Tasman 23 Hawkes Bay 17
KEY POINTS:
The rumbling mass known as the Hawkes Bay rugby side ground to a halt in Blenheim last night.
After opening wins over Southland and Wellington - the first unexpected and the second a complete shock - the black and white hoops of the famous old rugby province were outclassed by the red-shirted Tasman Makos.
A sometimes messy match had a tense, thrilling conclusion after a massive Hawkes Bay scrum wrecked the Tasman eight to give halfback Danny Lee a try.
That left Tasman, who had appeared well set for victory, with a 23-17 lead they were reasonably hard pressed to defend in the final seven minutes.
After a controversial week for Hawkes Bay involving the lengthy suspension handed out to Clint Newland for his act of thuggery against Wellington, the visitors' muscle-bound game lost out to moments of Tasman finesse.
The crucial try came early in the second half when the Makos turned over Hawkes Bay ball near the home side's line.
A lovely interchange sent wing Afeleki Pelenise on a 70 metre run to the line for a 23-10 advantage.
Most of the memorable attacking football was played by the Makos. Chris Jack, in probably his last match for Tasman, was prominent in a forward pack which came close to holding its own against the Hawkes Bay machine.
Hawkes Bay, after a troubled first season in the top flight, have appeared like a monster from the deep this year.
Their powerful forward drives did dent the Tasman defence at times but their backs were mainly add-ons rather than able to add anything on.
The problem for Hawkes Bay is that opponents know exactly what's coming their way.
They have a game plan that is easy to counter, especially if the Bay battering ram gives the ball away as easily as it did last night.
Tasman 23 (Kade Poki, Afeleki Pelenise tries; Tim Taylor 3 pen, 2 con) Hawkes Bay 17 (Jason Kupa, Danny Lee tries; Matt Berquist pen, 2 Halftime: 16-10.
