Weak performance throws Tantrum

Wairarapa-Bush didn't only let themselves down in the last of their Heartland championship Meads Cup rugby matches at Memorial Park, Masterton on Saturday, they let their supporters down as well.
A disappointed coach Kelvin Tantrum had asked his players for liberal doses of "pride and passion" against a well-performed Mid-Canterbury side and readily conceded yesterday he got little of either in the 24-6 defeat."It was frustrating, really frustrating," Tantrum said when asked to reflect on his team's performance." Quite honestly I felt sorry for the supporters, they deserved a whole lot better than that.".
Tantrum said it was difficult to say just why Wairarapa-Bush should end a Heartland campaign which saw them improve their seeding from ninth to sixth and make the Meads Cup playoffs in the process on such a poor note.
"You can't blame pressure, it certainly wasn't that," he said. "About all you can say is we had a bad day at the office, and what a day to have it!"
Nothing peeved Tantrum more than Wairarapa-Bush consistently turning over possession to Mid-Canterbury, not so much because of the good play of their opposition but because of their own inadequacies.
"Retention of ball was something we struggled with in some of the early games but we worked hard to get it right and we had. Saturday we were back to our old habits, it was pretty ordinary stuff."
Tantrum said Wairarapa-Bush also helped the Mid-Canterbury cause by producing probably their worst lineout effort of their Heartland programme, by consistently kicking down their throats in general play and by some "very average" option taking.
"We made them look better than they were, no way should the winning margin been anything like it was," he said.
Tantrum is hopeful, however, that when Wairarapa-Bush are being judged over the whole of their Heartland schedule the lack lustre effort against Mid-Canterbury won't
colour the "quite substantial" progress made over the last 12 months.
"To reach the Meads Cup playoffs was always the first priority and it was a real achievement to pull that off," he said. " When you look at how many players were new to this level of rugby it was never going to be an easy goal so to make it was satisfying".
For Tantrum and assistant coach Neil Foote one of their biggest challenges was created by the standard of club rugby where players were often able to get away with bad habits which were always more likely to be punished in the Heartland level championship.
"The quality of rugby there is higher and it does take some players longer than others to adjust to it," Tantrum said "There were probably a few who didn't quite get there , that's just the way it is.".
Looking ahead to next season Tantrum is confident that if Wairarapa-Bush can retain the bulk of their 2009 squad they will be serious contenders for the Meads Cup title "Potentially they have the makings of a very good side but it's important they stick together and work hard on taking their game, individually and as a team, to another level," he said.
Tantrum has now ended his initial two-season contract as Wairarapa-Bush coach and while he is keen to continue in the job next season he isn't taking anything for granted.
"The union may not want me, as a coach nothing is ever guaranteed" he said. "I'll put my name forward and see what happens."