Ngamatapouri’s playoff hopes dashed with wave of red card

By Jared Smith

For a moment, if a fleeting moment, Settler’s Honey Ngamatapouri were looking at priceless Tasman Tanning Premier bonus points, if not more, against Byford Readimix Taihape up the Waitotara Valley on Saturday.

But with the wave of a red card and then a mounting injury toll amongst an overstretched and limping backline, the last and best hope of fourth spot was gone, as the defending champions turned up the heat and got into their work for a 77-17 blowout.

Both teams brought around 19 players into the match – Taihape playing without coach Tom Wells present while regular skipper Matt Brown was only going to take the field in an emergency.

Brown wasn’t needed, as acting skipper Dylan Gallien turned in a sublime performance  -continuing his burgeoning reputation as ‘Mr Perpetual Motion’ by attacking off the ruck or backing up initial busts to score a quartet of tries, which increased his overall tally to nine in the last five matches.

But it took about quarter of the match before his side found their groove, only leading 12-10, before Ngamatapouri’s best attacking hope Timoci ‘Jim’ Seruwalu had a rush of blood he would regret.

After tangling with Taihape’s talented teenaged winger Tiari Mumby at a breakdown – the youngster’s shirt ripped as he was lifted off the ground by upset home forwards – words continued after the separation and Seruwalu marched up to give Mumby a 1-2 to the face.

Referee Sean Fergusson had no choice but to issue the red card and Ngamatapouri were now at desperately long odds without their Steelform Wanganui training squad midfielder, who had already scored a barnstorming 60m try.

Playing overextended opposition was tailor-made for Taihape’s brains trust of double try-scoring halfback Tyler-Rogers Holden and first-five Dane Whale, while the forward pack continued to give their side dominant field position – so come midway through the second half everyone was queuing up for their opportunity to score.

Ngamatapouri lost outside back after outside back to leg injuries as they constant scrambled on cover defence – their remaining standout player Samu Kubunavanua at one point staying on the field but resting against the goal posts as he tried to recover to give another burst.

The home side had no more firepower left to find another two tries for the priceless bonus point, as Taihape’s forwards offloaded amongst themselves for five tries in a row in the clubroom’s left-hand corner – Gallien dashing off for three of them while his bench  demanded a glowing write-up.

“I’m sure the boys will let me know about it. Just trying to do my part and everyone’s playing well – it’s the reward of what the team’s doing,” the acting skipper said at fulltime.

“It was obviously very warm, starting out the afternoon, but quite proud of the boys.

“It was pretty messy in the first half but we got back to our structure and it all panned out for us.”

Most importantly for Taihape, other than Mumby’s bloody nose, they got out of the valley with no more significant injuries, giving themselves another week’s respite to get through to the semifinals at 100 per cent.

“There’s a few boys carrying a few niggles, we come up here knowing what Ngamat’s like, didn’t want to take them too lightly, but the boys are healing and they’re looking after themselves,” said Gallien.

The same could not be said for their hosts – Ngamatapouri manager Gerald Pearce taking stock of eight significant injuries in two games.

“Especially after last week, we lost three for the season, we’ve had about three out all season and now we’ve got a whole lot more.

“We ran out of players today; we had about 19 to start with, and ended up with 12 on the paddock at times – just horrendous really.

“We had some reasonably high hopes today, even at halftime, even without Jim.

“We were competitive until Jim left, really, and anything could have happened. When you’re down to 13-14, it doesn’t really work.”

It started so well for Ngamatapouri, as with Taihape making a few anxious errors, the home side spun the ball from a turnover in their half and Seruwalu replicated his Round 1 try at Memorial Park by bumping off the outside cover to dash 60m under the posts.

Taihape’s reply came from a home team error – with winger Ryan Karatau snatching a loose offload and linking with his support, before getting the ball back and dashing away down the touchline.

The visitors then hit the front with Ngamatapouri penalised in front of the sticks, as Rogers-Holden scoring another try this season from a classic halfback sneak off the back of the 5m scrum.

After an accidental offside at the kickoff, Taihape offered Ngamatapouri first-five Hone Taurua the chance to close the gap to 12-10 after 16 minutes, but from here it started to fall apart.

Seruwalu departed, as did Mumby briefly for a new jersey and cloth to staunch the blood flow, and from the penalty, Taihape worked forward off the lineout and eventually Whale found the gap beside the posts.

Ngamatapouri kept hope alive when a wild midfield cross kick took a horror bounce for the cover defence and winger Epeli Delasau swooped to gather it and beat his pursuers under the posts for 19-17.

But after a succession of strong carries, Taihape again ended up in front of the posts and got a penalty, with the quick tap fired to Gallien to dive through the last defender on halftime.

Taihape kept it up after the break; isolating deperate Ngamatapouri attackers for turnovers and penalties inside their own 15m, and after a succession of forward drives at the chalk, Rogers-Holden went low to score.

A couple of big busts from Gallien brought Taihape swiftly back into the dangerzone and Mumby had his revenge by taking the last pass with the line open.

After absorbing some rare pressure thanks to good defence by flanker Regan Collier, who twisted his foot on some uneven turf, the pack counterattacked with a solid drive from a penalty lineout, as Gallien again probed off the back, and reserve Hadlee Hay-Horton ran onto the offload for a mismatch with Ngamatapouri halfback Aarron McLoud to score.

Breaking through on halfway, Hay-Horton then linked with No8 Tremaine Gilbert – both using basketball-style offloads – allowing Gallien to dash off to the corner for a forwards try that a backline would be proud of.

A penalty lineout saw the pack make a long drive and the ball was spread wide for new second-five Tyresse Payne to step the last defender of a depleted backline for his first Premier try.

From 53-17, it became a procession, as Ngamatapouri again lost the ball running from their 22m, and Gilbert set up lock Beau Walker for a long dash, with the ball recycled for flanker Lennox Shanks to dive in at the corner.

Prop Ritchie Iorns came back onto the field for a big bust, twisting out of tackles, with the ball spread smartly out to Gallien to once again sprint away to the corner.

Fullback Te Rangitapu McLeod took his chance after another breakout by the forwards across halfway to step through close to the line and score, and then after getting another attacking scrum, the Taihape forwards rumbled up for their skipper Gallien to take it off the back and twist through for his fourth try, with everyone enjoying Iorns slotting a successful conversion on the angle.

Taihape 77 (D Gallien 4, T Rogers-Holden 2, D Whale, R Karatau, T Mumby, H Hay-Horton, T Payne, L Shanks, T McLeod  tries; Whale 6 con, R Irons con) bt Ngamatapouri 17 (T Seruwalu, E Delasau tries; H Taurua pen, 2 con). HT: 26-17.

Other Scores:

Wanganui Rugby Results August 29
Tasman Tanning premier, round 9 –
At Spriggens Park (Grand Hotel Challenge Shield) –
Waverley Harvesting Border 44 (Isaia Hooper 2, Nick Harding 2, Lindsay Horrocks, Tyrone Albert, James McDonald, Semi Vodosese tries, Harding 2 con) bt Dave Hoskin Carriers Marist 10 (Josaia Bogileka, Cajun Teki-Botica tries). HT: 17-5.