Action from the Moerewa-Wellsford match in the Tyrepower Northland Premier rugby competition from over the weekend. Photo / Imran Ali
Action from the Moerewa-Wellsford match in the Tyrepower Northland Premier rugby competition from over the weekend. Photo / Imran Ali
Ngāti Hine Moerewa have kept their Tyrepower Northland Premier club rugby competition playoff hopes alive with a hard-fought 24-17 win over Wellsford, despite losing two players to the bin.
In the end, the sides were separated by Wellsford’s inability to capitalise on numerous scoring opportunities to at least level the scores in the final 10 minutes of an error-laden match in Kawakawa on Saturday.
The visitors started strongly and were up on the scoreboard at halftime, owing in part to a simple gameplan executed well. A pleasant first half - weather-wise - suited Wellsford better as former All Black Rene Ranger, loose forward Sage Walters-Hansen and wing Matt Wright probed the flanks for opportunities to exploit.
After an early penalty miss from right in front, fullback Shaye Te Haara touched down in the corner for Wellsford’s first try.
The hosts hit back not long after with patient build-up play. Recce Dephoff fielded a loopy pass on the right wing and offloaded the ball to Royce Sanderson, who flicked an inside pass to Ryan Nankivell to dot down under the posts.
Moerewa relied on the trusted boot of Nankivell to play in the right areas of the field but ill-discipline blighted the team from getting into the Wellsford 22 to launch more driving plays, more pick-and-goes, and tiring out the opposition defence.
Wellsford pounced on a Moerewa infringement for a high tackle, followed by a penalty in a ruck. Wright ran away in the corner to score.
Wellsford halfback Ross Neal sets up an attack from the base of a scrum in his side's loss to Moerewa. Photo / Imran Ali
Showers after the break seemed to galvanise Moerewa, and the ball carriers began taking it up the guts in midfield attacks, as well as shifting the ball wide to their wingers in the wet.
Beefy Justin Davies ripped into Wellsford with the ball while lock Axel Goodhue not only contested the breakdowns but tackled everything that moved. They found their mojo - and the tryline.
Moerewa began hitting the rucks quicker and executed their offloading and running game a smidgen better than the opening half.
A chip ahead ricocheted off a Wellsford player and Joshua Davis got the lucky bounce to level the scores. Dephoff put his side in front for the first time before Davis bagged his second, but ill-discipline reared its ugly head just when the different parts of Moerewa’s game began to trouble the visitors.
Two yellow cards to Moerewa followed in succession and Wellsford upped the tempo with a numerical advantage. They had the players who could finish the job. They should have nailed the door shut, given the amount of possession they had.
Moerewa prop Craven Martin hobbles off the field with a cramp. Photo / Imran Ali
What Wellsford did not have was finishing, although coach-player Ross Wright pulled one back. However, missed opportunities like playmaker Tamatea Winiana knocking the ball on on the tryline after scooping a clever grubber kick from Ranger summed up the second half for Wellsford.
“They brought a few fresh legs at halftime and picked up the pace. We tried to get into their 22 with 10 minutes to go but a lack of urgency at the rucks and they managed to effect turnovers,” Wright said.
His side was pretty happy with the lead at halftime but errors and a lack of urgency on the scoreboard cost them in the end, he said.
Despite the narrow loss, Wright was upbeat about his team making the playoffs but admits they have to win the remaining three games to get there.
Moerewa mentor Wayne Martin isn’t looking too far ahead.
“We are taking one game at a time, and try and improve each week. It was a tight battle and you can’t take anything away from Wellsford. We really had to work for the win.”
His message at halftime was to focus on the set piece, to work hard at the tackled ball area, and to tidy up their defence. Martin said his players had to work hard to cover the two players in the bin.
“We’ll talk about our discipline again and the boys have got to realise we can’t be giving away yellow cards at this time of the year when we are trying to make the playoffs.
His focus at training this week before playing Kerikeri on Saturday would be on his players getting off the ground a lot quicker at the breakdown.
The race for the top-four finish is heating up, and Moerewa, Wellsford and Kerikeri, in fifth, sixth and seventh place respectively, have a chance to squeeze into the top four, currently dominated by Mid Northern, Kamo, Western Sharks and Hora Hora.
“It’s tight when you’ve got seven teams vying for the top four spots. But hey, that’s why we play in this competition. It goes to show how healthy it is and how tight it can be,” Martin said.
Hora Hora beat Old Boys Marist 35-22 in the other Premier games played over the weekend, Kamo won over Waipu 33-26, Mid Northern at home won convincingly over Kerikeri 40-13, and the Sharks pipped Hikurangi 19-13.
