Tamatea said: “At the end of the day, a win is a win and we’ll take it. This championship is so competitive that anyone can beat anyone, so we’re pleased to have come away with a W away from home after playing 84 minutes for it.”
Tamatea’s opposite, Nathan Thompson, while disappointed that his team lost the closest game of Week 4, praised their great-hearted effort.
“That was a really good game of Heartland footy with teams giving it all they had,” Thompson said.
“We competed hard at the breakdown to maintain possession — the defensive goal for the other side is always to slow that down — and the Coast certainly made it hard for us to gather momentum.”
Buller scrum-anchor and skipper Anthony Ellis led the hosts’ big pack with relish. The blue-and-red forwards’ strong showing earned the tallest of their number — 206cm reserve lock Joel Emerson — the home team’s MVP (most valuable player) award.
Ellis, Buller captain of three years, said: “We played well in patches, but needed to sustain longer periods of good play. I thought it could truly have gone both ways — our tight five played all 84 (minutes) and, as always against the Coast, it was a great game up front.”
The Sky Blues performance analyst and Black Fern Charmaine McMenamin won the Coast’s equivalent as Kaupoi (East Coast Cowboy).
Ellis won the toss and chose direction, Coast first five-eighth Terangi Fraser kicking off with 600 in attendance and a gentle northerly breeze at the visitors’ backs on a sunny, clear day at Westport.
NPEC were penalised by Canterbury referee Danny Moore for offside play centreground in the 10th minute and Buller first-five Jack Parker’s 37-metre penalty goal made the score 3-0.
In the 33rd minute, the Sky Blues scored the first try of the game — with a conversion from Fraser — for 7-3. Moore ruled offside play against Buller at a ruck 10m off the right touch, five metres out from their own goal-line. Parkes opted to tap-kick, and the Kaupoi probed twice down the blindside before loosehead prop Hakarangi Tichborne went in to score in the corner.
With halftime upon them and playing under advantage, Parker chose to tap-kick on a mark five metres out from the Kaupoi goal-line, 13m in from the left corner. Pressing right, Buller’s forwards went to work and from the second ruck, Everson’s second-row partner Caleb Havili took the ball on the crash and scored, 15m infield.
Havili’s try was unconverted but the Southerners led 8-7 at the break.
At the 44-minute mark, Buller rake Leopino Maupese found blindside flanker Kyle Te Tai at a lineout off the left touch at halfway. Four phases of play later, Moore penalised the Sky Blues centreground, 49m out, for illegal use of the hands in the ruck. Given the nod by Ellis, Parker kicked a penalty for 11-7.
After 62 minutes, one of Buller’s biggest weapons fired.
From a scrum 17m out from the NPEC goal-line, set eight metres off the right touch, Parkes found fullback Renata Roberts-Te Nana down the short side for the clearing kick.
Roberts-Te Nana’s kick was fielded by fullback Michael Stringer six metres into the Sky Blues’ territory and he surged to the 22. Havili and No.8 George Reeves then carted the ball up and finally right wing Blaine Meikle got the ball to mighty left wing Iliesa Tora, who got the ball down in the corner and Buller went 16-7 up. Parker converted for 18-7.
In the 63rd minute, Parker made a fateful decision, one that perhaps turned the game.
Buller having made little ground from a scrum at halfway, he put a grubber-kick down towards the left corner. Fraser kept the ball in play and it went through two sets of hands before left wing Tevita Nabura busted Buller out wide. Eight metres into Buller territory, he held the ball up one-handed and Roberts-Te Nana raced through off the Nabura flick to score under the crossbar.
Fraser converted that amazing try and the Coast had closed it to 18-14.
The Kaupoi had their dander up. In the 77th minute, giant reserve lock Riki Waitoa won a lineout 13m into the Buller 22, on the right touch. Over the next six phases of play, the Coast heaved left, then back, before rake Jorian Tangaere scored a metre to the right of the posts. The visitors now led 19-18. With Fraser’s conversion, the score was 21-18.
Moore having adjudged the Kaupoi to be offside in the 80th minute, Parker landed a 24m penalty goal. Buller had drawn level at 21-all to push the game into golden-point extra time.
Fraser brought the game to an end in the 82nd minute.
Moore penalised Buller for playing the ball with their hands at a ruck 26m from their goal-line, 15m off the right touch, and Fraser kicked his fourth goal of the day for 24-21 to seal the Coast’s first-ever win in golden-point extra time.
