STEELFORM Wanganui are getting the momentum they need to have a real crack at the Meads Cup in the 2015 Pink Batts Heartland Championship after they eventually clicked into gear to dispose of Buller 35-9 at Cooks Gardens.
Saturday's second-straight bonus point win was a somewhat scrappy affair where the bones of what Wanganui wanted to achieve were there - setting themselves up for a crack out wide off the back of surging midfield runs by flanker Bryn Hudson, prop Viki Tofa and standout lock Fraser Hammond.
But unlike Oamaru where the team would score from a buildup of ten to 12 controlled phases as the defence either ran out of manpower or open ground, this week some wild passes and the ball bobbling out in contact stunted Wanganui's momentum.
First-five Areta Lama wanted to give pacy midfielders Trinity Spooner-Neera and Poasa Waqanibau room to make the final break, but all the playmakers and loose forwards would take their turn at a handling error among the team's 20 turnovers.
Ace Malo certainly got the workout he wanted at fullback, while winger Michael Nabuliwaqe was not only sharp but perhaps the one back who went mistake-free.
It was clear that if Wanganui could string it together then the match was ripe for the taking, because while Buller tackled gamely and got inside the passing lanes to spoil countless attacks, they had nothing to give in return and relied on the boot of first-five Hagen Schulte to keep in touch with three penalties before halftime.
Led by veteran props Philip Beveridge and Logan Mundy, they tested Wanganui at scrum time, but making constant covering tackles took their toll and eventually the cracks opened as Hudson swept through two defenders to plant the ball under the posts and make the game safe at 28-9 with eight minutes left.
With Wanganui having tried crash-bash or spreading the ball all day, recalled reserve first-five Steelie Koro showed what the experience of 50 games can provide as he made a beautifully-weighted chip kick into a wide open back field, with winger Samu Kubunavanua having plenty of time to pull up and get the bounce for the bonus point try off the last play.
Wanganui's first try was part of a solid opening 15 minutes as No8 Malakai Volau dashed away following some good passes into gaps from hooker Cole Baldwin and lock Jon Smyth.
Baldwin doesn't have the same power as Hudson or Hammond but he is always ready for the third hitup and is often their superior when it comes to quick recycling of the ball back to his support.
Fittingly, it was the hooker twisting through the last tacklers to crash over in the 59th minute which broke the shackles for Wanganui, as their handling in the final quarter was improved.
Spooner-Neera remembered his kicking boots this week with six successes from seven attempts.
It is the second quarter where Wanganui coach Jason Caskey will address the need to maintain concentration, as the volume of fumbles saw Wanganui lose a little steam and kept Buller in the match, while the penalty count began creeping up from Waikato referee Michael Winter.
Buller winger Setefano Sauqaqa came the closest his team would get to a five-pointer when he was dragged down right at the line following a surging run on halftime, with Schulte kicking his third penalty for a Wanganui high tackle during the movement.
The visitors lost halfback Andrew Stephens to the sin bin after halftime for a professional foul, although in his absence Wanganui could only add another penalty from the initial infringement.
While the dropsy's were frustrating, it cannot be understated how important the likes of captain Peter Rowe and specifically Hammond were on clean-up duty.
While he was occasionally afflicted with the same butterfingers as his teammates, be it making the key tackle, clearing run or turning over ruck ball, Hammond was there every time.
"I got a bit of stick for selecting him [but] it's always been clear in my mind there's not a lot of players in Wanganui that offer what he does," said Caskey of Hammond.
"We left 10-15 points on the field in the first half. We started well but that had an adverse effect.
"We had to be direct, we started to go wide and made mistakes."
Overall, he gave the team a solid pass mark and will hope to continue to drill the small errors out of them in coming week.
Rowe made it clear it was "neat" for the team to have so many veterans returning this season, given it was clear that even when they could not execute, Wanganui never panicked.
"Remember that was the Meads Cup runners up; Buller are always a tough team to beat," Rowe said.
"The first half was not being patient.
"We were just trying to rush but then it showed, when we build, we could find a way."
Wanganui 35 (Malakai Volau, Cole Baldwin, Bryn Hudson, Samu Kubunavanua tries; Trinity Spooner-Neera 3 pen, 3 con) bt Buller 9 (Hagen Schulte 3 pen). HT: 11-9