Wairarapa-Bush avoid absolute humiliation

A rousing last quarter saved Wairarapa-Bush from absolute humiliation in their Heartland championship rugby match with Horowhenua-Kapiti at Memorial Park, Masterton on Saturday.
Losing to the previously winless Horowhenua-Kapiti 37-31 was bad enough but it could have been much, much worse. Up 19-7 at halftime and completely ruling the roost against up a disappointingly lethargic home side, Horowhenua-Kapiti were threatening to run up a miniature cricket score when they got out to a 36-17 advantage with less than 20 minutes to play.
A good-sized crowd enjoying balmy summer-like conditions were stunned into silence by what was unfolding in front of them, and any chance Wairarapa-Bush had of retaining their spot in the premier section of the Heartland competition, the Meads Cup, seemed gone, well gone.
What flicked the switch for Wairarapa-Bush in those closing stanzas is hard to say but the effect was startling.
Maybe the players suddenly realised they were on the verge of union's worst defeat in years and the embarrassment which would have gone with such a result jolted them into action.
Maybe Horowhenua-Kapiti thinking maximum points were already in the bag took the foot off the pedal in terms of physical endeavour.
Maybe it was a mix of both.
But whatever it was Wairarapa-Bush produced some of their best rugby of the season in running in two converted tries and closing the margin between the sides going into the last couple of minutes to the point where a third converted try would have seen them snatch the most unlikeliest of victories.
Unfortunately that didn't happen with a promising movement in the dying seconds being shut down by the ball carrier opting to kick rather than pass, and Horowhenua-Kapiti gratefully accepting the opportunity to end the game.
In the end then Wairarapa-Bush came away with two bonus points, one for scoring four tries and the other for finishing seven or less points from the winning side.
And that was enough to keep their Meads Cup hopes alive going into the last of the pool games against North Otago at Oamaru next weekend, if only just.
Making the Wairarapa-Bush resurgence even more remarkable was that it came at a time when they had a somewhat makeshift-looking line-up on the paddock.
By that stage usual midfielder Nathan Couch had moved into halfback, blindside flanker Nathan Rolls had shifted into lock and the likes of Mike Shaw, Nick Olson, Brett Rudman and Mike Wilson had come off the reserves bench.
A situation which suggests, of course, that the composition of the starting XV against North Otago could make some very interesting reading!
Just why Wairarapa-Bush was so lacking in intensity throughout the first hour of play is impossible to fathom. Here they were with the chance to not only record their first home win of the season but also to cement their place in the Meads Cup, a double whammy of an incentive if ever there was one.
But whereas Horowhenua-Kapiti came out with all guns blazing Wairarapa-Bush gave the impression of simply going through the motions, and consequently they spent much of that period at their own end of the paddock.
Up front Horowhenua-Kapiti turned over what should have been Wairarapa-Bush ball with a monotonous regularity, particularly in the tackle situation, and they also benefited from arriving at the breakdowns in good numbers. Generally they got four or five forwards there whereas Wairarapa-Bush would usually be lucky to have more than a couple.
The ease at which the Horowhenua-Kapiti backs created space out wide was a concern almost from the word go. It wasn't that they did anything fancy, the emphasis being on slick passing more than anything else. It was a classic case of what can be achieved when the basics are done well.
Wairarapa-Bush didn't help their cause either by at least twice getting into prime scoring positions but losing vital momentum through the ball carrier going a couple of metres too far and being dragged down before the pass was safely made.
There is no question that had Wairarapa-Bush shown the same enthusiasm and spirit for the full 80 minutes as they did in the last 20 the end result would have been much different.
The vigour and drive of the forwards then allowed them to earn quality possession almost at will and the backs cleverly utilised their flair and imagination to constantly probe gaps in the Horowhenua-Kapiti defence. It was entertaining stuff and at least gave their supporters something positive to remember.
If an 80-minute effort is the main criteria for judging individual performance then very few of the Wairarapa-Bush players would have come out of this match with their reputations enhanced & not that too many of them had the full 80 minutes anyway!
The versatility of Rolls made him one of the more prominent forwards with his strong running in broken play typically highlighting his display. Tomasi Kedrabuka was lively too in that aspect of play and was clearly the best lineout option for his side, young prop Kurt Simmonds continues to make useful progress and flanker Jared Hawkins was busy on the tackle.
Winger Charlie Walker-Blair was the standout in the Wairarapa-Bush backline, seldom being halted by the first tackle whenever the ball came his way. Fellow winger Junior Togia also had a solid game and Couch made a good enough fist of the unaccustomed position of halfback.
Shane Pihema, James Oliver, Ashley Drake, Michael Papps and Rob Aloe were the try scorers for Horowhenua-Kapiti with Aloe also kicking four conversions and one penalty. Nathan Rolls (2), Junior Togia and Charlie Walker-Blair scored tries for Wairarapa-Bush and Patrick Rimene kicked four conversions and a penalty.
The Wairarapa-Bush B team picked up their first win of the season, thrashing their Horowhenua-Kapiti counterparts 46-10. The locals were ahead by just 13-0 at halftime but piled on the pressure in an impressive second half effort.
Dean Grant, playing at first-five, was a hugely influential figure with his astute option taking as was flanker Sully Alsop with his high workrate on defence and attack. Others to stand out were backs John Guillard and Lance Stevenson and forwards Steve Wilkinson and Brett Aitken.
The Wairarapa-Bush under-20s lost to Poverty Bay under-20 by 27-19 and the Wairarapa-Bush under-18s were beaten by Horowhenua-Kapiti.