KEY POINTS:
West Coast played valiantly but ran out of puff in the second half as hot favourites Wanganui won their Heartland Meads Cup rugby semifinal 40-18 in Wanganui today.
West Coast did not score enough points in the first half when they had a stiff wind at their backs.
Although the visitors led 11-5 at that stage, it soon became apparent that Wanganui's superior firepower would be the deciding factor and so it proved as the legs of the West Coast players turned to lead.
It took star Wanganui No 8 Ron Katonivere to really spark matters after West Coast led 18-12 in the second spell.
From that point on Wanganui had things all their own way, particularly when Denning Tyrell was moved from first five-eighth to halfback.
Wanganui's forward superiority in the second half owed much to a gutsy performance from captain David Gower, who played with a sore shoulder but made huge tackles and scored the first try in the comeback.
Outside of Katonivere and Gower, Tyrell, wing Cameron Crowley and tighthead prop Sheldon O'Hagan also shone brightest for Wanganui.
West Coast No 10 Corey Simpson did extremely well for a man who had put his arm through a glass window last Sunday while No 8 Ofa Misa flanker Lasa Ulukuta tried their best to bust Wanganui wide open.
The result means Wanganui will meet Mid Canterbury in the final next Saturday.
Wanganui 40 (John Moe 2, Fa'apulou So'olefai, Cameron Crowley, Ron Katonivere, David Gower tries; Mark Davis 5 con) West Coast 18 (Eroni Uluivurotu, Josh Cornish tries; Corey Simpson pen, dropped goal, con). Halftime: 5-11.
- NZPA
