And in the second half, we woke up and played rugby

The old clich? of rugby being a game of two halves was being trotted out after Wairarapa-Bush's narrow 29-26 loss to a Wellington XV in the Jimmy Cotter Memorial Trophy match played at Memorial Park, Masterton yesterday.
The home team was so completely outgunned in the first spell that Wellington had reason to feel somewhat cheated that their halftime lead was no more than 19-0.
They ran in two tries, one of them converted, inside the first 10 minutes and often made Wairarapa-Bush look nothing short of pedestrian as they moved the ball through the hands at pace and continually created overlaps out wide.
That they ended that first half with just the three tries was more good luck than good management on Wairarapa-Bush's part.
Not only did were they continually bamboozled by the slick passing and impressive support play of their opposition but even in the tighter phases of the forward game like ruck and maul they struggled to cope with the assertiveness and drive of the Wellington pack.
The rolling maul, in particular, was an area where Wellington shone although they were helped there by the fact that some of the Wairarapa-Bush forwards were inclined to stand back and watch rather than join the fray and at least try and stop the Wellington momentum.
Defensively too Wairarapa-Bush were found wanting with too many first tackles being missed, especially around the fringes of the rucks and mauls and in the midfield backs.
Perhaps one reason for the home team's lethargy was the vast difference in the pace of the game from that which the players have become accustomed to at club level here.
This was probably best exemplified by their constant shortage of numbers at the breakdowns with forwards tending to be just arriving there as the ball was travelling through the hands of the Wellington midfielders.
There were precious few scoring chances offered Wairarapa-Bush in that first spell but, on reflection., the decision not to take the three points for a penalty awarded them right in front of the posts was to be a costly one.
They chose a scrum instead and just a minute or two later Wellington had increased their score with a try at the other end of the paddock.
Had Wairarapa-Bush taken the three points and denied Wellington the chance to launch a counter attack the end result might well have been different, mightn't it? Hindsight I know is a wonderful thing but this was another classic example how the situation can come back to bite you when easy points are turned down.
Happily for the good-sized crowd the second half was a completely different story from the first with Wairarapa-Bush clearly adjusting better to the pace of the match and Wellington struggling to get anything like the same continuity into their play.
Nothing impressed more in that spell than the unity of the Wairarapa-Bush forwards in the tighter exchanges. They more than held their own in the scrums and lineouts and gained a clear ascendancy in the rucks and mauls. And, what's more, they were considerably more confrontational in broken play, often breaking the first line of defence with aggressive running.
The Wairarapa-Bush backs didn't have quite the same impact of their forwards but there was at least a growing confidence about their attacking play, and they were less tentative on defence as well.
However, the fact that three of the side's four tries were scored by forwards must be of some concern to management
Some of the bench players who joined the action in the second half for Wairarapa-Bush would have done their chances of NPC selection later in the season no harm. Prop Brent Rudman and hooker Ross Batty made an immediate impression with their vigorous approach and the same can be said for No.8 Steve Olds.
But if there was an award for player of the match for the home side the two leading contenders would have been lock Tomasi Kedarabuka and flanker Sam Henderson.
Kedarabuka was his side's best option at lineout time and a diligent worker in all other phases of the forward game and Henderson, who scored two tries, was always close to the action on both attack and defence.
The pick of the backs would have been halfback Hamish McKenzie who generally provided a quick and accurate service for his outsides and who was always cool under pressure. Joji Tamani looked full of vim on the wing but had few opportunities to stretch the legs in an attacking sense.
The late withdrawl through injury of first choice midfield backs Glen Bunny and Simanu Simanu was a blow for the home side as without them there was a noticeable lack of penetration in that area of the game.
Henderson (2), Rudman and McKenzie scored the Wairarapa-Bush tries with Paddy Rimene kicking three conversions.Wingers To'Omaga and Seana were Wellington try scorers along with two of their most impressive players, first-five Bentley and No.8 Meyer. Fullback Kingsbear kicked two conversions and centre Lafaele kicked one conversion and one penalty.
The curtain-raiser match saw Kuranui College first XV beat Makoura College first XV 44-5.