Rugby: Heartland hold off Marist in thriller

Wanganui centre Craig Clare scored two tries for the New Zealand Heartland XV on Saturday. Here he takes on NZ Marist flanker Sam Vea in Timaru. Photo by Getty Images

The domestic amateur rugby season ended with a bang in Timaru for the New Zealand Heartland XV and NZ Marist teams with their Steelform Wanganui players on Saturday.

Heartland had to come from behind and then hang on to retain the McCrae Cup 41-39 at Alpine Energy Stadium.

Wanganui's Craig Clare started at centre for Heartland and scored their opening two tries, while provincial team mate Bryn Hudson was very strong at blindside flanker and Cameron Crowley set up a great try on the wing.

Viki Tofa packed down at loosehead prop for NZ Marist and gave everything he had left for over 60 minutes, while winger Simon Dibben came off the bench for the tense final ten minutes.

In very hot conditions, there were 11 tries scored and several lead changes in the thriller, as Heartland managed to run down Marist's 22 point advantage in the second half.

"They got away to an early lead and we fought back," said NZ Marist's Wanganui manager Chris Back.

Having got the lead 29-14, the Marist team instructions at halftime were to score first after the break so they had a chance to hang on when Heartland coach Barry Matthews went to his deeper playing resources.

Marist's converted try by prop Seseimani Toupo (Counties) under the posts put the pressure on at 36-14.

"Rat [Matthews nickname] rolled out his heavy artillery off the reserves bench," said Back.

All coming on at once, forwards like Nathan Kendrick (Horowhenua Kapiti), Matt Fetu (South Canterbury) and Melikisua Kolinisau (North Otago) are direct ballrunners, whereas Marist had their success moving the ball through their backs with Mitre 10 Cup experience.

"Our gameplan was to go wide at all times," said Back.

"Rat was a bit different because he had the big bench."

The Heartland team recovered to score three tries in about nine minutes.

One of those was from a brilliant Crowley cross field grubber kick for reserve halfback Willie Wright (South Canterbury).

"Cam's not a great kicker of the ball, but the bugger did it against us," Back laughed.

"It was probably the Wanganui boys on the Heartland team that [beat] us."

Now down 39-38, Marist added another penalty from their standout first-five Peter Breen (Northland) to regain the advantage, before Heartland replied through their Lochore Cup-winning first five Jarred Percival (Mid Canterbury), who had a 16 point haul.

"We attacked for the last three minutes, got a penalty on the 10m," said Back.

"We knocked it on and that was the end of the game."

Heartland had capitalise on the bounce of the ball, especially with Percival's second half try.

After Marist scored first, it was Clare who put his team in front 14-5 - first by bursting through the defence and scrambling over, and then finishing off a great dash against the run of play when flanker Seta Koroitamana (Mid Canterbury) and second five Ethan Pollock (Horowhenua-Kapiti) combined to put him away.

However a Breen intercept put Marist back on attack and former Wanganui midfielder Kameli Kuruyabaki (Manawatu) was able to step through some poor tackling to score, with Breen converting and then adding a penalty.

Fullback Ben Werthmuller (Manawatu) scored and lock JJ Manning (Canterbury/West Coast) sent a flick pass to winger Christian Vainerere (Canterbury) for his second try right on halftime.

Heartland prop Scott Cameron (Horowhenua Kapiti) led the fightback with two second half tries, followed by Percival going in off a bounce pass and Wright scoring off Crowley's kick.

NZ Heartland 41 (Craig Clare 2, Scott Cameron 2, Jarred Percival, Willie Wright tries; Percival pen, 4 con) bt NZ Marist 39 (Christian Vainerere 2, Kameli Kuruyabaki, Ben Werthmuller, Seseimani Toupo tries; Peter Breen 2 pen, 4 con). HT: 29-14 Marist.