Ruapehu have gone from last to fourth after their clutch win over Marist at Rochfort Park on Saturday. Photo / Jared Smith
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After being nowhere at the end of the first round of Tasman Tanning Premier regular season, McCarthy Transport Ruapehu could be keeping their decade-long semifinals streak alive after a clutch win at Rochfort Park on Saturday.
Holding off a late flurry from a battered and under-strength Dave Hoskin Carriers Marist, who were desperately searching for a priceless bonus point try with the match itself long gone, Ruapehu clung on to their 41-24 advantage to leapfrog both their opponents and Settler's Honey Ngamatapouri into fourth place.
While Marist found their continuity thanks to a couple of veterans coming off their small bench inside the last quarter, getting two of their three tries in that time, they had already been thoroughly out-worked and out-manoeuvred in the first half, with Ruapehu scoring in the opening three minutes and never looking back.
Despite blood pouring from his nose and mouth, Ruapehu captain Gabriel Hakaraia just wrapped up his face Covid-19 mask style and kept leading from the front, with his fellow forwards Jamie Hughes, Campbell Hart and double try-scorer Mac James Edmonds holding sway.
Marist desperately missed 2019 Steelform Wanganui rep players Viki Tofa (injury) and Josiah Bogileka (suspension), as the timing and speed of their passes through the midfield and wings was slightly disjointed against a home team that loves to use their physicality to disrupt the flow.
Eventually, after three or four phases with little penetration, even inside the attacking half, Marist would opt for attacking kicks, which Ruapehu's outside cover handled easily enough to clear their danger zone.
Ruapehu's backline, led by try-scoring midfielders Troy Brown and Royce Trow, along with first five-eighth Kahl Elers-Green and rapidly improving halfback Andre McDonnell, had no problem with their distribution, especially just after halftime when there was more open room due to 14-a-side rugby.
Late in the first half, with Ruapehu hot on attack under Marist's posts, prop Te Uhi Hakaraia and flanker Jamie Hughes had been determined to foul Marist's standout lock Lake Ah Chong off the ball; their team receiving an infringement penalty at that moment.
Allegedly stomped in the head, Ah Chong got up swinging at Hakaraia, and after the melee was sorted out, referee Ben Lourie gave both men a red card.
Marist definitely missed Ah Chong, with skipper and try-scorer Brad Graham shouldering extra workload and taking a pounding in the front line, while fullback Ashton Coates had a busy match and perfect goal-kicking performance.
Having brought on to the bench the likes of 2019 Marist prop Gordon Karaitiana, St John's Wanganui Metro forward Louie Devine and their veterans Ricky Alabaster and Simon Dibben, Marist had all the momentum in the final 10 minutes, with hooker Jack Yarrall and second five-eighth Pati Leo scoring good tries, but they ran out of time as the latter's seven-pointer was the last act of the game.
"We showed in patches we could [perform], but the horse had obviously bolted by then," said coach Travers Hopkins.
"I said at halftime, there wasn't a lot of fluidity through the passing, it was having to reach and catch or reset and give, and just stuff like that, you can't give them an inch and if you do, they make you pay."
While Bogileka is back next week, Ah Chong will await his fate like Hakaraia at the judiciary, compounding Marist's issue of missing players through injury or unavailability.
"There are some guys who have played huge minutes," said Hopkins.
"You'd love to give them a breather ... but for whatever reason, we just don't have that luxury; we've got guys jumping in a car in Taihape and busting arse to get over here."
Mathematically, Marist still have the chance to make their first Premier semifinal since 2017 as they trail Ruapehu by only a solitary point, with Ngamatapouri one point further back.
Even though no bottom three team has defeated a semifinal-locked side in this campaign, Hopkins has faith they can compete in their last two games, even if they just limp over the finish line on bonus points.
"What we saw in that last 10 minutes will give the boys a bit of heart, as they saw we can score points, we can penetrate defences."
But delighted Ruapehu coach Kim McNaught thinks, after back-to-back wins over their fellow minnows, his team has more to give during the next fortnight as well.
"We've kept trying to play structured rugby all the time, but it wasn't suiting us, so we just went back to what we know and it's been working out for us – against Ngamat and today we put in a good effort.
"We've put in a good show against Kaierau and Taihape, so there's no reason why we can't go down to Whangaz next week and tip those boys up.
"We got a bit of belief now - semifinals are something that we probably weren't looking at, four weeks in, but today and after these last few weeks, it's been good."
Ruapehu 41 (M Edmonds 2, K Karimu, A McDonnell, T Brown, T Metekingi, R Trow tries; K Elers-Green 3 con) Marist 24 (B Graham, J Yarrall, P Leo tries; A Coates pen, 3 con). HT: 24-3.