Balcombe sets example for Wanganui

RUGBY: It took Darin Balcombe a long time to drag his weary body up the slight rise to the Poverty Bay Rugby Referees clubrooms on Saturday night.
The veteran was feeling his years. He creaked and groaned ? and had a gash on the cheek to match.
But, it had to be said, he had earnt the right to move slowly.
Around him when he settled with a drink in his hand, two or three of his Wanganui rugby team-mates didn't seem that concerned that they had just lost an NPC match most believed they were going to win.
And that was sad, because Balcombe had battled himself to a standstill for them.
Just 12 months ago Wanganui was in the very same position newly-promoted Poverty Bay was on Saturday ? the new boy on the block and anxious to prove their right to be there. Memories are short.
On a sunny Gisborne day, most of the Steelformers Wanganui side played like they were at the beach, without total commitment or duty.
Balcombe's example should be taken on by all.
He searched Gisborne on Sunday morning for a remedy to keep an oncoming virus at bay. Wanganui back coach Guy Lennox was with him. Lennox said later he wanted to take Balcombe from the field ? "but he was the only one doing anything for us."
So he had to stay. With the exception of an injured Aselemo Malo running three times from the back, Balcombe initiated just about everything dangerous that Wanganui had to throw in its 22-14 loss.
But in the end he blamed himself more than anyone else. "I made too many mistakes, threw a pass I shouldn't have?.." But at least he gave it everything ? in fact far more than that. He was asked how he felt half an hour after the match finished.
"In words you can print?
"Absolutely shattered, mate. I started the game hoping to get through the whole thing, but I was playing in five-minute bursts, really. It was pretty hard to get up and get going again," Balcombe said.
Balcombe started to have an effect on the Poverty Bay defence after the first 15 minutes, when his forwards finally won some ball.
"We thought we could get through their first-five (Doug Sanft), so I had a couple of runs through there ? but I think I was guilty of what everyone was doing, throwing forced passes that weren't on. That put us under more pressure.
Each time we got down there on attack we would throw a stupid pass and we would be back in our half again." Balcombe didn't train fully during the week because of a knee problem, and he was able to watch the build-up.
"Thursday was a disappointing training, with a lot of dropped balls. But this was the first away trip for a lot of the young fellas, and I think they have to get their head around that sort of thing. It's a big thing being away, there are a lot of distractions.
"There wasn't a lot of talk out there today ? and last week there was a lot of talk. Even in the warm-up it was a bit flat and no-one was talking. That seemed to carry on out on the field."
Where too from now?
"It's uphill now. We've dug the hole and we're the only ones who can get ourselves out of it. On the positive side we did create chances, but we didn't finish them. We have to find that patience to pull back when we have to, to set the next phase and score from that, not the one when we've made the break."
Balcombe says inexperience is part of it, but he says the time has come to stop blaming the weak club play.
"How long are we going to keep whingeing about that ? we just have to step up, take it on the chin and get on with it."
And Balcombe wanders off, a disappointed ? and sore, man