Whanganui Women win Cooks Gardens thriller
By Jared Smith : Pictures by Kiwi TV
Their opposition are nicknamed the ‘Trailblazers’, and perhaps the Chesters Plumbing & Bathroom Whanganui Women’s team could be called the ‘Jail-breakers’, after two tries in 90 seconds snatched a stunning 34-29 win at Cooks Gardens on Saturday.
Kickoff for the inaugural Women’s Heartland competition saw a determined King Country show up ready to play, bringing some hard-running forwards and smart distributers in their backline.
Other than a solid Whanganui comeback shortly before halftime to temporarily lead 17-14, the visitors held their advantage right up until the last three minutes.
Two fantastic runs down the touchline by prop Harmony Kinloch and then lock Leigha Stormont set up tries by winger Paris Munro and flanker Anahera Hamahona to first equalise and then take the lead in the 80th minute for the proverbial “get out of jail” victory.
Munro and Hamahona’s tries were their second after excellent games, along with centre Brooklyn Walker making a series of crucial busts, while No8 Waimarie Rauhina stayed intense on attack and defence, grappling with the impressive King Country pack.
The visitor’s best were well-rounded first-five Nicola Chase, goal-kicking centre Kowhai Boynton-Rameka, imposing lock Karli Feneva, and the two Foua’s at prop – Tiana and Uleah.
Whanganui getting the first-up win with a bonus point is an important launch for this six-team competition, where the top two sides at the end of the round-robin will contest the championship final in Taupo on September 23.
But as this was the first game since early-June for the majority of the side, coach Junior Nepia knows there is plenty of work to do.
“That’s not a bad mindset to have, we’re not where we want to be, particularly defence.
“We let ourselves down in that area quite a few times, purely just by not getting off the line.
“Attack sort of took care of itself – they knew where the space was, a lot of the time you can’t teach that, and they’re willing to chance their hand and have a go.”
The team got a sense of how physical this new level of representative rugby could be, with no major injuries but a lot of sore calf muscles and soft tissue.
“Building blocks, even for the team it’s good just to get that one under the belt and out of the way,” said Nepia.
“King Country, wow, they got some great ball-runners and you can just see it in them – they’re here to play rugby, great display from both teams.”
Nepia was delighted by his team’s determination to play right to the finish, planning to have a crack from the restart after Munro’s late converted try which made it 29-29.
“I was calling for Alice [Ireton] to kick, and they were like, ‘nah, mate, this is what’s happening’.
“They chanced their hand and it come out, so heart attack aside, they’re ready to express themselves and I’ll take that.”
It was a tough start of the home side, who were trapped inside their own half, and the weight of possession eventually told as a penalty saw King Country flanker Matewehe King score off the quick tap.
Chase made a long run to bring her team back on attack, and while Munro turned the ball over, Whanganui could not clear their half from the scrum, and second-five Nelly Te Tawhero attacked.
From the ruck, Chase set up the next phase, and when Whanganui were pinged again, Uleah Foua bulldozed through from the tap, Boyton-Rameka slotting the kick in front for 14-0 after 25 minutes.
Whanganui got the turnover from the restart, with Kinloch and Hamahona attacking down the carpark touchline, before fullback Georgia Adams, winger Te Amorangi Karaitiana, second-five De-Ann Tyrell and flanker Samara Pahl-Long worked to give Munro a chance on the other wing.
King Country knocked the ball down, and Hamahona took the tap stepped through defenders to score.
That galvanised Whanganui into action as their talented backline began to open up opportunities.
After King Country lost their lineout, first-five Keisha Campbell took a low pass and fired it out to Adams, who slipped through a missed tackle and took off, turning the ball back inside for Karaitianna to dash off under the posts, Campbell converting for 14-12.
An attacking scrum saw Walker run the angle and commit two defenders before an over-the-top pass to Hamahona, who fed Munro to beat her market and score in the corner.
The 17-14 lead was short-lived, and King Country reasserted themselves from the kickoff, with Boyton-Rameka taking a great long pass to score shortly before halftime.
King Country kept it up straight after the resumption, Feneva making a determined run to the corner, with flanker Katelin Huata following up to score for 24-17 in the 44th minute.
The penalty count was building against the visitors, especially for offside, which let Whanganui get into their dangerzone, where Karaitiana took a quick tap, and on the next phase, Rauhina smashed into the line and got some pushers in behind her to crash over.
Coming into the final quarter and both sides were slowing down, which made bench impact crucial, and King Country began to get a couple of penalties of their own, calmly working into position off an attacking scrum, with a long ball eventually coming to halfback Josie Muraahi, who had moved to the midfield, to slip the last tackle and dive over in the 75th minute.
Seemingly safe with the clock running down, King Country kicked clear of their territory, but Whanganui worked back to halfway with Kinloch having stayed wide, and she fended off her defender and took off, finding the best possible support in the speedy Munro to take the inside pass and run behind the posts for Ireton to slot the equalising kick.
It seemed like 29-29 would be the final score, but King Country were slow on the restart chase, and when Stormont claimed it and fended off her tackler, she found nothing but open space, dashing into the 22m with a motoring Hamahona frantically waving her arms to receive another inside pass and dive through the despairing cover tackle for the match-winner.
Whanganui 34 (P Munro 2, A Hamahona 2, T Karaitiana, W Rauhina tries; K Campbell con, A Ireton con) bt King Country 29 (M King, U Foua, K Boyton-Rameka, K Huata, J Muraahi tries; Boyton-Rameka 2 con). HT: 19-17 King Country.
DEVELOPMENT XV: It was a tough trip to Masterton for the McFall Fuel Whanganui Development XV, beaten 50-31 by Wairarapa-Bush Development on the artificial turf at Memorial Park on Saturday. Playing without a couple of their props who were moved up to the Steelform Whanganui squad, the Development XV trailed 24-14 at halftime, with play really opening up in the second stanza.
UNDER 18: The Whanganui U18 Girls team kicked of their campaign as the Cooks Garden curtain-raiser to the Women’s Heartland game on Saturday. Facing a solid Taranaki U18 side, Whanganui were deadlocked 5-5 at halftime, but over-run in the second half for a 29-12 loss. They play King Country U18 in Te Kuiti on Sunday.
SCHOOLS: The Whanganui High School 1st XV picked up a 15-5 home victory over Horowhenua College on Saturday in MRU Premier 1. In Premier 2, Cullinane College 1st XV defeated Tararua College 31-0 at home, in a big day for the school as the Cullinane U15’s won their Youth 3 semifinal over Palmerston North Boys High U14B 15-10. Premier 2 (Top 4) saw Whanganui Collegiate 2nd XV win 20-5 at home against PNBHS Colts, while Ruapehu College 1st XV lost 10-3 to Manukura in Ohakune. In Youth 1 (Top 4), Collegiate Black beat PNBHS U15B away, 19-0.
GIRLS: In the MRU Secondary School Girls midweek competition, Whanganui High School leads the table following a default win over Waiopehu College on Wednesday. Cullinane College moves back to second place after a 10-7 loss to Feilding High.
WOMEN’S NPC: The Manawatu Cyclones continue to lead the Farah Palmer Cup Championship group after an important 31-27 away win over Otago Spirit in Dunedin on Saturday. Whanganui expat Hollyrae Mete got a double including the winning try in the 79th minute, the second of two tries her team snatched inside the last four minutes. Sosoli Talawadua was a hooker while Mia Maraku was on the bench. Meanwhile, the Taranaki Whio with their Whanganui flanker Hayley Gabriel got their first win of the season, beating North Harbour 31-19 in Auckland.
