31st July 2004
MARLBOROUGH
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Mobiles: (025)444537, (021)371901, A/Hours (03)5728389
Email [email protected]
Harlequins are the 2004 Marlborough rugby champions after a strong forward effort overcame Central in the Grand Final 21-8. Mathew Kerr and David Evans stood out in a dominant pack for Harlequins and Central really had no answer to the powerful set piece and driving play even though Central led at halftime 8-6.
NELSON BAYS
Marist are the Nelson Bays Club Rugby Champions for 2004, posting its third championship win in four years and scoring six tries along the way in beating Nelson 37-22. It wasnt one way traffic though and Nelson actually held a slim lead early in the second half thanks to some accurate goalkicking by Ross Soper. Marist piled on the pressure, and the points however, in the last 20 minutes and only an intercept try on fulltime to Nelson actually gave the scoreline some respectability.
WEST COAST - BULLER
WEST COAST:
Blaketown won their first championship in 5 years when they comprehensively disposed of Kiwi 50-7 in the final of the Taylor Wallsend Cup. The massive Blaketown forwards were just too tough to handle, big Blaketown No 8 Peter Nicholls making the most of the dominance by dotting down three times. Out wide Robert Thomson made some great line breaks for the winners while Kiwi's best was flanker Hadleigh Smith.The Kiwi side , to their credit, gave it their all but were simply outgunned in all departments.
BULLER:
White Star Old Boys have made a clean sweep of the trophies in Buller, winning the Buller Senior Shield, beating Reefton 27-3 in the final. The WSOB forwards were too efficient at the set piece for a Reefton outfit hit by injuries. A simple game game plan of pegging the opposition in their own half with huge touchfinders from John Smith worked a treat and the pressure WSOB exerted once they got down there saw the points start to mount.
Blaketown won their first championship in 5 years when they comprehensively disposed of Kiwi 50-7 in the final of the Taylor Wallsend Cup. The massive Blaketown forwards were just too tough to handle, big Blaketown No 8 Peter Nicholls making the most of the dominance by dotting down three times. Out wide Robert Thomson made some great line breaks for the winners while Kiwi's best was flanker Hadleigh Smith.The Kiwi side , to their credit, gave it their all but were simply outgunned in all departments.
BULLER:
White Star Old Boys have made a clean sweep of the trophies in Buller, winning the Buller Senior Shield, beating Reefton 27-3 in the final. The WSOB forwards were too efficient at the set piece for a Reefton outfit hit by injuries. A simple game game plan of pegging the opposition in their own half with huge touchfinders from John Smith worked a treat and the pressure WSOB exerted once they got down there saw the points start to mount.
CANTERBURY
NORTH CANTERBURY
It took until injury time for Glenmark to subdue a fiery Belfast challenge and win the Nth Canterbury championship 20-19. Two minutes from fulltime Belfast hit the lead 19-17 thanks to an Aaron Robinson dropped goal and all at the ground thought that was game over. But Glenmark wasn't done with. From the kickoff and with time up on the clock they were awarded and landed a sideline penalty to clinch the game and the 2004 championship. Glenmark made all the early play in the game and led 14-6 scoring two very good tries. Belfast though kept their cool and plugged away with penalties to keep in touch and were never dominated by their bigger opponents. Both sides contributed to a classic game of rugby, worthy of final status.
CHRISTCHURCH:
High School Old Boys made no race of it when they disposed of Christchurch 46-17 in Saturday's Telecom Trophy metro rugby final. HSOB raced to a 29-0 lead in the first 22 minutes to make the outcome almost a foregone conclusion. HSOB coach Kevin Burrowes was concerned before the game about the opposition forwards. "We knew the strength of their forward pack and they had dominated us the last time we met. "So we had to negate that and strike early, which we did." Four tries were scored as the backs found holes in the Christchurch defence that Marist-Albion has exploited the week before. With good quality possession, Old Boys had Ben Hurst and Andrew Mehrtens in commanding form. The dominating duo created opportunities further out, which were finished off by outside backs Afai Tuiloma (two), Sam Lemalie and Ben Jones. Old Boys showed it could defend as well when Christchurch stirred itself into gear. It camped near the Old Boys line for more than 10 minutes before finally breaching it. Christchurch improved in the second spell when halfback Corey Tamou went to first five-eighths replacing Brad Mooar and started to inject some pace and penetration into its play. For Old Boys, lock Jarrod Hoeata was the player of the match. However, a number of Old Boys players could have earned the accolade. Ben Jones made some telling runs from fullback until injured, Joel Iggo was lively in the midfield feeding from Mehrtens who again controlled play expertly for Old Boys. New Zealand Colt George Naoupu at No. 8 was prominent while Craig Clarke was a plentiful source of lineout ball. The Old Boys front row did not take a backward step against its Christchurch counterpart. Christchurch will reflect on a disappointing fortnight to finish a season that promised much after sharing the Cup championship and being top qualifier heading into the play-offs. Old Boys dished out a lesson in peaking at the business end after it had been the fourth team to sneak into the play-offs following several mid-season reversals.
Scorers: High School Old Boys 46 (Afai Tuiloma 2, Ben Jones, Sam Lemalie, Ben Hurst, David Strachan tries; Andrew Mehrtens 4 conv, pen, dg, Strachan conv) Christchurch 17 (Corey Tamou 2, Saul Luamanuave tries; Stuart Atkins conv). HT: 36-5.
It took until injury time for Glenmark to subdue a fiery Belfast challenge and win the Nth Canterbury championship 20-19. Two minutes from fulltime Belfast hit the lead 19-17 thanks to an Aaron Robinson dropped goal and all at the ground thought that was game over. But Glenmark wasn't done with. From the kickoff and with time up on the clock they were awarded and landed a sideline penalty to clinch the game and the 2004 championship. Glenmark made all the early play in the game and led 14-6 scoring two very good tries. Belfast though kept their cool and plugged away with penalties to keep in touch and were never dominated by their bigger opponents. Both sides contributed to a classic game of rugby, worthy of final status.
CHRISTCHURCH:
High School Old Boys made no race of it when they disposed of Christchurch 46-17 in Saturday's Telecom Trophy metro rugby final. HSOB raced to a 29-0 lead in the first 22 minutes to make the outcome almost a foregone conclusion. HSOB coach Kevin Burrowes was concerned before the game about the opposition forwards. "We knew the strength of their forward pack and they had dominated us the last time we met. "So we had to negate that and strike early, which we did." Four tries were scored as the backs found holes in the Christchurch defence that Marist-Albion has exploited the week before. With good quality possession, Old Boys had Ben Hurst and Andrew Mehrtens in commanding form. The dominating duo created opportunities further out, which were finished off by outside backs Afai Tuiloma (two), Sam Lemalie and Ben Jones. Old Boys showed it could defend as well when Christchurch stirred itself into gear. It camped near the Old Boys line for more than 10 minutes before finally breaching it. Christchurch improved in the second spell when halfback Corey Tamou went to first five-eighths replacing Brad Mooar and started to inject some pace and penetration into its play. For Old Boys, lock Jarrod Hoeata was the player of the match. However, a number of Old Boys players could have earned the accolade. Ben Jones made some telling runs from fullback until injured, Joel Iggo was lively in the midfield feeding from Mehrtens who again controlled play expertly for Old Boys. New Zealand Colt George Naoupu at No. 8 was prominent while Craig Clarke was a plentiful source of lineout ball. The Old Boys front row did not take a backward step against its Christchurch counterpart. Christchurch will reflect on a disappointing fortnight to finish a season that promised much after sharing the Cup championship and being top qualifier heading into the play-offs. Old Boys dished out a lesson in peaking at the business end after it had been the fourth team to sneak into the play-offs following several mid-season reversals.
Scorers: High School Old Boys 46 (Afai Tuiloma 2, Ben Jones, Sam Lemalie, Ben Hurst, David Strachan tries; Andrew Mehrtens 4 conv, pen, dg, Strachan conv) Christchurch 17 (Corey Tamou 2, Saul Luamanuave tries; Stuart Atkins conv). HT: 36-5.
MID CANTERBURY
It was real nail biting stuff in the Mid Canterbury Club Rugby grand final with Collegiate just getting up over Southern 24-22 to claim the Watters Cup. Southern looked to be in control and in the first half scored two fine tries , one each to Daniel Bokser and Fraser Hutchinson to lead 12-0. Andre Renata dotted down for Collegiate and Ross Leadley added two penalty goals and there was only four points in it at the break. Collegiate had the better of the second half and stretched the lead at one point to 24-15. Southern though would just not give in and piled all sorts of pressure on the Collegiate line. Finally they were rewarded with a try to James Carr in the corner. The sideline conversion closed the gap to just two points. The final stanza was exciting stuff, however Collegiate held on to their slender lead and claimed the championship for 2004.
STH CANTERBURY - NORTH OTAGO
Victorious MacKenzie!!!
26 June 2004
26 June 2004
Mackenzie showed character and composure to weather a Celtic forward barrage and win the PGG Cup senior combined rugby competition 23-20 at the Alpine Energy Stadium in Timaru on Saturday.
To their credit after an intense and physical match which was played in exceptional spirit, the Celtic players formed a guard of honour to applaud the Mackenzie players off the ground.
Mackenzie were favoured to beat Athletic in the final last season but stumbled in the face of opponents playing composed finals rugby.
They took the lessons from that game into the Old Bank Shield final last year and this big match temperament was again evident on Saturday under severe pressure.
Mackenzie were sharing possession at halftime and while Celtic took the lion's share of the rucks and mauls in the second 40 it was not clean ball.
As a consequence they failed to penetrate the defence and could not add to the 20 points scored before halftime.
Celtic played some excellent, pressure rugby in the first quarter dashing in for three well-worked tries. At this point they were smashing in up front and getting the ball wide, particularly to Fiti Sitigata and threatening the line. Sitigata scored the first try with some brilliant individual skill.
Mackenzie convinced themselves they were not going to be outdone up front with an excellent try after eight minutes. While it was scored by Seti Kiole going back to a short blindside, the hard work had been done by the pack.
Mackenzie came out with more aggression and purpose. They were not content to let the Celtic forwards rule but it took another moment of individual skill from Cox to swing the game.
Just as he had against Oamaru Old Boys in a crucial encounter in the round-robin. Cox was immediately into the play.
Cox followed up a Mackenzie kick deep out of defence and grabbed Celtic fullback Kyle Reid. From the ensuing ruck Faitu Tu'amoheloa drove for the line and one ruck later Tevita Latu scored to put Mackenzie in front for the first time after 48 minutes.
Mackenzie coach Mark Ryan changed tactics at halftime.
"We were slightly shell-shocked early and needed to attack, to turn it into a pressure game," he said. "If we were to kick it had to be high to allow the chasers to contest it."
He admitted Willie Cox changed the game.
"After the first half we needed to be more composed," he said. "We made breaks but players didn't link up when the opportunity was there."
Under the pressure of going behind on the scoreboard Celtic lost their shape and started to make mistakes.
Crucially their lineout fell to pieces. Inside the last desperate minutes they could not buy a lineout, six of their last seven throws were either not straight or failed to find the jumper.
Without the lineout as a target they could not get a pad to launch their attack.
Outstanding loose forward Hayden Vaughan went close in a period when Celtic forced two five-metre scrums after being held up over the line.
Had there been a video replay it would have been called into play without doubt.
Mackenzie managed to play most of the second half on attack while defending a small lead.
Celtic were game but after the loss of first five Jock Prue and lock Michael Eaton to injury they struggled with the simple execution of the basics.
Mackenzie could thank the composure of halfback Bert Willson on cover defence and for his swift moving of the ball from the base of the scrum.
Guy McCone was a key figure in the lineout and for his work in the loose.
The heroes were the tight five who ensured their side would not be over-run and would not be outplayed on the big points.
Celtic did a wonderful job of marking Tu'amoheloa and Kiole, who were not as influential as normal.
Damon Smith was a rock at five-eighth, astute in his decision-making and solid under pressure.
Celtic could hold their heads high. They played their hearts out and could claim the rub of the green went against them.
Their forwards worked very hard and ended up with the lion's share of the ball and their backs lost nothing in comparison to Mackenzie, especially Pene Latu who was solid in the midfield.
They lost because the detail let them down. There were too many little errors when they needed to be ultra clinical and composed. Like Mackenzie they should emerge from this experience a better side. Their young front rowers Mat Fetu and Foi Saena were outstanding but Fainga Savieiti was the forward of the match.
He will have nightmares about the lineout throwing but it did not all come down to him, the timing of the jump and lift also contributed.
Vaughan's performance on the openside flank should have caught they eye of the selectors. He is not only quick to the ball but has good vision of what is happening in the game.
The final in front of a good crowd was packed with intensity and courage. For the purist there were too many mistakes from both sides but it was tight and tense throughout, with the result in doubt until Callum Harrison's 46m goal kick in the last second fell short.
Mackenzie 23 (S Kiole, T Latu tries, D Smith 3 pen, 2 con) Celtic 20 (F Sitigata, P Latu, F Saena tries, J Prue pen, con). Halftime, 20-13
OLD BANK SHIELD FINAL 31-7-04
An outstanding display from promising young fullback Johan Schutte inspired Harlequins to a hard-fought 21-11 win over Mackenzie in the Old Bank Shield club rugby grand final at the Alpine Energy Stadium, Timaru, on Saturday. In a game of remarkable intensity and passion, no quarter was given or asked as the delicate balance was shifted by this slip of a lad at the back. Not only did Schutte kick 11 valuable points but he was rock solid at the back. His broken field running made Mackenzie pay dearly for some ill-directed tactical kicking. Mackenzie knew they had to keep the pressure on the Harlequins forwards or be destroyed by the pick and go. For the first 56 minutes their plan worked to perfection as they held out, often turning the ball over or forcing a mistake after Harlequins had taken it through seven phases or more with huge defensive pressure. After a Damon Smith penalty, it was Mackenzie who made the first decisive move when Fa'aitu Tu'amohleoa made a big burst. He fed Seti Kiole but when he was held up short Tevita Latu was on hand to put the ball over the line to take the lead at 8-3. Scutte kicked a penalty and first made his presence known as a runner after 26 minutes when he ran a nice angle to threaten the line only to be cut down by Latu. Schutte almost gave Willie Cox a try with his only genuine mistake after 31 minutes but right on halftime he was on hand to kick a penalty to reduce the score to 8-6. Harlequins lost lock Aaron Jones for 10 minutes for a high tackle on Kiole but they won the rucks and mauls 46-24, while Mackenzie took the lineouts 11-2 and the scrums 7-6. Mackenzie conceded nine turnovers to six but received nine penalties to four to balance the ledger. The second half opened with Andrew Smith kicking a booming 43m penalty and at that stage, in spite of having less of the play, Mackenzie were in control. Their defence had negated Harlequins' go forward and the Timaru side were looking a shade one-dimensional. Then, just when they needed it most, Schutte injected himself into the line and in conjunction with Daniel Sparks contrived to put lock Tuita Tauelangi over for a try with bold running and a switch of play. Schutte converted but his best was yet to come. Right on threequarter time Mackenzie kicked hopefully out of defence. Taking the ball at speed Schutte carved his way through the heart of the Mackenzie defence. He was cut down but the Harlequins forwards rumbled up to sustain the movement and with sheer grunt and fast hands found right winger Billy Sheed unmarked on the left wing side to score untouched. That proved to be the defining moment of the final. Mackenzie, who had fought so valiantly, began to wilt as Harlequins started to find gaps. Tauelangi, who played his heart out for the 80 minutes, was centimetres short after 29 minutes of the second half and made a huge charge at the line again after 35 minutes. The last scoring act fell to Schutte as he banged over a penalty after 36 minutes that ensured there would be no escape act for the defending premiers. This was club rugby as it should be. Tough but played in good spirit. Perhaps there were too many errors to satisfy the purists but for those who enjoy a physical and confrontational game, this was it. Harlequins were not as clinical and accurate as they were against Celtic in the semifinal and they were not as clear in their cleanout at the breakdowns. This was due in the main to Mackenzie's commitment and defence. Although they made numerous mistakes Harlequins maintained their composure and didn't panic. They injected Juan Koen and Omar Suliemans off the bench at the right time to lift tired spirits but importantly didn't allow the dangerous Mackenzie backs room. Apart from the Latu try midway through the first spell, they kept the threequarter line locked up. Kiole tried to get into the game but wherever he appeared the result was the same, a tackler around his boot laces. Tauelangi may have been the most visible forward but the entire tight five worked hard and the loose trio were outstanding, led by the tireless Javas Wright. Brett Williamson navigated the ship through the troubled times while brother Jason ensured there were no holes in the midfield. Joel Tuiaki pulled off one big hit on Tu'amohlea early in the match to register an interest. Sheed was not content to stay on his wing and wait. He went looking for work and was rewarded for it. He also looked after the try-scoring machine Kiole. Mackenzie were heroic. They had less possession and were often kept hard on defence but didn't crack until late in the game. The effort told toward the close but they were still in with half a chance with eight minutes to play. Their entire pack should receive the freedom of the village for their courage. Guy McCone was outstanding in the lineout, Sam Lunn went so well in the loose he elevated himself to the NPC team. Lisiate Fa'aoso stepped up a cog and started to look like an international class forward. Damon Smith and Andrew Smith were solid as the inside backs but didn't get enough quality go-forward ball to really shine and wider out they were starved of opportunities. This was an outstanding final played in front of a large and appreciative crowd.
Mackenzie 23 (S Kiole, T Latu tries, D Smith 3 pen, 2 con) Celtic 20 (F Sitigata, P Latu, F Saena tries, J Prue pen, con). Halftime, 20-13
OLD BANK SHIELD FINAL 31-7-04
An outstanding display from promising young fullback Johan Schutte inspired Harlequins to a hard-fought 21-11 win over Mackenzie in the Old Bank Shield club rugby grand final at the Alpine Energy Stadium, Timaru, on Saturday. In a game of remarkable intensity and passion, no quarter was given or asked as the delicate balance was shifted by this slip of a lad at the back. Not only did Schutte kick 11 valuable points but he was rock solid at the back. His broken field running made Mackenzie pay dearly for some ill-directed tactical kicking. Mackenzie knew they had to keep the pressure on the Harlequins forwards or be destroyed by the pick and go. For the first 56 minutes their plan worked to perfection as they held out, often turning the ball over or forcing a mistake after Harlequins had taken it through seven phases or more with huge defensive pressure. After a Damon Smith penalty, it was Mackenzie who made the first decisive move when Fa'aitu Tu'amohleoa made a big burst. He fed Seti Kiole but when he was held up short Tevita Latu was on hand to put the ball over the line to take the lead at 8-3. Scutte kicked a penalty and first made his presence known as a runner after 26 minutes when he ran a nice angle to threaten the line only to be cut down by Latu. Schutte almost gave Willie Cox a try with his only genuine mistake after 31 minutes but right on halftime he was on hand to kick a penalty to reduce the score to 8-6. Harlequins lost lock Aaron Jones for 10 minutes for a high tackle on Kiole but they won the rucks and mauls 46-24, while Mackenzie took the lineouts 11-2 and the scrums 7-6. Mackenzie conceded nine turnovers to six but received nine penalties to four to balance the ledger. The second half opened with Andrew Smith kicking a booming 43m penalty and at that stage, in spite of having less of the play, Mackenzie were in control. Their defence had negated Harlequins' go forward and the Timaru side were looking a shade one-dimensional. Then, just when they needed it most, Schutte injected himself into the line and in conjunction with Daniel Sparks contrived to put lock Tuita Tauelangi over for a try with bold running and a switch of play. Schutte converted but his best was yet to come. Right on threequarter time Mackenzie kicked hopefully out of defence. Taking the ball at speed Schutte carved his way through the heart of the Mackenzie defence. He was cut down but the Harlequins forwards rumbled up to sustain the movement and with sheer grunt and fast hands found right winger Billy Sheed unmarked on the left wing side to score untouched. That proved to be the defining moment of the final. Mackenzie, who had fought so valiantly, began to wilt as Harlequins started to find gaps. Tauelangi, who played his heart out for the 80 minutes, was centimetres short after 29 minutes of the second half and made a huge charge at the line again after 35 minutes. The last scoring act fell to Schutte as he banged over a penalty after 36 minutes that ensured there would be no escape act for the defending premiers. This was club rugby as it should be. Tough but played in good spirit. Perhaps there were too many errors to satisfy the purists but for those who enjoy a physical and confrontational game, this was it. Harlequins were not as clinical and accurate as they were against Celtic in the semifinal and they were not as clear in their cleanout at the breakdowns. This was due in the main to Mackenzie's commitment and defence. Although they made numerous mistakes Harlequins maintained their composure and didn't panic. They injected Juan Koen and Omar Suliemans off the bench at the right time to lift tired spirits but importantly didn't allow the dangerous Mackenzie backs room. Apart from the Latu try midway through the first spell, they kept the threequarter line locked up. Kiole tried to get into the game but wherever he appeared the result was the same, a tackler around his boot laces. Tauelangi may have been the most visible forward but the entire tight five worked hard and the loose trio were outstanding, led by the tireless Javas Wright. Brett Williamson navigated the ship through the troubled times while brother Jason ensured there were no holes in the midfield. Joel Tuiaki pulled off one big hit on Tu'amohlea early in the match to register an interest. Sheed was not content to stay on his wing and wait. He went looking for work and was rewarded for it. He also looked after the try-scoring machine Kiole. Mackenzie were heroic. They had less possession and were often kept hard on defence but didn't crack until late in the game. The effort told toward the close but they were still in with half a chance with eight minutes to play. Their entire pack should receive the freedom of the village for their courage. Guy McCone was outstanding in the lineout, Sam Lunn went so well in the loose he elevated himself to the NPC team. Lisiate Fa'aoso stepped up a cog and started to look like an international class forward. Damon Smith and Andrew Smith were solid as the inside backs but didn't get enough quality go-forward ball to really shine and wider out they were starved of opportunities. This was an outstanding final played in front of a large and appreciative crowd.
OTAGO
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Varsity A scored 10 points in the final 10 minutes to stun the Kaikorai side and supporters with a 27-17 victory in the Premier final played at Carisbrook. Racing away to a 14 nil lead early on , it all looked too easy for the students. But Kaikorai fought back tenaciously and levelled the score twice in the second spell with tries to Alando Soakai and Tom Harding. Both forward packs were evenly matched in the tight with the Kaikorai loosies actually having the slight edge throughout the match. The game could have gone either way until, with 10 minutes remaining, Uni A replacement halfback Garrick Cowley scampered over for a try which was converted by Matt Berquist, Berquist quickly adding a penalty to put the result beyond doubt.
SOUTHLAND
Woodlands are the Southland Club Champions for 2004, putting away a disppointing Marist side 40-8 and take the Galbraith Shield. They turned a 13-3 halftime lead into a second half rout, the Woodlands forward setting a dominant platform for the talent out wide to shine. Marist were simply never in it, being starved of posession for much of the match.
Mataura and Riversdale will play the promotion relegation decider after Riversdale dug deep to hold out Midlands 9-5.
