Te Awamutu Sports Development celebrate after winning the 2023 Premiership B final against Hamilton Marist B. Photo / Justin MIezenbeek
Te Awamutu Sports Development celebrate after winning the 2023 Premiership B final against Hamilton Marist B. Photo / Justin MIezenbeek
Ecolab Te Awamutu Sports Premier Development were the toast of Te Awamutu on Saturday afternoon, outlasting a spirited Hamilton Marist side and celebrating prop Daniel McGillivray’s 50th match in an epic Premier B final in Hamilton, emerging victors 30-28 in extra time.
Hamilton had defeated Te Awamutu twice this season at Albert Park, but with everything on the line, Te Awamutu turned the tables.
They were led by captain Dillon Martin, who put on a masterclass of pressure rugby.
He seemed to have the game at his fingertips, effortlessly directing play, scoring a try and adding two penalty goals and two conversions from the tee for a total of 15 points. This took his season tally to 166.
Halfback Zealin Prime picked up a double, while winger Richie Kuresa also crossed the try line.
After weeks of rain and wet-weather rugby, the sun was out and the pitch was dry. In front of a large contingent of travelling supporters, Te Awamutu started hot out of the gates.
They opened up the defence and were rewarded with Martin hitting an early penalty goal from long range in a tough crosswind, giving them the first lead after seven minutes.
Martin featured again 10 minutes later, splitting the defence open and offloading to fullback Leo Scott, who put winger Kuresa in the corner to extend the lead to 8-0 at the quarter mark.
Over the next 10 minutes, Marist matched the scoring, picking up a try and a penalty goal to tie the scores with 10 minutes remaining in the half. Martin played a role in the second try as well.
He spied space behind the defensive line, chipped ahead and Prime regathered and scored, taking back the lead 13-8. Martin added another penalty goal to stretch the lead to 16-8 at halftime.
Te Awamutu Sports Development captain Dillon Martin breaks away down the field at Marist Park. Photo / Justin MIezenbeek
In the second half, Marist lifted their intensity and hit back immediately. Their potent rolling maul was too much for the Te Awamutu forwards to handle, closing the gap to three points.
A penalty goal three minutes later tied the game again, with the momentum firmly in the hosts’ favour.
Five minutes later, Sports found themselves back on their defensive line.
Marist caught them short of numbers down the right flank and took their first lead of the match, with the conversion making it 16-23 with 30 minutes left to play.
Both sides had their chances from that point, but a combination of desperate scramble defence and both teams being a little guilty of overplaying and pushing one too many passes meant the scoreboard remained the same.
The game seemed destined for a hometown win and conversations of “close, but not quite close enough” until Martin turned the game on its head.
Quick hands to the left had winger Eli Adlington in space, who popped the ball inside to a flying Martin.
He hit the hole, stepped inside the last defender and raced off to score on the last play of the game. His conversion tied the game and sent it to overtime.
The overtime period was a rollercoaster of explosive attack and desperate defence.
Both sides created opportunities but were thwarted by the desperation of their opponents. Fatigue was obvious, and in the first period, halfback Prime took advantage.
Tackled high in the corner five metres out from the line, he took a quick tap and exploded through the tired defence to score.
Martin lined up what may have been his most important kick of the season from the sideline.
Kicking directly into the teeth of a strong breeze, he nailed the kick to take a seven-point lead into the second period.
Marist took control of the second period, driving Sports back into their half. The pressure eventually worked and they scored in the left corner, narrowing the lead to two points with the conversion to come. However, the conversion fell wide, leaving Te Awamutu with a narrow lead and a few minutes to play.
Despite the fatigue in their bodies, Marist intensified their efforts, hunting for the winning blow.
However, they were met by an even more desperate defensive line, which eventually conceded a penalty in the final sequence, giving Hamilton a chance to win.
The kick drifted wide, sending the Te Awamutu contingent into raptures as they invaded the field and swarmed the players, sealing a famous victory.
The Honda Shop Under-21s
A strong second half from the Te Awamutu Sports Honda Shop Under-21s couldn’t overcome a nine-point deficit at halftime, eventually falling 31-40 to Leamington in a high-scoring, entertaining game on Friday.
Tries by Caleb Wright (2), Callum Hall, Khan Martin and Austin Frederick led the way for Te Awamutu, while halfback Riley Dixon added three conversions from the tee.
It was a familiar start for Sports, conceding an early score within five minutes. However, they struck straight back through Wright to trail 5-7 early. A flurry of points from the hosts quickly stretched the lead to 16 points in the 25th and 30th minutes before Hall closed the gap on the halftime siren, trailing 12-21 at the break.
Leamington would score first in the second half, extending their lead to 12-26 before Martin replied as the hour mark approached, with Sports hanging in at 17-26 with 30 minutes to play.
The hosts, however, would ease the pressure with a converted try, but Wright hit straight back with his second to set up an intriguing last 10 minutes with the score at 24-33. Leamington then stretched their lead with five minutes to play, scoring another converted try to all but seal the match at 24-40.
To finish, Te Awamutu would make things interesting via Frederick crossing with a few minutes on the clock, but Leamington would hang onto their lead to close out the match.
