KEY POINTS:
Wairarapa-Bush ran in 10 tries to beat East Coast 67-23 in their Lochore Cup Heartland rugby clash in Masterton today.
However, it was East Coast who provided the scoring highlights, with the three tries they scored one more than they had managed in all their previous Heartland games.
Their 23 points came close to doubling the 27 they had totalled before this particular match.
Unfortunately for East Coast, their lack of fitness was too often exposed by a Wairarapa-Bush side which took most of the first 20 minutes to get any rhythm into their performance and then constantly stretched the East Coast defence beyond breaking point when moving the ball wide.
By halftime Wairarapa-Bush led 27-6, easing out to 67-13 before East Coast rattled in two late tries to give at least a measure of respectability to their scoreline.
Front rowers Kurt Simmonds and Joe Harwood stood out in the Wairarapa-Bush pack along with No 8 Mike Spence while fullback Cash Lafaele, who scored three tries, and first-five Patrick Rimene were the pick of the backs.
Working hard for East Coast up front were No 8 Richard Scholefield and prop Stacey Lewis and Lance Maaka played soundly at second five.
Scores: Wairarapa-Bush 67 (Cash Lafaele 3, Patrick Rimene, Junior Togia, Joe Feast, Charlie Walker-Blair, John Guillard, Kurt Simmonds, Mike Wilson tries; Rimene pen, 7 con) East Coast 23 (Kerehama Blackman, Willie Waitoa, Harley Phillips tries; Lance Maaka 2 pen, con).
- NZPA
