Veteran Foxton prop Dave McErlean on the charge against Rahui in the Ramsbotham Cup final at Levin Domain. Photo / Bruce Falloon
Veteran Foxton prop Dave McErlean on the charge against Rahui in the Ramsbotham Cup final at Levin Domain. Photo / Bruce Falloon
A steaming stack of muddy bodies lay piled on top of each other with just minutes to go in the Horowhenua-Kāpiti club rugby final between Rahui and Foxton at Levin Domain at the weekend.
As the layers peeled away, it was anybody’s guess who had scored the late try to put Foxton ahead 28-27, with the conversion to come.
Somewhat unsurprisingly, it was 171-game veteran prop Dave McErlean who rose from the deep gripping the ball tightly under his arm.
The 37-year-old scored a similar try the last time Foxton won the Ramsbotham Cup in the 2019 championship final, beating Waikanae 31-25 at Levin Domain.
“It was just a pick and go. Just instinct,” he said.
Foxton lock Kale Eriksson reaches high in a line-out in his teams 30-27 final win against Rahui at Levin Domain.
McErlean was up at 5am to milk his cows the following morning. It’s a busy time of year – calving season. Once he had finished feeding out, he planned to head to the Foxton clubrooms for some lunch.
“I’ve got the afternoon off though,” he said.
The Foxton win was a bit of a whānau affair for a group of cousins who are all farmers. McErlean was joined in the starting line-up by cousins Dion McErlean (prop), Paulie McErlean (blindside flanker) and centre Connor Paki, who also scored a try in the final.
Playing alongside whānau created memories. McErlean said he was considering retiring from rugby, but the prospect of playing alongside is son Preston could see him return next year.
Preston, 17, is an up-and-coming front-row forward who planned to play for Foxton next year after finishing school.
“He’s played a couple of games for the Bs, but we’ve never played together,” McErlean said.
The usually golf green-like surface at Levin Domain turf had turned quickly to mud due to significant rainfall that morning and the night before.
It always going to be an arm-wrestle in the wet and the scoreline swung back and forth all game.
Foxton opened the scoring with a penalty to fullback Arana Murphy. Rahui hit back with a try to centre Kapu Broughton-Winterburn, converted by winger Alizay Roach, who added a penalty soon after to take the lead 10-3.
Foxton winger Mason Pakau-Wallace gets tackled by Rahui winger Paora Connor-Phillips in the Ramsbotham Cup final at Levin Domain. Photo / Bruce Falloon
Then No 8 Mikaere Harvey scored Foxton’s first try, converted by Murphy. Roach and Murphy then traded penalties to level the score at 13-13, before Rahui edged ahead again with a try to halfback Leon Ellison.
It was so gloomy, the lights at Levin Domain were turned on at halftime and shortly afterwards, Rahui extended their lead with another Roach penalty before the Paki try kept Foxton in the game. It was converted by Murphy to give them a 23-21 lead.
Then Roach, who wasn’t the competition’s leading points scorer for nothing, sent back-to-back penalties sailing straight down the middle to give his team a 27-23 lead, and there the score stayed until the late McErlean try.
There was no loss of caste for the classy Rahui team, who were gallant in defeat. They had been the in-form team all season – defending champions and unbeaten in their last 27 games.
They were favourites on form alone, although the heavy conditions possibly played into the hands of the Foxton and proved to be the leveller.
Rahui came close to repeating a feat not achieved since the 1950s, in having both senior teams’ clubs win and complete the double. In the curtain-raiser Rahui had won the Bill Muir senior reserve final, beating Athletic 10-3.
But kudos belonged with Foxton, the team and those who work hard behind the scenes.
Head coach Tom Zimmerman led a large coaching group that included former All Blacks halfback Dave Loveridge and former provincial coach Peter Kemp, alongside Josh Sheilds and Tipu Luke.
Zimmerman said there had been some good work done behind the scenes by the likes of Luke in getting players enthused and creating a healthy club culture.
Scoreboard: Ramsbotham Cup Senior Final: Foxton 30 (C Paki, D McErlean, M Harvey, Arana Murphy 3 pen 3 con) Rahui 27 (K Broughton-Winterburn, L Ellison tries, A Roach 5 pen, con). Halftime: Rahui 18 Foxton 16.
