Wanganui Rugby
It was an appropriately tense local derby but both sides had to admit it was a bad spectacle at Memorial Park on Saturday as Taihape claimed a 15-3 win over Utiku Old Boys after a dour 80 minutes of grinding rugby.
The underdogs Utiku remained in the hunt at 8-3 down at the back end of the match, but had lacked any kind of spark to mount sustained pressure and punch through gaps.
Meanwhile, Taihape were flustered when they could not up the tempo in a stop-start affair where referee Mark Wilson was watching them intently at the breakdown.
A lopsided 11-3 penalty count at halftime doubled midway through the second-stanza, giving Utiku first-five Te Rangi Tapu McLeod plenty of free kicking practice at the sidelines.
Still working with a skeleton crew of 17 premier players backed up by senior team members pulling double duty, Taihape did not ring the changes until around ten minutes remained, while Utiku could sub regularly from the 45th minute onwards.
The ball began slipping from tired Taihape hands late in the piece, but despite the close sideline they still seemed little threatened the game's highlights being some strong cover tackling by halfback Brett Nicholls, flanker Johno Maxwell and centre Cyrus Paringatai.
Lock Johnson Hiroa scored a great individual try by jinking his way over from a 15m lineout to put the match beyond doubt, while young fullback Dane Whale retained the No15 jersey despite the return from injury of his brother Luke and looked very assured at the back.
All of Taihape coach Kerry Whale's plans had revolved around the belief Utiku would have to slow his side down and drag them into a arm wrestle.
Therefore he was frustrated that Wilson's constant symphony on the whistle let them achieve this, despite showing no prowess on attack.
"They didn't even fire a shot. You want a good senior ref to get the game to flow."
The game was best forgotten as Taihape will look ahead to the test of facing champions McCarthy's Ruapehu in the final match of Round 1 this Saturday.
It has become a significant bugbear that despite two season's worth of improvement, Taihape have yet to register a win over fellow Top 4 team's Ruapehu, Border, or Pirates, despite close losses to the latter two in 2014.
Indeed, Taihape's premiers have never beaten Ruapehu under this current incarnation of their club.
"Next week will define us, if we're in the hunt," said Whale.
He hoped to have 19 fit players for the match, but will lose Nicholls who is having an eye operation.
"It seems we play the whole season with 17."
Utiku coach Gavin Thompson was asked if having more depth on the bench could have helped them in the latter stages against a leg-weary Taihape.
"No look at the score.
"[Taihape had] too much pressure.
"Back to training and start again."
Taihape made a good start as first-five Tom Wells looked to pin Utiku down deep with chip kicks.
A burst by prop Ritchie Iorns down the grandstand sideline saw Taihape swiftly switch to the other for winger James Barrett to cross untouched.
But with Wilson watching the breakdown intently, Taihape were repeatedly pinged as the ball went to the deck, although forwards often regained possession in short order when they wrapped up Utiku's ball runners and kept them standing.
Utiku flanker Matt Crawford contested everything, but his team were nothing if not predictable, while even the new Fijian imports in winger Semi Radradra and centre Samu Kubunavanua were well covered.
Wilson nabbed Utiku a number of times for offside play, and from a close range lineout Hiroa went himself to score his third try in two games, with Wells converting from the sideline, with less than ten minutes left for a game both sides probably wanted to see end.