Tiari Mumby was one of several Taihape try scorers against Kaierau. Photo / NZME
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Wanganui Car Centre Kaierau had hoped to make figurative lightning strike twice in a week, but when the real storm came in at Memorial Park, all they had done was wake up a sleeping giant on Saturday.
Byford's Readimix Taihape extracted a fierce toll for losing the Grand Hotel Challenge Shield the weekend before, as they booked their third Tasman Tanning Premier final berth in four years with a 54-3 shutout in front of a healthy home crowd.
It would be simple to say after the rain bucketed down midway through the first half and did not let up until seven minutes after halftime that Taihape, with an all-representative level forward pack, could not be beaten as the best wet weather football team in Premier.
Kaierau were also stung by having to go without pivotal lock Josh Lane and utility back Cody Hemi before the match due to Covid-19, while captain Ethan Robinson came out of the match before halftime with a busted shoulder.
However, the reality is the visitors could not find their intensity and dropped off way too many tackles to stay competitive – Taihape loose forward's charging through gaps in the line to lay on three early tries as 17-3 meant the home side scored as many points in the first 20 minutes as they managed in the whole 80 the weekend before.
If conventional thinking states that a muddy field stifles outside backs, then nobody bothered to explain those physics to Taihape fullback Tyler Rogers-Holden.
The fullback was dominant from start to finish, as Taihape could to afford to substitute off several other leading figures early in the game with such a big lead.
Rogers-Holden slashed his way through the middle and found gaps on the wings, while his chip kicks with the wind behind him had Kaierau's back three scrambling throughout the second half.
Lock Peter-Travis Hay-Horton would have given Rogers-Holden a nudge for man of the match as in the absence of Lane he dominated around the fringes – clearing the advantage line and offloading smartly.
Prop Gabriel Hakaraia won't be caught for the season's top try scorer – he is virtually unstoppable from tryline rucks, especially when the muscle gets in behind him, and two more tries took him to 12 for the short season.
Matt Brown pinched a few lineouts, although there was a ripple of concern in the Taihape camp when he also chose to come off early with an slight injury.
For Kaierau, struggling to clear their own half throughout or losing impetus quickly after a home side mistake or penalty, lock Matt Ashworth did all he could in the absence of others, while goal-kicking second-five Brooklyn Herewini and his fellow youngster in fullback Anthony Sellers had a lot of responsibility thrust upon them without Hemi and Robinson.
Sporting the red badge of courage on his forehead, No.8 Joe Edwards swam against the tide, while halfback Caleb Gray, flanker Woody Martin and centre Dillon Adrole tried to make moments as individuals.
But co-coach Tony McBride had hoped for so much more.
"I think we beat ourselves in that game. We didn't bring our intensity, we didn't stick to our patterns – things we've worked on.
"We talked about, during the week, taking our 70 per cent performance from last week up to 90 per cent, but we weren't able to do that.
"We went backwards, maybe to 50 per cent of what we're capable of. It's finals and you've just got to give it everything and we didn't today, and good luck to Taihape next week."
Although not getting back to the final they broke through to reach in 2021, McBride and co-coach Te Ahu Teki have completed their debut season in charge, and will now set their plans for 2023.
"We've had a very unlucky season in terms of losing players at key times through either cards, or being not allowed to play, or injury or Covid," said McBride.
"We've not really had the roll of the dice that you do need for sport, no matter what code it is, you've got to have a little bit of things go your way, and it's just been one of those seasons where we haven't had that happen."
For Taihape coach Tom Wells, who changed his initial plans to stay on for 2022, he was pleased Taihape have put the ghost of 2021's shock semifinal upset to Kaierau behind them, as well as the previous weekend's surprise result.
"Obviously the boys were hurting, but it probably did us a favour.
"The boys playing at home in front of a big crowd and they were up and into it."
It had been a full 22-man effort -even after wholesale changes early in the second half Taihape wore Kaierau back down to score three more late tries - but Rogers-Holden deserved to be singled out.
"He's been pretty good the past few years and again today he was exceptional. He'll keep his job in the mean time with me," said Wells.
And of course, once again the "super clash" is on: Premier's biggest rivalry of Taihape vs Border will play out yet another chapter, with Taihape looking match fit.
"A couple of stingers but nothing serious. No cards, that's the main thing, so we'll be all available if we get around flu's and all of that," said Wells.
Taihape 54 (G Hakaraia 2, R Tutauha 2, J Flaws, T Mumby, D Whale, T Rogers-Holden tries; Whale 2 pen, 4 con) bt Kaierau 3 (B Herewini pen). HT: 27-3.