CLUB RUGBY - Mid Northern hang on to defeat Hora Hora

Mid Northern needed all the points they scored when they were on top in the first spell to beat a fast-finishing Hora Hora 27-22.
The Hukeranui-based side started the match with a hiss and a roar, with a David Howell cut-out pass teeing up a try to full-back Vaughan Going in the second minute to set the tone for the next 40 minutes at Hora Hora Park.
Such was the extent of their domination, both in the forwards and in the backs, that when Kyron Pita scored in the 15th minute even the Hora Hora bench were muttering words like "rout" and "thrashing".
The floodgates seemed ready to open as Mid Northern made the most of a flood of possession but a combination of desperate Hora Hora defence and an early season lack of polish by the visitors limited them to just two more tries before the break.
The surprise was that Hora Hora, who had been kept to just a couple of half-chances on the break during the spell, scored to make the half-time score 22-5, with Warren Dunn scoring a try off the back of a great Isimali Levuimata run.
It looked as though the late try was going to be an aberration when replacement fullback Clint Going touched down at the beginning of the second spell to make it 27-5 but it turned out to be the last time Mid Northern would trouble the scorer.
Hora Hora got back to their game plan and kept the ball in the forwards and they managed to do what they had laboured at unsuccessfully in the first spell - deprive the visitors of possession and territory - and that led to a Rukuwai Waata try in the 56th minute.
The try ended the helter skelter approach to the match for Mid Northern and they began to defend more clinically and in the end that may have saved the game for them.
Hora Hora improved as the match went on and, with Mid Northern forced to make changes in the forwards, their dominance only increased.
When the visitors' scrum was pushed off the ball just five metres from their line with 15 minutes still to play, Mid Northern were left hanging on for the final whistle.
With five minutes to play, one of Hora Hora's standout backs, Logan Wendt, fielded his own chip kick after the bounce of the ball defeated Clint Going in the in-goal area to touch down.
Then, in a fitting end to the match for the Hora Hora faithful, Levuimata capitalised on another defensive error to score the home side's fourth try.
The Hora Hora bench were overjoyed to take a second bonus point from the game by closing the gap to 27-22, when midway through the first spell all they were hoping for was to limit the size of the defeat.
In other matches on Saturday, Mid Western added weight to the speculation that they will be a force in the competition this year, with a comfortable 22-10 win over Marist.
Wellsford easily took care of Old Boys 32-10, while Kamo were too strong for Waipu at Caledonian Park 32-18.
On Friday night at Hikurangi, the hosts were upset by the Western Sharks 13-11.