Whanganui hooker Roman Tutauha, leaving a trail of destruction in his wake, looks for someone to take the ball during Saturday's match against Buller. Photo / Blake Davison
It is amazing what a difference a week makes, as the All Blacks and Whanganui proved last Saturday.
After very mediocre matches the previous weekend, New Zealand and the Butcher Boys came out blazing seven days later with top-notch performances.
The national team wrapped up the quadrangular international title with a convincing victory over the Wallabies at "Fort Eden Park" and Whanganui thrashed Buller 83-7 — the highest score in the union's 134-year history.
There is absolutely no doubt the coaching staff of both winning teams played major roles in the remarkable and refreshing approach of the victorious squads.
They played team rugby with a ton of confidence in each other and it was thrilling to watch in contrast to a week earlier.
Despite media jibes, the ABs and local head coaches had faith in their squad players, added in some extra expert advice tips, and it helped make a world of difference.
In the case of Whanganui, it was good to see former NZ Heartland skipper Peter Rowe, a plus-100 match veteran, assisting with team training last week.
There was certainly a lot more fire and purpose in the side despite the slippery condition of Cooks Gardens.
Whanganui have cemented themselves second behind unbeaten South Canterbury after six of eight qualifying rounds on the 2022 Bunnings Warehouse Heartland qualifying points table.
The remaining fixtures are an away trip to play seventh-placed Horowhenua-Kapiti in Levin this weekend and hosting Mid Canterbury (5th) at Cooks Gardens on Saturday week.
An expected win at Levin — an eighth out of a dozen Heartland fixtures since 2006, currently at an average score of 27-15 — will clinch a Meads Cup home semifinal clash against third-positioned Thames Valley.
It will also retain the Bruce Steel Memorial Cup for Whanganui.
So far this year Horowhenua have won three games and lost three — beating King Country 25-18 at home, East Coast 32-14 and Wairarapa-Bush 33-17 away, and losing 20-53 to South Canterbury and 13-15 last week to Mid Canterbury at home and 23-89 v North Otago in Oamaru.
A record romp
It was great to see history being made at Cooks Gardens last weekend when Steelform Whanganui recorded the union's highest first-class score in thrashing Buller 83-7.
It was the fourth time 80 points have been scored by the Butcher Boys in New Zealand first-division rugby.
The previous highest local Heartland score was 80-3 over King Country in the inaugural Sir Colin Meads Pinetree Log fixture in 2017.
Whanganui have also beaten a point a minute twice on Spriggens Park in the 1990s — 81-9 v West Coast in 1993 and 81-12 v Buller the following season in the old NPC Div 3 era, 81 points being the union's previous record score.
The 13 tries scored on Saturday equalled Whanganui's most in a Heartland match, set in the 2017 Pinetree Log game.
Most tries in a local rep game were 17 in a then NZ record 66-0 record romp over visiting Manawatu in 1907.
Whanganui managed 15 tries in a 75-0 win against East Coast at Spriggens Park in 1981.
Border winger Alekesio Vakarorogo became the fifth local Heartland rep to score four tries in a match on Saturday, joining Tyler Rogers-Holden (67-24 v East Coast here in 2019), Te Rangatira Waitokia (52-30 v Poverty Bay at Gisborne in 2016), Cameron Crowley (71-6 v East Coast locally in 2008) and Pati Fetuia (56-18 v Thames Valley on Cooks Gardens in 2006).
Saturday was the 27th time Whanganui have topped a half-century of points in a Heartland game and the 18th time at Cooks Gardens.
Steel Cup history
Since the Bruce Steel Memorial Cup was donated in 1965, when Wairararapa scored a 20-12 home victory over Horowhenua in the inaugural fixture, the trophy has changed hands 22 times.
First division Manawatu won 103 of 110 cup fixtures until handing it over to the Heartland unions in 2012 with the proviso the Turbos could return to the competition should all competing unions play in the same grade.
Whanganui have won 32 cup matches, Wairarapa seven games and Horowhenua-Kapiti six.
The trophy was donated by Carterton publican William Steel in memory of his son Bruce, a speedy club winger who played for Oroua, Masterton and Featherston. He died of cancer at the age of 29 in 1964.
William Steel was the youngest son of former West Coast and Canterbury pacy All Black winger Jack Steel, who wore the Silver Fern 38 times between 1920-25 including twice captaining the team.
Jack Steel, a West Coast publican, was killed in a car accident in 1941 at the age of 42.
At the start of his international career he toured New South Wales in 1920 with a side that included Horowhenua's first All Black Harry Jacobs.
The tourists also beat a combined Horowhenua-Manawatu-Wanganui XV 39-0 at the Palmerston North Show Grounds.
Whanganui have lifted the Steel Cup eight times and Horowhenua sides have won on three occasions.
Goal kickers have helped Horowhenua in their two trophy victories over the Butcher Boys,
James So'oialo landed five penalty goals in the 15-8 victory at Levin in 2017 and Perry Hayman kicked 14 points in the 34-23 win here in 2014, the only time the team have won in Whanganui during Heartland rugby.
Horowhenua, Bush, Wairarapa and Manawatu were the original four unions in the Steel Cup competition, with Whanganui entering a year later in 1966.
There was a one-year change to the rules in 2020 with a round-robin system played because of the Covid-restricted limited rep programme.
Steel Cup trophy change-over sequence
1965 — Wairarapa 20, Horowhenua 12, Masterton (first match).
Manawatu 20, Wairarapa 13, PN
1970 — Wanganui 3, Manawatu 0, PN
1971 — Manawatu 20, Whanganui 18, Spriggens Park.
Wairarapa 31, Manawatu 11, PN.
1972 — Manawatu 26, Wairarapa 12, Masterton
1976 — Whanganui 15, Manawatu 14, Spriggens Park.
1977 — Manawatu 26, Whanganui 9, PN (also Ranfurly Shield)
1986 — Whanganui 16, Manawatu 9, Spriggens Park
1987 — Manawatu 22, Whanganui 9, PN.
1993 — Horowhenua 26, Manawatu 3, Levin
Whanganui 39, Horowhenua 17, Levin
1994 — Manawatu 46, Whanganui 15, Cooks Gardens
2000 — Wairarapa-Bush 19, Manawatu 14, Masterton
2001 — Whanganui 33, Wairarapa-Bush 26, Cooks Gardens
Manawatu 19, Whanganui 15, Cooks Gardens
2012 — Manawatu 40, Whanganui 7, PN (Hand-over of Cup)
2014 — Horowhenua-Kapiti 34, Whanganui 23, Cooks Gardens
2015 — Whanganui 39, Horowhenua-Kapiti 34, Levin
2017 — Horowhenua-Kapiti 15, Whanganui 8, Levin
2018 — Whanganui 57, Horowhenua-Kapiti 27, Cooks Gardens
2019 — Wairarapa-Bush 28, Whanganui 18, Masterton
2020 — Whanganui 29, Wairarapa-Bush 8, Cooks Gardens
Latest Heartland statistics
After six rounds —
Standings — South Canterbury 29 pts, Whanganui 26, Thames Valley 25, North Otago & Mid Canterbury 18, King Country & Buller 15, East Coast & Horowhenua 14, Wairarapa-Bush 7, Poverty Bay 6, West Coast 5.
Wins (out of six) — SC 6, Wang & TV 5, NO, MC, EC, HK. KC & Buller 3, WB & PB 2, WC 0.
Bonus Points — Whang, NO & MC 6, SC, WC & TV 5, KC, WB & Buller 3, EC, HK & PB 2
Points scored — SC 275, NO 267, Whang 257, MC 188, TV 187, WC 149, Buller 147, HK 146, KC 132, EC 130, WB 128. PB 113.
Points conceded — Whang 111, SC 114, TV 116, NO140, KC 150, MC 167, EC 169, HK 206, PB 208, WC 234. WB 238, Buller 287.
Points differential — SC 161, Whang 146, NO 127, TV 71, EC 39, MC 21, KC -18, HK -60, WC -85, PB -95, WB -119, Buller -143.
Tries scored — SC & NO 39, Whang 37, TV 28 , MC 25, Buller 21, WC 19, WB 18, KC 16, HK & PB 15, EC 13.
Tries conceded — Whang & SC 14, NO & TV 17, KC 18, EC 20, MC 21, PB 29, HK & WB 30, WC 33, Buller 43.
Average game scores — SC 46-19, NO 45-23, Whang 43-19, TV 31-19, MC 31-28, WC 25-39, Buller 25-43, HK 24-34, KC 22-25, EC 22-28, WB 21-40, PB 19-35.
The incidents occurred at the same commercial premises on Broadway, Marton.