Whanganui rugby: Steelform Butcher Boys suffer tight 36-33 defeat to Swamp Foxes

Steelform Whanganui player Josh Lane (No 5) receiving from Douglas Horrocks while Lindsay Horrocks is paying close attention. Photo / Steve Carle

Whanganui face a tougher road to hosting a Meads Cup semifinal this year after suffering a tight 36-33 defeat at the hands of Thames Valley on a slippery Cooks Garden on Saturday.

With both teams scoring five tries, it was a fair enough result, the difference being that debut Valley winger Fletcher Morgan contributed 21 points (two tries, a penalty, and four conversions).

It brought back memories of 2019 when first five Regan Crosland kicked seven penalties to give the Swamp Foxes a 36-30 victory at the same venue.

Butcher Boys’ supporters will now be hoping that history from four years ago repeats itself and Whanganui are able to revenge this latest defeat, as they did 20-15 at Paeroa in the 2019 Meads Cup semifinal, if the sides clash again in 2023.

Steelform Whanganui mascot Barry The Butcher. Photo / Steve Carle

There is no need to press the panic button yet because of a slender first-round loss but it certainly makes it a tougher assignment.

Whanganui, ahead 19-15 at halftime, finished well with two tries to recover from 29-21 and 36-28 down to snare two consolation points (losing by seven or less points and scoring four or more tries). Those bonus points could prove invaluable later in the season.

Taking an extra interest from the stand were ex-All Blacks backs Andrew Donald (20 New Zealand and 118 local rep caps) and Bill Osborne (48 New Zealand and 72 local games, 1973-84).

Whanganui now fly to Westport on Friday to meet Buller, who went down 33-19 to Poverty Bay at Gisborne last weekend.

Buller had a historic visit to Cooks Gardens last year when Whanganui hoisted their highest-ever first-class score - 83-7.

It was the fourth time in 134 years of provincial fixtures that Whanganui topped a point a minute and in the process broke the union’s previous marks of 81-9 v West Coast in 1993 and 80-3 the following year v Buller (both in NPC Division 3 games at Spriggens Park) and 80-3 in beating King Country in the inaugural Sir Colin Meads Memorial match at Cooks Gardens in 2017 for the Pinetree Log.

Last year Border winger Alekesio Vakarorogo, one of a dozen provincial representatives back in the rep squad this campaign, became the fifth Whanganui rep to score four tries in a Heartland championship fixture.

He joined Pati Fetuia (56-18 v Thames Valley here in 2006), Cameron Crowley (71-6 v East Coast here in 2008), Te Rangatira Waitokia (52-30 v Poverty Bay at Gisborne 2016) and Tyler Rogers-Holden (67-24 v East Coast here in 2019).

Vakarorogo, who scored a try against Thames Valley last weekend to reach 90 for the union, is a key strike member of the squad.

Although beaten by a record margin last year and having won only seven of 27 fixtures since 1907, Buller have worried the Butcher Boys at times, with six of the victories on home soil.

Buller’s sole success here was 40-30 in 2013 in the Lochore Cup semifinals but the side went down 17-10 against South Canterbury in the final - revenge for losing the final 32-28 the previous season.

Whanganui have shaded Buller for two national titles - 22-15 in the 1996 NPC Division 3 final and in 20-18 in the 2016 Meads Cup final.

For the size of the union, Buller have performed well to reach both the 2014 (beaten 36-16 by Mid Canterbury) and 2016 (losing at Cooks Gardens) finals and contesting three Lochore Cup finals with victory in 2012 being the highlight.

Whanganui may start firm favourites this weekend but won’t take Buller for granted, especially in Westport.