Bush: Chumps to champ-killers

From zeroes to heroes in the space of just one week.
That was the case for Wairarapa-Bush after they turned the form book upside down by beating hot favourites King Country 21-17 in their Lochore Cup Heartland championship semifinal rugby match at Te Kuiti on Saturday.
They will now head to Westport this Friday to play Buller in the grand final the following day, Buller also having caused an upset by beating higher seeded Horowhenua-Kapiti 19-14 in their semi at Levin.
To say their Te Kuiti win was a stunning reversal of the result of the preliminary round match played between the same two teams in Masterton just seven days earlier would rank as a gross understatement in anybody's language.
Then King Country ran in six tries in a comprehensive 43-22 victory, the magnitude of which had most pundits predicting they would have little difficulty repeating that feat on home turf.
Under normal circumstances that result would have eliminated Wairarapa-Bush from Lochore Cup semifinal contention but they sneaked into the fourth qualifying spot by virtue of West Coast being stripped of the five competition points they had picked up in their 35-30 win over them in their October 2 encounter.
That penalty - plus a fine of $2500 - came about through the Coasters being found by the NZRFU judiciary to have fielded an ineligible player in the Memorial Park clash and when they also lost the last of their preliminary round games against Buller their semifinal hopes were dashed, Wairarapa-Bush maintaining a one-point advantage over them.
That the tightening of their defence was the main focus for Wairarapa-Bush leading into Saturday's semi was hardly surprising as the pace and flair of the King Country backs had caused them considerable grief a week earlier.
An early King Country try by dangerous midfield back Tanner Vili, posted in just the second minute of play and converted by him, wasn't exactly the start they wanted but, to their credit, it did nothing but increase their resolve and, in the end, their accuracy and commitment on defence was the difference between victory and defeat.
This was especially so in the last 10 minutes when King Country trailed 21-17 and desperately strove for the try which would have been enough to earn them a home grand final. They camped deep in Wairarapa-Bush territory over that period and their prospects of scoring the much-needed five pointer were enhanced when Wairarapa-Bush skipper Joe Harwood was sin-binned, leaving them a player short for the last few minutes of play.
But hard as King Country toiled to break the Wairarapa-Bush defensive line they couldn't, with forwards and backs tackling as if their lives depended on it.
"It was pretty nerve-racking stuff but, honestly, even when Joe was binned I always thought we would hold on," Wairarapa-Bush coach Kelvin Tantrum said. "You could sense the determination, everyone got stuck in. It was a huge test of character and the guys really stood up and were counted."
It wasn't only in those closing stanzas where the tightness of the Wairarapa-Bush defence impressed though, with some big hits being made through the course of the game, particularly in the backs where the Masterton Red Star duo of Byron Karaitiana at second-five and Heemi Tupaea at centre provided a solidity which had been lacking the previous weekend.
"We knew how dangerous their midfield could be if they were given the time and space to cut loose but we closed them down quickly and they didn't really get going," Tantrum said.
The option-taking of the Wairarapa-Bush backs was arguably the best it has been all season with the combining of Jeremy Te Huia and Byron Karaitiana in the five-eighths working well, especially in the kicking department where a good chase made their endeavours even more successful.
Again that was part of the game plan with Tantrum saying there had been much talk about the need to shut down King Country counter attacks before they worked up a full head of steam.
"A week ago we stood back and let them come at us, this time we got up in their faces and made it a lot more difficult for them to get something going," he said.
Up front, the battle was keen with Tantrum delighted at the willingness of his forwards to go through several phases before releasing the ball to the backs and their competitiveness in the set pieces. Front-rowers Kurt Simmonds and Joe Harwood and lock Brandon Young were all standouts but, as Tantrum is quick to point out, the obtaining of a steady supply of possession came through excellent teamwork rather than individual brilliance.
"The emphasis on the forwards was to play as a unit and they did that," he said. "I wouldn't say they dominated but they did everything we wanted them to do."
As to the scoring action, Wairarapa-Bush recovered from the early setback of Vili's converted try when No8 Mana Faraimo scored after some impressive driving play by the forwards. Jeremy Te Huia converted to even things up at 7-7.
King Country then regained the lead when speedy left wing Lolohea Loco crossed for a try, which Vili converted, but Wairarapa-Bush replied with a try to the hard-running Byron Karaitiana who broke open the King Country defence to dot down for Te Huia to add the extra points. Halftime arrived with the score at 14-14.
The only try in the second half went to Wairarapa-Bush and again it was Karaitiana who did the business. Te Huia converted and while Vili kicked a penalty to narrow the margin to four points Wairarapa-Bush hung on for a thoroughly deserved victory.
There were a few "walking wounded" in the Wairarapa-Bush camp at the game's end, with the worst of them probably being Simmonds with a sore thumb and Harwood with a bruised leg but coach Tantrum is optimistic everybody will be on deck for the big one in Westport this coming Saturday.
Wairarapa-Bush have never won the Lochore Cup - named after our own legend Sir Brian Lochore - and considering they beat Buller 23-16 right at the start of their 2010 Heartland campaign in a match also played in Westport they must be given every chance of rectifying that.