Horowhenua-Kāpiti beat North Otago 25-17 on Saturday at Levin Domain. Andrew Knewstubb evades a North Otago opponent.
Horowhenua-Kāpiti beat North Otago 25-17 on Saturday at Levin Domain. Andrew Knewstubb evades a North Otago opponent.
Time stood still at Levin Domain as referee Ben Woolerton consulted with his touch judge.
Woolerton wasn't entirely sure that Horowhenua-Kāpiti replacement lock Simon Butler had scored in the corner. No such thing as a video replay or third umpire here.
There might have been a live-streaming of the game, complete with top-class commentary, but that's where the technology ended. It was a moment of theatre that makes Heartland and grassroots rugby special.
He might have been getting some advice from the North Otago players, but Woolerton looked deep into the eyes of his touch judge for some reassurance. He got the nod, and duly raised his arm and blew his whistle.
It was the winning of the match. With time ticking, the Butler try and subsequent sideline conversion from the left boot of Jack Tatu-Robinson gave HK back the lead. A late Tatu-Robinson penalty took the final score to 25-17 as Woolerton blew for the final time.
All the early play was with North Otago, with pressure leading to a try out wide to prop Kelepi Funaki. The conversion went wide.
HK went into the break 15-5 ahead - they would have wanted to - the westerly wind blowing off Lake Horowhenua was easily worth 10 points.
The wind quotient was evident with a decision to kick at goal with a penalty 55m midway through the first half - normally unthinkable - with Tatu-Robertsson pushing it just wide.
HK got on the board with a try to Andrew Knewstubb out wide on the back of a good skip pass from centre Tautau Kapea.
Not long after HK debutante Bryn Gordon got half a sniff and barged over for a good try, converted by Tatu-Robertsson, and there the score stayed until halftime with only stout defence preventing North Otago from scoring.
But momentum swung the visitors' way early in the second half with tries to fullback Levi Emery and winger Alipate Tuipulotu and they took a 17-12 lead.
Horowhenua-Kāpiti beat North Otago 25-17 on Saturday at Levin Domain. Lennix Tovo is brought down.
With time ticking, a quick penalty tap from flanker Aaron Lahmert set a huge and patient build-up from HK that went through at least 20 phases with players going down with cramp.
With the line beckoning a long pass from HK winger Lennix Tovo found Butler lurking wide. He somehow got the ball down.
The touch judge couldn't have been any closer, and gave referee Woolerton that nod, with Tatu-Robertsson nailing a left-hand sideline conversion with his left boot into the wind.
It was a gutsy win for HK against a tough opponent, and a team with less resolve would have faltered. The HK midfield of Leon Ellison and Tautau Kapea tackled well and perhaps typified a defensive effort that won the day and forced a flood of mistakes.
The win against North Otago gave HK their second win from as many games in 2021, coming a week after narrowly beating West Coast at Greymouth. They top the leaderboard with South Canterbury, Thames Valley and Mid-Canterbury, who were also unbeaten.
Remarkably, eight players made their debut in HK's win against West Coast the weekend prior: Kenan Gillson, Benedict Grant, Tautau Kapea, Andrew Knewstubb, Ash Robinson-Bartlett, Daniel Smith, James Gilland and Simon Butler.
The HK coaching staff blooded even more players against North Otago with stand-out hooker Bryn Gordon rewarded with an early try, while Player of the Day was centre Kapea in what was just his second start.
There could have been even more debutantes with reserves Connor Strang and Thomas Barnsley itching to take the field, but they never got the wink from coach Chris Wilton and will have to bide their time.
Horowhenua-Kāpiti beat North Otago 25-17 on Saturday at Levin Domain. Andrew Knewstubb heads for the tryline.
Gordon had a whale of a game on debut, No 8 Benedict Grant was a force with his carries, and young winger Tovo wasn't afraid to get involved and was hard to contain.
Highly promising young HK prop James Gilland was thrown into a cauldron against a huge and hugely experienced North Otago front row, locking horns with former Otago prop Tristan Fuli.
Gilland, 20, got through a heap of work around the field in what was just his second Heartland match, and no doubt learnt some valuable lessons on the dark art from Fuli.
While there were no spectators allowed during Covid-19 alert level 2, the match was live-streamed on social media with a brilliant live call from Foxton commentator Nathan Paki, showing more than 4000 views.
HK's next game is against East Coast at Levin Domain this weekend.
SCOREBOARD: Horowhenua-Kāpiti 25 (A Knewstubb, B Gordon, S Butler tries, J Tatu-Robertsson 2 pen, 2 con) beat North Otago 17 (K Funaki, A Tuipolotu, L Emery tries, A Magalogo con). Halftime: 15-5.
