Eketahuna outclassed on home turf

Cross Country Rentals Eketahuna were outgunned up front in their Wellington premier division women's rugby match with Norths at Eketahuna on Saturday.

Norths won 27-10 with the foundations for victory being laid by their ability to dominate possession in the forward exchanges.

Not only did they have the edge over Eketahuna in the set pieces of scrum and lineout but they consistently made good ground through the rolling maul.

"We struggled to get any decent ball at all, we were trying to survive on scraps," Eketahuna coach Selwyn Haeata said.

"They were more physical than us, and fitter too. We probably did well to keep the score as close as we did."

Such was the dominance of Norths in the forwards that the star-studded Eketahuna backline had precious few opportunities to show their class in attacking situations and, when they did, they were generally contained by a determined Norths defence.

"It's hard for the backs to make any sort of impact when they aren't getting a regular supply of good ball, there were the odd occasions when they did cut loose but overall they were kept pretty quiet," Haeata said.

Flanker Hera McKenzie was player of the match for Eketahuna. She practically tackled herself to a standstill.

Young winger Chloe Hinds scored a good try and made the most of her limited chances.