KEY POINTS:
Poverty Bay coach Paul Feeney took a calculated gamble in starting Gisborne Boys' High School fullback Charlie Ngatai in today's Lochore Cup rugby final against Horowhenua-Kapiti.
Ngatai repaid Feeney's faith with a try after five minutes before going on to score another in his team's four tries-to-one 26-5 win in Gisborne over Horowhenua-Kapiti, giving Poverty Bay their third successive Lochore Cup title.
"He's a matchwinner and there was no way I was ever not going to start with Charlie," Feeney said.
"He had already played for us previously and only missed out when he was picked for the New Zealand Secondary Schools team and then missed last week's semifinal because of a virus.
"You can't penalise a guy because he's playing for a national side. It's hard on the guy left out but that's part of my job as a coach, putting the best team out on the paddock."
Poverty Bay led 14-5 at halftime and pulled further away after the break.
"Ahead 14-5 at the break it wasn't up to us to make the play but I thought we showed a lot more patience than we have done in other games and that was pleasing," Feeney said.
"We scored four tries, missed a few more and held them to one, we'll take that."
Horowhenua-Kapiti coach Ross Bond had no qualms about the result.
"We were beaten by the better team on the day, no question about it," Bond said.
"The breakdown was crucial and they totally outplayed us, blowing us off the ball around the ruck and ripping the ball away in the mauls.
"Our plan was to try and get the ball out wide to have a go at them but you can't operate when you're getting crap ball."
Horowhenua-Kapiti's only points came 14 minutes after Ngatai's early try when he finished off a move involving second five-eighth Ian Logan and giant Fijian lock Akulia Matanibukaca.
Visiting Fullback Adam Vardey, who along with skipper and openside flanker James Oliver and halfback Michael Papps battled throughout, scored out wide.
First five-eighth Rob Aloe, who had a miserable day with his kicking, failed to convert and Poverty Bay stayed in front at 7-5.
Poverty Bay openside flanker Brent Ingram extended the advantage with a try in the 39th minute.
Captain and first five-eighth Scott Leighton converted for a 14-5 halftime lead and when Poverty Bay left wing Shane Leach scored within a minute of the restart the writing was on the wall for Horowhenua-Kapiti.
Ngatai then showed why he is rated as one of this country's most promising players when he outsprinted two Horowhenua-Kapiti players to a Leighton kick to score his second try.
Leighton, who last week broke Richard Owen's all-time Poverty Bay points scoring record of 464, landed a magnificent sideline conversion.
"When you consider the number of players we lost between last season's final and this, today's result was a good effort," Leighton said.
"There are a lot of good young players coming through and the aim once we failed to qualify for the Meads Cup was to go on and win, not retain, the Lochore Cup."
Poverty Bay 26 (Charlie Ngatai 2, Brent Ingram, Shane Leach tries; Scott Leighton 3 con) Horowhenua Kapiti 5 (Adam Vardey try). Halftime: 12-5.
- NZPA WGT md
