Late miss costs King Country

HOROWHENUA-KAPITI 20 KING COUNTRY 18

Horowhenua-Kapiti produced a herculean effort to beat King Country 20-18 at Levin Domain yesterday to book themselves a place in the third division final next weekend.

Written off at the start of the season as cellar dwellers, Horowhenua hinted they had character with a shock victory over King Country in the round robin, and yesterday proved that win was no fluke.

They will play North Otago in the final in Oamaru, after the round robin winners thumped South Canterbury 58-10.

King Country had a chance to draw level in the final moments after winger Luke Gates scored in the corner.

However, centre Mussolini Schuster was unable to kick the difficult conversion.

Playing with a strong wind in the first half, Horowhenua needed to put on a significant lead. Although they could not reach the King Country try-line, first five-eighths Dion Nepia managed four penalty kicks in difficult conditions.

Nepia, 26, a former representative who came back into the fray late in the season, finished up scoring all Horowhenua's points through a try and five penalties, the last one a difficult kick into the wind.

Nepia was well aware Horowhenua's fortunes were resting on that kick.

"I knew I had to go hard, especially into that wind. I aimed for the left upright and it came round for me."

King Country looked likely midway through the second spell when first five-eighths Roger Warren scored near the posts, which Schuster converted.

When Schuster nailed a 60m penalty with the help of the breeze to put King Country in touch at 12-10 down, it appeared the wind would help to carry them to victory.

Then Horowhenua converted a penalty and with fewer than 12 minutes remaining, they pounced on a King Country mistake on halfway with Nepia toeing the ball ahead.

The ball bounced kindly for Nepia to score.

King Country's late challenge produced a penalty, then the nail-biting climax.



Delighted Horowhenua coach Peter Kemp praised the effort of his players.

"That was the best 80 minutes we put together all year without a doubt. The new guys that have come in got better and better as the game went on," he said. "It was a mammoth effort."

In Oamaru, North Otago, who have averaged 50 points a game this season, ran in nine tries to South Canterbury's one in perfection conditions.

Fepikou Tatafu, Pila Fifita, Simon Porter and Tevita Asi scored two apiece for the home side and Porter kicked five conversions, a penalty and scored a try.

North Otago were 17-3 up at the break, but turned the heat on in the second spell.

Despite the points difference, South Canterbury did not play poorly. Their forwards continued to take a big workload throughout the game and their backs had their moments.

But North Otago were too strong.

- NZPA