Te Awamutu Sports halfback Dean Ralph scores against United Matamata Sports. Photo / Justin Miezenbeek
Te Awamutu Sports halfback Dean Ralph scores against United Matamata Sports. Photo / Justin Miezenbeek
Constant heavy rain couldn’t dampen Ecolab Te Awamutu Sports’ spirits, as they travelled to Matamata and dealt the hosts a 43-0 thrashing to kick-start the 2023 Waikato club rugby season with a bang.
Winger Shauncy Waho and halfback Dean Ralph starred with two tries each, while Sean Ralph, Niah Church-Jones and Manase Mohuanga also crossed the chalk to total seven tries for the afternoon. Fullback Sam Toa notched four conversions in his debut for the club.
After an early feeling-out period, Te Awamutu went on the attack after penalties pushed Matamata back into their quarter and hooker Sean Ralph kicked the scoring off, crashing over under heavy attention, converted by Toa for an early lead.
Five minutes later his brother, Dean Ralph, reaped the rewards of a dominant scrum, scooping up the messy ball at halfway and racing away to score in the corner, stretching their lead to 12-0.
Matamata then were able to build some sustained pressure, working into Te Awamutu territory, and found themselves with an attacking lineout 5m out.
A wide expansive move off the lineout was read perfectly by Waho, intercepting the pass running 80m back the other way. Toa’s conversion stretched the lead out to 19 points.
Ten minutes later, with halftime approaching, Dean Ralph was again the beneficiary of the dominant Te Awamutu scrum, taking an offload from No. 8 Tai Cribb, beating two defenders to reach out and score again. Toa’s conversion gave Sports a 24-0 lead at the half.
Matamata came back from the break with real purpose and intent, putting the Te Awamutu defence under pressure in the early stages of the second half, but it was strong first-line defence and desperate scramble that held the hosts out. The score was still unchanged with 15 minutes to play.
That’s when a sharp break down the right flank from Toa put Waho into space, diving over into the corner to stretch the lead to 29-0.
That would prove to be the breaker for the hosts, who conceded two more tries in the last 10 minutes to Church-Jones and Mohuanga, both converted by Toa to round out a dominant performance.
It was a well-rounded and complete team performance in extremely trying conditions, with the forwards laying the groundwork for the backs to show a skill level that defied the wet.
Replacement hooker Mohuanga’s power running was a real weapon in the second half, earning him man of the match, while Waho was a constant threat on the outside. Prop Carl Finlay, who put in 80 minutes of hard graft in the wet in his 137th appearance, was also a standout in a dominant forward pack.
Te Awamutu return home on Good Friday to take on Fraser Tech, who will be stung by their first-round loss to Hamilton Old Boys.
Te Awamutu Sports Development's Elijah Mataira in action against United Matamata Sports B. Photo / Justin Miezenbeek
Ecolab premier development
The Ecolab Te Awamutu Sports premier development side followed a similar script to the premier side, running away 45-10 winners over Matamata.
Young Guns CJ Kaua and Leo Scott led the way with three and two tries respectively in their club debuts, along with tries to Ryley Emery and Elijah Mataira to also total seven for the match. Pivot Dillon Martin adding five conversions.
Emery kicked the scoring off in the 15th minute, scooping up a loose ball behind a ruck to take a 7-0 lead.
The game remained even from there until 10 minutes to play, where a scoring blitz caught Matamata on their heels, Kaua picking up two tries and Scott his first before the close of the half for a 28-0 halftime lead.
Sports hit the ground running again, picking up two more scores in the 10 minutes following halftime to Kaua and Mataira, to lead 40-0 with 30 minutes still to play.
To Matamata’s credit, their resolve stiffened and they opened their account in the 55th minute to hold the visitors out until the 75th minute, when Scott picked up his second.
The hosts would have the last say, however, scoring their second try on the stroke of fulltime.
Mataira was the standout, showing speed and power on attack to earn man-of-the-match honours, while Kaua impressed on the wing in his debut with the club.
Prop Terrance Croonen also worked hard in the wet.
The Honda Shop Te Awamutu Sports Under 21 side came close to securing a clean sweep for the club when they took on newcomers Thames Valley at Albert Park, but a late intercept try snatched defeat from the jaws of victory, falling 7-12 after leading 7-5 deep in the closing stages.
Loose forward Ty Demler-Findlay crossed for Te Awamutu’s only try of the game, while winger George Poolman added the conversion in the only points of the first half, Sports leading 7-0 at the break.
Hard-running loose forward Rameriz Viane earned the man-of-the-match award, backed up by strong performances from midfielder Renata Palmer and fellow loosie Demler-Findlay.
