Whanganui lifts Heartland to win

The Heartland forwards at the end of the victory over Southland. Whanganui players Dylan Gallien, Todd Parkinson and Gabriel Hakaraia are up front, with Hamish Bennett partially obscured.

The Whanganui forwards in the NZ Heartland XV had a big impact on their team's 32-5 victory over Southland in their final game of the Jock Hobbs Under 19 national tournament in Taupo on Wednesday morning.

Having been unlucky in their losses to Tasman and Northland in the previous seven days, the Heartland side put the match away in the second half, once the bigger southerner forwards began to run out of gas.

Steelform Wanganui technical coach Shane Ratima was the Heartland assistant coach in Taupo, and said once reserve props Dylan Gallien and Gabriel Hakaraia came on to join hooker Todd Parkinson, the momentum shifted.

"We put on two Whanganui props and all of a sudden we were dominating the scrum.

"Three Whanganui boys in the front row and it was a huge difference.

"Pretty much some of the standouts were our Whanganui boys."

Utility forward Hamish Bennett started the game at flanker and scored a brilliant try to open Heartland's account - snatching an overthrown Southland lineout ball and racing 60m to the line.

"Just dashed out of a lineout, beat the halfback, then went around the fullback to score," said Ratima.

Bennett would get his hands on several Southland throws in the game.

From 5-5 at halftime, Heartland went on with it in their final 35 minutes as a team, with Hakaraia scoring the last try from a ruck on the line when he forced his way under a mountain of defenders.

Ratima said they had analysed the Southland set piece and although they had bigger lads, they were slower getting around Owen Delany Park.

In addition to fellow locals Ethan Robinson and Jessy Kemp having good games in the backline, Whanganui High School player Blair Osborne had just joined the squad to cover injuries and was creative in the midfield - including helping set up an 80m team try.

Ratima said the squad deserved a victory, after they lost narrowly to Tasman 20-17 despite scoring three tries to two, then being "a bit flat" against Northland in the 18-8 loss.

"There were two tries disallowed, and that's all I'll say about that," he said.

The side's victory was well received by the spectators in Taupo.

"They're sort of like the pet project for the NZRFU - they're the ultimate underdogs, only having a week to prepare, or two days really," said Ratima.

"But once they put on that black jersey, they go up another level or two."

The Michael Jones Trophy for their division was won by Counties Manukau, who beat Bay of Plenty 35-20 in the final, while the top tier Graham Mourie Cup was won by Waikato, who defeated Auckland A 25-22 in their final.