Dannevirke’s Aotea Premiers beat Clive in strong 80-minute performance

The combined Aotea and Clive sides after their match.

Dannevirke’s Aotea Premier Rugby team pulled off a great win against Clive with an excellent try in the last 10 minutes at Rugby Park on Saturday, May 13.

Dannevirke started with huge momentum playing with the wind, their big forwards crashing up the middle and releasing good ball to their lively backs. In no time it was 14-0 with tries converted by Hoera Stephenson but Clive rallied. A quick ball spun wide had their winger in the corner and an impressive conversion brought the score to 14-7.

Aotea responded, their forwards and backs combining effectively but handling errors at critical moments and the stout Clive defence kept the first-half score to 17-7 with Stephenson adding a penalty just before halftime.

Clive launched attack after attack in the second half but Aotea’s defence was much better organised than in previous weeks, restricting Clive to a penalty until a deep kick and pursuit had their opponents in under the posts and the score tied at 17-all.

A burst from a tap by Isaac Paewai sets up the winning try.

On past performances, Aotea would have faltered as the second half progressed but their defence blunted the Clive onslaughts and Aotea began to gain the advantage.

It was an epic battle for the last 20 minutes, Aotea’s backs with Stephenson and Waka Petera in the midfield carved through their opponents but missed opportunities to add to their score.

Clive had a player sin-binned, which allowed Aotea to put big pressure on their red zone but the result could have gone either way.

However, a tap penalty by Isaac Paewai and his subsequent 20-metre burst helped break the deadlock as he set up captain Gene Ropoama to crash over in the corner.

Stephenson, kicking into the strong wind, was unable to convert and the five-point advantage was not a cause for optimism as Clive used the kick-and-chase approach to gain territory. However, Aotea’s defence stood firm and a penalty awarded 40 metres out in midfield saw Stephenson land a super kick to make the score 25-17 on full time.

Forward coach Graham McNair said he was pleased with the team’s efforts, particularly the defence, and he feels sitting mid-table in the Premier League is a good place for Aotea with other beatable teams coming up.