We got beaten up, says coach

"We got beaten up & that's all there was to it."
A typically honest appraisal from Hansells Wairarapa-Bush rugby coach Graham Cheetham when asked to reflect on his team's 40-17 hiding at the hands of Wanganui in their Heartland championship Meads Cup playoff match at Wanganui on Saturday.
Cheetham said the result was a carbon copy of what had occurred at Memorial Park, Masterton seven days previously when Wairarapa-Bush produced a dynamic performance to defeat the then "hotshots" North Otago who, incidentally, Wairarapa-Bush will now meet again in the semi-finals at Oamaru next weekend.
Only this time it was Wairarapa-Bush themselves on the receiving end of a totally committed Wanganui effort.
"They (Wanganui) wanted it more than us, they were a lot hungrier than we were," Cheetham said.
"We didn't have any excuses, we simply got outplayed."
Making the manner of defeat even more frustrating for Cheetham was that Wairarapa-Bush were aware of the desperation sure to be seen in the Wanganui game plan as anything but a win to the home side was always likely to eliminate them from the championship race.
"We knew they would come at us with everything they had and we prepared along those lines," Cheetham said.
"Only trouble is we didn't put own plans into place, we let them dictate and they blew us away."
Wanganui had first use of the strong wind and while they deserved their 17-7 halftime advantage the conditions were such that Cheetham still believed Wairarapa-Bush were well in the game going into the break.
"We hadn't played that well but I reckoned the wind was probably worth 15 points so we were still a big hope," he said.
The message from Cheetham and co-coach Lofty Stevenson at halftime then was to play for position with the idea of keeping Wanganui pinned in their territory but for that to happen the Wairarapa-Bush forwards had to take control, and that didn't occur.
Rather, it was the Wanganui pack who called the tune and their team continued to pile on the points and basically ensure themselves a semi-final in Ashburton against Mid-Canterbury.
"Even with the wind we were struggling, we just couldn't get any continuity going at all," Cheetham said. "And we stood off too many tackles, we let make too much ground when they had the ball in hand."
Not helping the Wairarapa-Bush cause were injuries suffered by two of their most consistent performers all season, lock Dan Griffin and first-five John Dodd.
Griffin took a blow to the eye, an incident which saw the perpetrator sin binned, in the opening stanzas and had to leave the field and Dodd strained a hamstring. And there were other injury concerns as well, including wing Jordan Fox crocking an ankle.
"It was one of those days you want to forget, to be honest not a lot went right for us," Cheetham, said.
Of the Wairarapa-Bush forwards two who did nothing to harm their reputations were hard-working hooker Joe Harwood and busy openside flanker Jared Hawkins while the pick of the backs was wing Lance Stevenson, who did his best to involve himself in as much of the play as possible
Outstanding for Wanganui up front were lock Dean Barr and prop Sheldon O'Hagen while the experience and astute playmaking of first-five Leon Mason was always evident.
Barr was one of the try scorers for Wanganui, along with Visser, Mow, Gower and Huwyler while Hooper kicked three penalties and three conversions. Jared Hawkins and Hamish McKenzie scored tries for Wairarapa-Bush, Simanu Simanu kicked one penalty and one conversion and John Dodd kicked a conversion.
Even though Saturday's loss was disappointing the Wairarapa-Bush camp still has reason to be optimistic over their prospects of beating North Otago in Oamaru and making it through to the grand final.
After all they did beat North Otago fairly and squarely the last time they met, and twice last season as well.
Also North Otago were beaten again on Saturday 25-22 by Mid-Canterbury so their confidence has been dented twice in as many weeks
"If we had to play an away semi-final it's probably the best draw for us," Cheetham said. "We know it won't be easy down there but we're definitely in with a chance, no doubt about that."