Whanganui Senior rugby: Surprise semifinal matchups

Kuli Ligaitamana scored three tries for the Marist Knights in the June 29 match against Tāmata Hauhā Rātana Brotherhood. Photo/ Kiwi TV

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The semifinals of the WRFU Senior competition are set and there has been an unexpected re-arrangement, as not all of the top four qualifiers survived their home quarterfinals on Saturday.

While logic dictates that the fourth vs fifth game in a quarterfinal round should be the most competitive, it was in fact the top three vs bottom three qualifier matches which had the outcomes hanging in the balance right to the finish.

This was true even at Spriggens Park as the skilled table-toppers Forest 360 Marist Knights (11-0) were sweating bullets approaching fulltime against eighth-place Tāmata Hauhā Rātana Brotherhood (4-7), before back-to-back tries set up by breakouts from their own half secured a 29-19 victory after a rugged match.

Up for the occasion and fielding several veteran players who wanted to unsettle the younger Knights flow with physical defence, Rātana opened the scoring with an inside move seeing first-five Te Tua Kemp score, converted by winger Layton Comp.

However, spreading wide on Rātana’s next big attack came unstuck when Knights winger Kuli Ligaitamana, about to have a team player of the day performance, intercepted and ran back 70m untouched, with second-five Xavier Halpin adding the extras.

Knights followed up quickly as an attacking scrum saw the ball spread out on a set plan and fellow winger Joey Devine ran in to put his side ahead.

It looked like the home side was starting to get on top, reminiscent of their pull-away 57-12 win over Rātana during the round robin, when a charge down near the tryline allowed them to consolidate and eventually spin the ball wide for Ligaitamana to step the last defender and get his double.

But from 19-7 down at the break, Rātana came firing in the second stanza, as a big break by second-five Tex Tuvanawai brought them onto attack, and after good control by the forwards with strong carries and recycles down both ruck fringes, the ball was sent out for flanker Mikaere Penetito to dive over.

Rātana then equalised after a good kick-chase into the Knights’ corner pocket eventually led to a penalty and scrum, and again the forwards rumbled up until the gap opened for lock Vance Pereka to force his way over, with Comp converting.

The Knights turned down a kickable penalty following Ligaitamana’s chip-chase, and Rātana defence forced them to lose it and the ball cleared, with the favourites feeling real pressure with less than ten minutes remaining.

But then Ligaitamana cut through again, with his loose pass fortunately falling for his support, and Marist pounded Rātana’s tryline until finally reserve forward Temesi Vurakania got free on his second shunt to get the ball down through the defenders.

The Knights then sealed it two minutes from fulltime when centre Epeli Delasau hit the gap on his side of halfway and found Ligaitamana, who again stepped the last of the cover and dashed the rest of the way to score beside the posts for his hat-trick.

Rātana chose Penetito and Haplin as players of the day, while Knights naturally picked Ligaitamana, as well as Penetito.

There is one slightly surprise for the semifinals in the form of Bennett’s Taihape, as the sixth-place team went to Rochfort Park and upset third-place McCarthy’s Transport Ruapehu 17-15 in the northern sub union derby.

Taihape took an 8-5 lead early as taking three-pointers when on offer continued to prove vital - leading 14-10 at halftime despite Ruapehu scoring their second try.

A third try let the home side take the lead in the second stanza, but late the piece, Taihape grabbed three more points to cause a boil-over and change the expected makeup of the semifinals.

Taihape will now in essence get a home game, as they will have a derby match with their neighbours, the second-place Utiku Old Boys, at Memorial Park.

But it was also a close run thing for Utiku, who held off seventh-place Black Bull Liquor Pirates 33-26.

Utiku had beaten Pirates 36-12 at Spriggens Park way back on April 20th, but that was before the arrival of Pirates cohort of Fijian talent.

The home side kept a slight edge throughout the game, leading 14-7 and then 21-19 at halftime, with a tight second half seeing them into a home semifinal, while Pirates had their third narrow defeat in as many weeks to end a what-might-have-been season.

Fourth place Kelso Hunterville emerged with the most comfortable win of the quarterfinals, but even they had to work hard for their 21-7 win over two-time defending champions Ali Arc Logistics Marist Celtic at the domain.

Avenging their 34-27 loss at home on June 1st, Hunterville scored a converted try inside the opening ten minutes, while adding a three-pointer alongside Celtic’s converted try for a 10-7 lead at the break.

Then just like they have for the past three weeks, Hunterville showed big-game composure to score 11 more unanswered points in the second stanza to book the trip to Spriggens Park to take on the Knights this coming Saturday.

Results, June 29

Senior, Quarterfinals

Spriggens Park: Forest 360 Marist Knights bt Tāmata Hauhā Rātana Brotherhood 29-19. HT: 19-7.

Memorial Park: Utiku Old Boys bt Black Bull Liquor Pirates 33-26. HT: 21-19.

Rochfort Park: Bennett’s Taihape bt McCarthy’s Transport Ruapehu 17-15. HT: 14-10.

Hunterville Domain: Kelso Hunterville bt Ali Arc Logistics Marist Celtic 21-7. HT: 13-7.

Semifinal draw, July 6, 1pm kickoffs

Spriggens Park: Marist Knights vs Hunterville

Memorial Park: Utiku Old Boys vs Taihape