Byline: John B Phillips
Steelform Whanganui will be seeking revenge against Thames Valley in Saturday's 2022 Bunnings Warehouse Meads Cup cut-throat semifinal at Cooks Gardens.
The Swamp Foxes came to Whanganui in 2018 for a first-ever Heartland semifinal, facing an unbeaten Butchers Boys squad confident of adding a fourth successive set of winning Meads Cup medals to an already impressive record.
It is now history that the Valley visitors won their first Heartland match in the city with a deserved 17-7 upset victory and a week later upset South Canterbury 17-12 in the final at Timaru.
Seven members from that shock loss of 2018 – back Lindsay Horrocks, Kameli Kuruyabaki and Tyler Rogers Holden, flanker Jamie Hughes and front rowers Jack Yarrall. Roman Tutauha and Gabriel Hakaraia – are still in the current local squad which is now coached by then-assistant Jason Hamlin.
The Swamp Foxes repeated their Cooks Gardens success a year later, this time winning 36-30 despite Border fullback Nick Harding contributing half of the local points.
Whanganui, however, turned the tables 20-15 in a titanic Paeroa semifinal later in 2019 when home goal-kicker Reece Boughton threatened to snatch victory by landing five penalties
The effort exerted in winning that fixture was painfully evident in a 33-19 defeat at the hands of hosts North Otago in the final seven days later.
Despite losing 35-27 to the Butcher Boys in Te Aroha during last year's qualifying series, when there were no semifinals played, Thames Valley reached the Meads final again but this time losing 35-16 away to South Canterbury.
Whanganui, who finished third-ranked, beat North Otago 22-16 in the Lochore Cup final at Cooks Gardens.
Victory on Saturday will assure the winners of at least the No 2 Heartland ranking for 2022.
The Butcher Boys and Swamp Foxes each won three of the former NPC Div 3 national titles in the pre-Heartland era.
Whanganui won in 1989 (ahead of South Canterbury and Horowhenua), 1996 (22-17 v Marlborough) and 2003 (28-16 v King Country) and Thames Valley in 1988 (31-12 v Whanganui), 1990 (ahead of Horowhenua and South Canterbury) and 1995 (47-8 v Poverty Bay).
Second Highest
Whanganui's 46-3 win over Mid Canterbury at Cooks Gardens on Saturday was just a single point away from the highest score in 37 fixtures between the two unions over 83 years.
The highest was 47-10 in an NPC Div 3 game in 1966 followed by 46-8 in the opening year of Heartland rugby in 2006 and now 46-13 at the weekend, all at Cooks Gardens.
The other 40-plus local scores are 43-12 in a 2008 Heartland game on Cooks Gardens and 42-16 in an NPC Div 2 match at Spriggens Park in 1990.
Mid Canterbury's top score against Whanganui was 40-39 at Ashburton in 2017.
The Hammers beat West Coast 48-15 at the Ashburton Show Grounds and North Otago 40-35 in Kurow this season.
Whanganui has won 22 and lost 15 first-class matches since 1939 including winning 12 of 19 Heartland games.
Well Done The Rams:
The main talking point in Heartland rugby last weekend revolved around the remarkable effort of the King Country Rams to qualify for the semifinals of the Meads Cup.
The union was ranked bottom in the championship 12 months ago, is celebrating its centenary this season and halfway through the 2022 campaign had only picked up a 30-22 home win over Poverty Bay from four outings.
The Rams had lost 15-19 at home to Thames Valley and 3-41 against the Butcher Boys and 13-25 to Horowhenua-Kapiti on away trips.
But the squad, which includes former Ratana Whanganui rep half-back Kane Tamou, turned the season around and won the last four qualifying matches to snatch the No 4 semifinal berth from three times champions North Otago.
King Country beat the Old Golds 42-21 (seven tries to three) at Taupo in the deciding game on Saturday to climb ahead 25 to 23 on the points ladder and relegate the Oamaru union to the Lochore Cup playoffs.
The Rams' four wins in a row also included 32-21 at home against East Coast and away v Mid Canterbury (34-22) and Buller (44-30).
It is only the second time King Country has beached the Top Four, losing to South Canterbury, their opponents again this Saturday, 58-21 in 2018.
South Canterbury, unbeaten for the past two seasons, whipped East Coast 57-5 to qualify top on 39 pts, three clear of Whanganui with Thames Valley, despite a thrilling 44-43 home loss to Horowhenua-Kapiti, third on 27 pts, two ahead of King Country.
In the Lochore Cup, North Otago (23 pts) hosts Mid Canterbury (18) and Horowhenua-Kapiti (20) is home to East Coast (18). East Coast beat Mid Canterbury 36-34 during qualifying,
The four unions finished for the year are Buller (17), Poverty Bay (16), Wairarapa Bush (13) and West Coast (7).
Most wins – Sth Cant 8, Whang 7, TV and KC 5, NO and H-K 4.
Most points – Sth Cant 368, Whang 352, NO 315, TV 247, KC and H-K 218
The least conceded – Sth Cant 122. Whang 142, TV 189, KC and NO 201.
Most tries – Sth Cant 52, Whang 50, NO 46, TV 35, KC 30.
Tries conceded – Sth Cant 16, Whang 19, KC 25, TV and NO 27, Mid Cant 31.
Top average game scores – Sth Cant 46-15, Whang 44-18, NO 39-25, TV 31-24.
TV SF Prog 2022 previous results:
1923 – Thames Valley won 10-6 Te Aroha, 1926 – Thames Valley won 15-11 Whanganui, 1959 – Whanganui won 16-12 Whanganui, 1973 – Whanganui won 15-12 Whanganui, 1976 – Whanganui won 20-12 Paeroa, 1977 – Whanganui won 40-25 Whanganui, 1978 – Whanganui won 17-7 Whanganui, 1979 – Whanganui won 31-0 Waihi, 1980 – Whanganui won 20-6 Whanganui, 1981 – Whanganui won 28-12 Paeroa, 1982 – Whanganui won 13-6 Whanganui, 1983 – Whanganui won 23-13 Paeroa, 1984 – Whanganui won 32-25 Whanganui, 1988 – Thames Valley won 31-12 Whanganui Div 3, 1991 – Thames Valley won 38-12 Paeroa Div 2, 1993 – Whanganui won 13-11 Paeroa Div 3, Whanganui won 30-14 (SF) Whanganui Div 3 SF, 1994 – Whanganui won 20-15 Whanganui Div 3, 1995 – Whanganui won 17-6 Paeroa Div 3, 1997 – Whanganui won 17-5 Paeroa Div 2, 1998 – Thames Valley won 20-16 Te Aroha Div 2, Whanganui won 34-10 Whanganui Div 2, 1999 – Whanganui won 35-13 Thames Div 2, 2000 – Whanganui won 36-17 Whanganui Div 2, 2001 – Thames Valley won 30-8 Te Aroha Div 2, 2004 – Whanganui won 62-10 Whanganui Div 2, 2006 – Whanganui Won 65-18 Whanganui Heartland, 2008 – Whanganui won 43-0 Paeroa Heartland, 2010 – Whanganui won 23-17 Whanganui Heartland, 2011 – Whanganui won 31-21 Paeroa Heartland, 2013 – Whanganui won 28-8 Whanganui Heartland, 2015 – Whanganui won 47-27 Paeroa Heartland, 2016 – Whanganui won 60-14 Whanganui Heartland, 2017 – Whanganui won 21-19 Paeroa Heartland, 2018 – Thames Valley won 17-7 Whanganui Meads Cup SF, 2019 – Thames Valley won 36-30 Whanganui Heartland, Whanganui won 20-15 Paeroa Meads Cup SF, 2021 – Whanganui won 35-27 Te Aroha Heartland
Games Played 38 Wanganui won 30 Pts For 994
Thames Valley won 8 Pts For 594
Average score: 26 -16
Heartland – Whnganui P 12 W10 L 2 For 420 pts Ag 219 Av score 36-1