Wairarapa-Bush B prevailed over the atrocious weather conditions to defeat Horowhenua-Kapiti in Foxton on Saturday.
Despite having first use of the gale-force wind, Wairarapa-Bush fell behind in the first five minutes to a determined Horowhenua-Kapiti, who scored a converted try to lead 7-0.
The home side continued to make most of the
play but Wairarapa-Bush, despite not seeing much of the ball, produced two tries of their own, both scored by winger Jovesa Naivalu.
One of the tries was quite bizarre and was scored after a Horowhenua-Kapiti player attempted to kick ahead into the wind from the halfway line, only to see the ball blow backwards into his own in-goal area. Naivalu won the race to dot the ball down.
Jono Hurley added the extra points to both tries to give Wairarapa-Bush a 14-7 lead in to halftime.
Playing into the wind after the break, the Wairarapa-Bush forwards lifted their game and, despite a series of determined Horowhenua-Kapiti attacks and being camped inside their own 22 for long periods, Wairarapa-Bush retained the lead.
Coach Steve Thompson said: "We struggled to get our hands on the ball in the first half, even though we had the wind advantage. We spoke about it at halftime and were able to get better go forward in the second half. In the end we were immensely proud of the boys."
