Marist withstood a stern Puketoi challenge 16-7 in their Wairarapa-Bush premier division rugby match played at Memorial Park, Masterton, on Saturday.
It was a gutsy display by Marist as, despite being on the back foot for most of the first half, they hung in well enough to go to the break with a slender 8-7 advantage.
At that stage an upset win to Puketoi still looked very much on the cards because of their dominance in the forward exchanges. But the second half was a different story, with the Marist pack finding a new lease on life.
With player-coach Nathan Couch kicking judiciously from the first-five position, Marist played a good part of that last 40 minutes in opposition territory, adding a try and penalty to their scoreline without reply to deny Puketoi even the satisfaction of a bonus point.
The visitors provided the main talking point, with the appearance of Highlanders Super 14 prop Clint Newland in their front row. From all accounts he is temporarily working in the Pongoroa area and will have at least a couple of games for Puketoi _ and perhaps one for the Bush sub-unions against Wairarapa _ before moving back to Hawke's Bay.
Newland played all but the last 10 minutes and certainly made his presence felt, scoring Puketoi's only try and helping his side have the edge over Marist at scrum time. Another Puketoi forward to impress was lightweight flanker Leighton Bambry, who covered huge amounts of territory on defence and attack, while fellow flanker Evan Small and No8 Hamish Walker had strong games as well.
Skipper Ben Couch was a powerful force for Marist up front, making several determined bursts in broken play and mounting an aggressive defence around the fringes of the scrums and mauls. Lock Corey Reid was the best lineout forward on the paddock and Rhys Severn was typically diligent in the loose.
There was no question who was the most influential back on the field, Nathan Couch would have won any such award by the proverbial country mile. His astute tactical kicking played a huge part in his team's success. Nippy halfback Api Matenga and hard-running wing Jordan Watene also took the eye.
Unfortunately for Puketoi, their backs lacked the sting of their forwards and made very little impression on the game from an attacking viewpoint. Halfback Lewis Small did, however, keep busy in a productive fashion and Simon Finnie was solid defensively in midfield.
Geordie Waldron and Kyle Karaitiana scored tries for Marist and Nathan Couch kicked two penalty goals. Clint Newland scored a try for Puketoi and Stefan Kunde kicked a conversion.
Mention too should be made of the vociferous but good-natured vocal support given Puketoi by at least two-thirds of what was a big crowd for a club fixture. Carterton maintained their recent good form with a handsome 28-14 win over defending champions Masterton Red Star in their match at Carterton. The home team picked up the maximum five points with tries to Charlie Brown (2), Joe Harwood and Brock Price, two penalties to Jono Hurley and a conversion to Tipene Haira. Chris Senior scored Masterton Red Star's sole try and Chris Osborne landed three penalties.
Eketahuna also managed the maximum five points in their clash with Greytown, winning by 26-3. Impressive hooker Jake Tipene scored two of the Eketahuna tries, with others going to Greg Harding and E Feo. Crete Cribb kicked three conversions. Senoa Isaac kicked a penalty for Greytown.
Five competition points also came the way for East Coast in their surprisingly comfortable 34-10 victory over Gladstone. Sam Mitchell and Nick Olson scored two tries apiece for the Coasters, with others going to Luke Shanks and Jesse McGilvary. Olson kicked one conversion, as did J Carroll. Bevan Morland and Aaron Cook scored Gladstone's tries.
Martinborough managed five tries in their 39-3 win against Pioneer. Greg Wilson (2), Ben Te Whare, Owen Coulson and Josh Hawkins were the try scorers and Darren Kapene kicked four conversions and two penalties. Nathan Rolls kicked a penalty for Pioneer.
Unofficial competition points are: Marist 40, Eketahuna 40, Carterton 40, Masterton Red Star 35, East Coast 34, Martinborough 26, Gladstone 21, Greytown 14, Puketoi 10 and Pioneer 0.
Feisty Marist withstand Puketoi assault
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