Whanganui fall short against hard-running Saracens
By Jared Smith (picture by Kiwi TV. Try-scorer Alesana Tofa.)
Steelform Whanganui got a lot out of their plentiful assets and just finished shy on their deficits after a 40-33 loss to regular preseason rivals the Hawke’s Bay Saracens at Taihape’s Memorial Park on Saturday.
In a back-and-forth encounter against their young and fit opposition, who favoured powerful ball carrying and moving swiftly to the fringes, Whanganui were able to pressure the Saracens set piece – especially at scrum time through their stacked prop group – and initially in the lineouts as the visitors made their share of overthrows.
The lead changed hands seven times, but Saracens had the athletic giants to break tackles and attack from their own half – scoring right on halftime to lead 26-21 and then crucially in the 69th minute on a deep breakout for a crucial 40-28 advantage.
Whanganui got back and despite a couple of mistakes earned territory through their scrum and the boot of skipper Dane Whale to close the gap to seven points, but rang out of clock to force an equaliser.
As a trial game demands, coach Jason Hamlin was still rotating players including three temporary fill-in’s, while also giving some of his younger players more game time, whereas Saracens were able to bring on talent like try-scoring New Zealand Under 20’s flanker Cooper Flanders, who had a big bearing on proceedings throughout the second half.
Unsurprisingly, Whanganui’s standouts were found up front – a returning Hadlee Hay-Horton being used in the midfield battering ram role when he started alongside Raymond Salu and try-scoring hooker Roman Tutauha.
Emmanuel Wineera was packing down when Whanganui twisted Saracens scrum in front of their posts which led to the Taihape firm of lock PT Hay-Horton and winger Tiari Mumby combining for a penalty quick tap try, while facing two club-mates and rivals from Hawke’s Bay, Konradd Newland scored his second try in two weeks.
The younger brother of Black Fern Sosoli and NZ Heartland XV prop Viki, reserve hooker Alesana Tofa is still getting the kinks out of his lineout throwing, but his work-rate and hustle is excellent – snatching a lineout bat down to dash off for Whanganui’s last try in the 74th minute to give themselves a chance of snatching a draw.
It was great to see the youngsters in flanker Neo Tichbon and No8 Josefa Namosimalua get a full hit out, and although they made a couple of errors in the muddy conditions, they were up for everything on attack and defence.
Whanganui were undermanned in the midfield with Apolosi Tanoa a late scratching, and then in a big blow, fullback Sheldon Pakinga had to come off before halftime with a leg injury after having a brilliant opening 30 minutes – setting up a great try to club mate Peceli Malanicagi with a dash and chip kick, stopping Saracens second-five Gibson Popoalii scoring with a fine cover tackle, and slotting two conversions.
Halfback Winslin Klassen showed a surprising new string to his bow by popping over the conversion for Newland’s try while Pakinga was getting treatment.
Alongside non-squad member locks Brad O’Leary and Ngapuke Patea, Taihape veteran Luke Whale came down to help out his younger brother Dane’s team and shifted into second-five for the second half, really impressing Hamlin.
It is likely for the last preseason game against Wellington Development that Whanganui will have another revamped midfield with returning incumbents, while the news is even better regarding injured flanker Jamie Hughes, whose knee might only keep him out for another week or so.
So despite Saturday’s narrow loss, the coach was pleased with those filling the breach.
“We’re asking for attitude and effort, and that’s what we got, so I’m really happy on that space,” said Hamlin.
“Things like the execution and decision making, we have to be better than that, so we have to work on at trainings.
“But they’re doing all the things that we ask them to do and they’re making our job harder, to make that final [squad] selection.
“The first half , the style we were trying to incorporate, we got to where we wanted to but we were just a little impatient on it, with the offloads as oppose to taking the ball to ground.
“That one-on-one tackling stuff, and when [Saracens] got over the game line their ruck speed was really good, gave them more time on ball and that just gave them space.
“Josefa had his first game in over a month – he had a few rough edges on his game, a few mistakes, but jeez didn’t he look good attacking that ball?
“I thought young Neo Tichbon played really well, he probably will look at a few mistakes he made, but I thought he just looked like a rep player out there – he made tackles, got over the ball, contesting stuff, he’ll only get better being part of the group.”
Hamlin was happy with his senior locks in PT Hay-Horton and a returning Josh Lane, which means when Matt Ashworth comes back the depth returns to this area.
“Luke Whale just turned up, stepped into the mark for us and he defended well. I said to him in front of the boys, ‘turn up on Tuesday, mate, because you gave yourself another opportunity’,” said Hamlin.
“We would have liked to have seen another try or two and stopped a couple of theirs, but bigger stuff of being where we want to get to and exposing more players to his level of rugby, it’s looking good.
“There’s a distinct difference when some of our old stages are there and we’re looking assured, and when the other boys come on so it’s about growing them into that space.
“Aslena Tofa looks like a little pocket rocket doesn’t he? I was really happy with his performance – he’ll get better at the nuts and bolts of being a hooker but around the field he puts shoulders on people and he attacks it when he runs – no doubt as to what he’s doing.”
Saracens made a quick start following an early Whanganui fumble, with flanker Iakopo Mapu combining with centre Bethel Malasia to attack down the far touch, before No8 and skipper Xavier McCorkingdale barged his way through, with first-five Hoera Stephenson converting.
But if the visitors wanted open spaces, Whanganui didn’t mind the dark places, as from a penalty lineout, the pack drove ahead of Tutauha, who barked where he wanted the momentum to shift, before diving over off the back of the maul untouched.
Pakinga converted, and then from a scrum in their own half, he got the long pass from Klassen and beat his man before putting in a perfect in-field kick for the motoring Malanicagi to regather and dash under the posts for 14-7.
Saracens hit back through winger Majella Tufuga, who ran wide and sythed through some diving tackles to out wide, and then after second-five Gibson Popoalii made a big bust, a high tackle saw his team get an attacking lineout, with lock and former Whanganui player Semi Vodosese finding a channel to dash through more diving tacklers to score under the posts for a 19-14 turnaround.
Pakinga hurt his leg in a cover tackle as he carried on centre Silio Waqalevu’s strong run into Saracens territory, but Whanganui stayed the course, attacking through the pack on either side of the posts, and despite some Saracens try-line defence, Newland eventually found the gap for another lead change at 21-19.
Whanganui should have carried that advantage into the break, but an unfortunate handling error carrying out of their 15m gave Saracens a late chance and they didn’t squander it – Mapu kicking the legs through the defence line and although slipping short – reaching out to score a seven-pointer on halftime.
The visitors swiftly regained the lead after the break when they spun the Saracens scrum, and PT Hay-Horton spun through a tackler and made a one-handed offload to clubmate Mumby, who did a spin of his own through the last defender to score – Dane Whale keeping it in the club with the conversion.
Saracens lifted their tempo – breaking out from their half after a slight slip in the Whanganui lineout on attack, getting down on attack where big ball-runner after big ball-runner all took a turn until eventually fullback Al Momoisea was able to dive over untouched out wide to again take the lead at 33-28.
It looked like the Saracens had sealed it when reserve winger Te Kahika Thompson beat two tacklers down the sideline, finding another fresh reserve in Kaliova Mocetadra back inside, who set up the influential Flanders to dash away to score on the other side of the posts.
Down 40-28 with time running out, Whanganui worked for position with another scrum turnover penalty and Whale’s territory kicking, and although Saracens stopped a potential try in the corner and cleared, Lane deflected the lineout down into Tofa’s hands to sprint through and hold off the remaining defender to score.
Whanganui got back down again with time running out, but Saracens scrambled well to isolate the last ball carrier and take them over the touchline on fullltime.
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p style=”text-align: justify;”>Hawke’s Bay Saracens 40 (X McCorkingdale, M Tufuga, S Vodosese, I Mapu, A Momoisea, C Flanders tries; H Stephenson 5 con) bt Whanganui 33 (R Tutauha, P Malanicagi, K Newland, T Mumby, A Tofa tries; S Pakinga 2 con, W Klassen con, D Whale con). HT: 26-21.
