Finally, a missed pass near halfway saw Thames Valley fumble possession and gift Whanganui a challenge prize they had earned the hard way.
Having claimed the Taonga only the week before from King Country, Thames Valley struck first in the tenth minute after a succession phases in Whanganui’s half saw experienced winger Alex Thrupp make an attacking chip kick and flanker Cam Dromgool flashed through after it to score the try, converted by centre Fletcher Morgan.
Through the rest of the half and into the second stanza, Whanganui chipped away at their disadvantage, with second-five Ethan Robinson slotting three penalties for a 9-7 lead, having weathered the storm of losing influential centre Alekesio Vakarorogo to the sin bin three minutes into the restart, which was followed by lock Rueben Allen being sent for a spell in the 61st minute.
In such a tight fixture, Whanganui needed a spark and their fullback Tyler Rogers-Holden supplied it – in the 70th minute he received a high pass out on the far touchline with defenders converging, but stepped off both feet to find a gap and accelerated through it, out-stripping all his chasers for a brilliant solo try to seemingly make the game safe at 16-7.
But befitting their rivalry, Thames Valley would not lay down – getting a succession of penalties to move attacking position, and transferring from the wing to the middle for winger Charlie Marsh to run onto the ball and dive through his tackler under the posts - Fletcher converting for a spine-tingling conclusion.
Shades of the 2018 Meads Cup semifinal, the Swampfoxes then made carry after carry out of their half, but found Whanganui jerseys putting bodies on the line to stop them, despite reserve prop Kereti Tamou picking up yet another professional foul yellow card.
Whanganui coach Jason Hamlin praised the reserves who came on in the 70th minute and ended up having to go for nearly 20 minutes of game time as they kept the Swampfoxes away from their danger-zone.
“Just a bit of a meandering game, didn’t take enough opportunities in the first half,” Hamlin said.
“We went the hard way about it.”
Nevertheless, the coaching staff had set a benchmark for the team that whatever happened with their tactics and execution, no-one in 2024 will out-work them.
“You can see that in that last ten minutes,” Hamlin said.
“With the amount of ticker we showed, we’ve just got to marry that with the execution.”
Loose forwards Jamie Hughes and Josefa Namosimalua just kept hitting rucks, while out wide, Vakarorogo chopped down the Swampfoxes’ outside backs for scrap.
Likewise, Rogers-Holden’s stunning try had proven priceless on a day when hard grinding defence on both sides was cancelling each other out, letting Whanganui add to their Heartland legacy with the Taonga.
“That’s the little stuff he’s capable of – it was a hell of a try, at a hell of a time for us.
“Stoked as, for the guys.”
Whanganui 16 (T Rogers-Holden try; E Robinson 3 pen, con) bt Thames Valley 14 (C Dromgool, C Marsh tries; F Morgan 2 con). HT: 7-3 Thames Valley.
Happenings
Junior rep
The Air Chathams Whanganui Under-18 Boys started their Trustbank Central Shield campaign with a 19-7 loss away to Wellington Māori U-18 on Saturday. In Waverley, the Longrun Spouting Whanganui U-16 girls lost 46-0 to Taranaki U-16, while the Under-18s lost to their Taranaki counterparts 39-7.
Hurricanes
The Heartland Hurricanes Under-20s with their Whanganui contingent finished their Central Regions Shield campaign with a 65-7 loss to Wellington Under-19 in the capital on Saturday. The squad will now prepare for their big game of the season, facing the Heartland Chiefs Under-20s in the third annual Glen Osborne Cup game.
