an advantage they'd held all game and drove 20m for O'Connell to score, could be interpreted as genuine dominance.

It was hard to understand Otago sometimes. They had the wood on the Counties' scrum, they were largely able to do what they wanted in the lineout, yet they showed little appreciation of the need for field position, took risks well behind the advantage line, and repeatedly asked a malfunctioning backline to provide penetration.

For all that, however, the southerners had an edge in the critical tackle-ball area through openside flanker Duncan Blaikie, and appear to have found another outstanding hooker in Tom Willis, whose reward for being first on the scene when Pristcott regathered a chip-kick ahead was a 40m sprint to the line.

Watched by a crowd of about 5000, including a vocal bunch of scarfies, Otago played their best rugby in the last quarter, setting up targets for the tight-forwards by using prop Joe McDonnell as runner close to the ruck and O'Connell in midfield, with first five-eighth Matt Carrington turning much more ball inside to his big men.

Counties coach Mac McCallion conceded afterwards that the semi-finals were now eons away for his side, while in the neighbouring dressing room Otago's coaching staff were getting used to the idea that a top-four placing was now a probability.

"This is the sort of season where we could have made a lot of progress and still finished seventh," assistant coach Phil Young said of Otago's hopes.

"We knew Counties were hurting after the Canterbury loss, we talked before the game about how desperate they'd be to play well, but I still think they caught us on the hop a bit early-on."