Whanganui Premier club rugby: Huge upset as Kaierau topples Taihape in semi-final

Ethan Robinson scored all of Kaierau's 16 points with a try, three penalties and a conversion. Photo / Lewis Gardner

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Pain barriers, four straight losses and 10 years of futile endeavour – none of it mattered to Wanganui Car Centre Kaierau at Memorial Park on Saturday.

The Whanganui club did to their hosts what Byford's Readimix Taihape have previously done themselves by travelling to cause a seismic 16-5 upset in their Tasman Tanning Premier semifinal.

A fired-up start with the wind behind them let Kaierau build a big lead, which they defended grimly in a war of attrition in the second stanza.

Having faced a host of injuries and losing their last four matches, including 24-3 to Taihape just seven days before, the visitors were transformed by the return of Ethan Robinson, Joe Edwards, Cameron Davies and Ezra Malo, opening up more attacking options outside first five-eighths, while the forwards hit their more vaunted opposition pack with everything.

Veteran Ace Malo harnessed the conditions with some pinpoint line kicks, and when the home side infringed, Robinson coolly slotted three straight penalties.

Up 9-0 near halftime, Kaierau drove from a penalty lineout and Edwards drifted off the back to feed Robinson with a perfectly timed offload for the skipper to dive through and score a converted try.

Taihape then took the wind and also looked to the attacking corners - Dane Whale turning down a couple of kickable penalties to keep the pressure on - with No 8 Ben Whale, skipper Matt Brown and the Hay-Horton brothers looking to force a way through.

But they found prop Tai Pulemagafa and loose forwards Cade Robinson and Josefa Rokotakala up to the task – Robinson dropping attackers with some massive hits - while hooker Jack van Bussell was very composed in the lineout, preventing Taihape from spoiling their possessions.

Kaierau nearly scored the decisive try but Robinson just missed reclaiming a charged down kick, then was stopped short of the line, with Kaierau pinged for going off their feet.

The visitors lost Edwards to the sin bin, and when Malo tried to clear the ball from his own tryline in the high winds, Taihape claimed it 20m for the corner flag, exploiting their overlap from the ruck for fullback Tyler Rogers-Holden to score.

But Taihape could not find another way through as they lived in Kaierau's half for the rest of the game – with one promising play called back for a forward pass, while winger Ryan Karatau was somehow stopped inches short, and finally a double movement right at the posts saw Kaierau clear, finishing with 14 men after reserve Matt Ashworth was also sin binned.

The game ran long after a lengthy delay when Taihape reserve Lennox Shanks was knocked out in a sickening head clash with Kaierau's Stu Brosnahan, with Shanks taken to the ambulance for observation.

Having made their first Premier final since 2011, when all but three squad members were children, the singing was loud in the Kaierau changing room.

"The boys – massive, massive courage. Finally, we put it together. Just D, D, D," said emotional coach Carl Gibson,

"They are rapt with the opportunity [of the final]. They've all come back."

It was not the script anyone in Taihape was expecting to read, but coach Tom Wells was gracious, singling out the Robinson brothers for high praise.

"The deal was done in the first half – they come out with a bit of fire and we didn't match it.

"We errored ourselves at the wrong end of the field.

"They're going to have to play like that again to get close to Border."

Kaierau 16 (E Robinson try, 3 pen, con) Taihape 5 (T Rogers-Holden try). HT: 16-0.