Home front fires Wairarapa

Wairarapa-Bush turned on their most encouraging and spirited home performance of the season against North Otago at Memorial Park on Saturday, when hosting the last game of the first round of Heartland championship games.
Despite being on the wrong end of the final 29-20 scoreline and gaining no further championship points from the encounter, the home team can take a lot of positives from this performance leading into their challenge to lift the Lochore Cup for the first time.
Played in front of a small crowd, Wairarapa-Bush settled to the task from the start and took the game to the high-scoring southerners.
Any thoughts the home side might not be able to match the team lying second in the table, who had racked up some large scores, were quickly suppressed.
There was an urgency about their play not always present in previous games. Forwards went to the breakdowns with relish and discipline, first-up tackling was decisive, possession was retained, the advantage line often exceeded, all of which denied North Otago the opportunity to gain any momentum of their own.
Add in some safe handling along the back line and Wairarapa-Bush found themselves on a roll and camped themselves in the visitor's half for virtually the entire first 20 minutes.
In contrast, North Otago found themselves on the wrong end of a mounting penalty count, largely due to the pressure being exerted by a Wairarapa-Bush pack intent on retaining possession, but also keen to build the platform by which the backs could spread the ball wide at every opportunity.
Their efforts were rewarded with two Jeremy Te Huia penalties, the first after five minutes from a handy angle, followed seven minutes later when North Otago were pinged for offside by referee Josh Noonan right in front of the sticks - 6-0 and the signs were looking promising.
Whether North Otago took the hint and lifted their own game or Wairarapa-Bush took their foot off the pedal is open to discussion but the period from the 24- to 32-minute mark saw a dramatic reversal on the scoreboard.
Suddenly the home side fell off tackles and found it difficult to counter some straight, determined running by the visitors, especially down the flanks and in broken play. Wing Soane Kasanova opened the North Otago account in the 24th minute, scoring under the posts following a pacy attack down the left, converted by first-five Ben Patston. Two minutes later No 8 Tevita Fifita scored - two tries conceded by Wairarapa-Bush in almost even time.
Matters were made worse for Wairarapa-Bush in the 32nd minute when, camped close to the opposition's line, the ball broke to North Otago wing Greg Zampach, who scampered 80 metres to dot down, shrugging off a couple of would-be Bush tackles. Fullback Billy Guyton added the extras.
A 6-0 lead to the home team had suddenly become a 19-6 deficit. The home defence looked fragile for the first time in the game. Momentum was now with the southerners. For Wairarapa-Bush, was this fast becoming Poverty Bay revisited?
The answer came in the 34th minute and was arguably the pivotal point of the game. The visitors were camped deep in home territory, a fourth try beckoned as there was an overlap to the right. Junior Togia read the play beautifully, intercepted and ran the full length of the pitch untouched to score under the black dot. Te Huia stroked over the extras and the home team were back in the game, the temporary breach in the floodgates slammed shut.
It was 19-13 at half time and all to play for.
Wairarapa-Bush reasserted themselves after the break, again enjoying decent chunks of possession and also the territorial advantage. However, scoring opportunities proved hard to find.
The North Otago defence remained resolute despite the best efforts of the home team to create gaps and the decisive break.
Te Huia had an opportunity to add three points to the home tally when the North Otago flanker Josh Collier detached too early from a scrum close to their own goal line, but the first-five missed from a handy position. Five minutes later Te Huia missed another chance from 40m, kicking into a stiffening breeze from wider out.
North Otago, however, didn't waste the few chances that came their way, slotting a penalty in off the upright after 26 minutes, followed shortly afterwards when Zampach bagged his second try of the afternoon after a quick break down the right flank. Again Guyton converted for 29-15.
It was Wairarapa-Bush, however, who deservedly finished the scoring, Josh Tua-Davidson capping a fine afternoon's work when diving over in the final minute following a lineout. Te Huia was unable to convert from wide out.
Twenty-nine to 20 the final score, with the visitors returning south with the five points on offer.
The Wairarapa-Bush players and supporters will take a lot of heart from this more consistent performance. More of the same will bode well when the Lochore Cup begins next weekend, a competition Wairarapa-Bush will enter holding a three-point advantage over Horowhenua-Kapiti and King Country.
James Bruce was outstanding at halfback for the home team, feeding his back line with quick ball and linking well with No 8 Duncan Law, often gaining valuable metres around the fringes of the ruck and maul in the process. Locks Tomasi Kebrabuka and Andrew McLean were prominent in the set pieces, while Tua-Davidson put in another all-action game. The front row of Dylan Higgison, Joe Harwood and Kurt Simmonds were their usual assertive selves, contesting everything and often making valuable metres. Sam Mitchell ran straight and hard in the backs and was sound on defence.