The rest of the first half, if not anticlimactic, was more about short, jabbing bursts by both sets of forwards as opposed to backline movements from sideline to sideline.
YMP No.6 Willis Tamatea and fellow flanker Shyann Wyllie, before he was injured, were influential at the lineout and general play while for Tapuae, rake-come-scrum anchor Wayne Hema was most deserving of his side’s Taste One Most Valuable Player award. Veteran Hema and openside flanker Keanu Taumata gave their all.
From a sequence that took play from his own corridor to the right and then back again over 10 phases of play, Iowane’s wing-partner Tatana Smith was the man to dot the ball down in the corner.
Smith’s try gave them a 5-0 lead at the break.
The kick-off to restart again saw the ball go loose. Referee Terry Reeves awarded Tapuae an attacking scrum on the 22, just to the left of the posts.
The hosts went right and five passes later, second-five Rana Hubbard gave a great assist to Filimone, who beat two men to score in the corner 42. Manuel-Harman converted for 12-0.
In the 47th minute, Hubbard scored after a YMP goal-line restart went awry. YMP took aim to the right, the ball was spilt on the catch and then the attempt to kick the ball clear was charged down. Hubbard’s hands were good enough to secure possession. He scored 11m to the right of the posts for 17-0.
From that moment, YMP came back hard. They put a huge scrum-push on Tapuae shortly after and, in the 56th minute, were given a penalty 15m in front of Tapuae’s posts.
Reserve tighthead prop James Higgins tap-kicked the ball and went hard through four would-be tacklers to score 16m in from the right corner.
Purvis’s conversion closed the score to 17- 7.
Not to be outdone by YMP MVP Higgins, his propping partner Nehe Papuni, who played a great all-round game, likewise scored off a tap-kick penalty.
The tap was taken 13m from Tapuae’s goal-line, 11m in from the right corner. YMP went left, surged forward twice under the cross-bar and a gut-wrenching third effort from Papuni won rich reward.
Purvis converted Papuni’s try in the 79th minute for Tapuae to still lead narrowly 17-14. There was time for one more hearty charge from YMP No.8 Stuart Leach.
Victory came at a high price for Tapuae. In the 65th minute, Manuel-Harman suffered a fracture to his left leg that could see him out for four to eight weeks.
