Horowhenua Kapiti held on to win the Lochore Cup today in Levin against Horowhenua-Kapiti.
Horowhenua Kapiti held on to win the Lochore Cup today in Levin against Horowhenua-Kapiti.
Loan midfielder Timoci 'Jim' Seruwalu and expat reserve halfback Kane Tamou were able to break the hoodoo of Whanganui players missing 2018 national rugby titles after Horowhenua-Kapiti won a knife-edge Lochore Cup final over Wairarapa Bush in Levin this afternoon.
After Jona Nareki and Vilimoni Koroi were unsuccessful with Otago in the Mitre 10 Cup Championship final against Waikato in Hamilton on Friday, while Brett Cameron and his Canterbury team were devastated to lose in extra time to Auckland in the Premiership final at Eden Park, it had been a rough seven days following Steelform Wanganui's previous shock exit in the Meads Cup semifinals of the Heartland Championship.
But at the Levin Domain, Horowhenua-Kapiti delivered for their beleaguered supporters to claim their first national championship since the NPC Third Division title of 1993.
Ironically, that championship was in their 100th season, with today's silverware therefore capping off the 125th anniversary celebrations.
Taking the wind, Horowhenua-Kapiti went to their go-to man in first-five James So'oialo, who would ultimately kick 16 points to move to 120 for the season and surpass Wanganui's Craig Clare (117) as the season leader.
So'oialo popped over three straight penalties for a 9-0 advantage.
However, a promising Seruwalu rampage so the ball stripped off him by lightning quick winger Soli Malatai, who scored five tries against Buller earlier in the campaign, and the 21-year-old blitzed away for an 80m try to undo all the good work at 9-7.
Horowhenua-Kapiti responded as they got straight back on attack and after solid leadup, flanker Aaron Lahmert bulldozed under the heap to score, after a TMO review.
But even with breathing space at 16-7, Horowhenua-Kapiti had to be wary as Wairarapa Bush kicker Tipene Haira missed a penalty kick and then the visitors were held up over the tryline right on halftime.
Wairarapa Bush kept up the momentum straight from the resumption, as they got hot on attack and prop Sam Gammie crossed to score his third try against his neighbours this season.
Another So'oialo penalty get the hosts heads in front 19-14, but then Haira gave Horowhenua-Kapiti their own dose of that style of game, with Wairarapa Bush forcing penalties at the breakdown to set up three successful penalty opportunities to put them clear 23-19.
Tamou had come on in the 50th minute and was working hard to find some kind of opening, but his team got it from an error after the kickoff from Haira's third penalty as Wairarapa Bush missed the ball and Seruwalu swooped to take his team right down to the tryline.
Bravely, Horowhenua-Kapiti turned down easily kickable penalties for So'oialo to keep attacking from tap kicks and 5m scrums, and finally reserve hooker David McErlean found an open window to sneak over for the converted try.
Horowhenua-Kapiti tried to shut the match down with one-off rucks on halfway, but a 78th penalty gave Wairarapa Bush a final chance.
They went sideline to sideline searching for the match-winner with time up, but the home town forwards got the most important turnover in 25 years for their union and Tamou fired the ruck pass back to So'oialo to kick it out for fulltime.
Wanganui can also feel better that their misery was shared and the good wishes given to the ultimate underdogs Thames Valley came true – as the best underdog story of the season played out again at Timaru's Alpine Stadium on Saturday.
After years of rarely even making the Lochore playoffs, the Waikato country union are the top Mitre 10 Heartland side as they claimed their first Meads Cup with an outstanding 17-12 comeback win over a shocked South Canterbury.
Thames Valley pose with the Meads Cup after their win in the final match against South Canterbury. Photos by Getty Images.
Although they are beyond sensitive about it, the southerners will be hard pressed to escape their 'chokers' tag now as for the fourth consecutive year they have lost a home Meads Cup playoff to miss the title.
In their second straight away match and having to play without captain Shaun Hill, who was knocked out in the semifinal, Thames Valley got a direct flight to Timaru from Wanganui's own official carrier in Air Chathams.
Early on, it appeared everything was going to script as despite Thames Valley opening the scoring through a penalty by reliable first-five Reece Broughton, South Canterbury No8 Loni Toumohuni powered his way over to score on the second attempt as he had just been denied a try on the assistant referee's call only 60 seconds before.
Nine minutes later, a backline spread involving Toumohuni saw fullback Rico Syme set up the season's leading try-scorer in winger Kalavini Leatigaga getting his ninth five pointer in the corner.
But South Canterbury discovered what Wanganui already knew - this Thames Valley team is full of heart and self belief, and from 12-3 down at halftime they attacked from the outset and fullback Ethan Seymour redeemed his miss on Leatigaga as he shrugged off the cover defence and set up winger Kieran Lee to be stopped just short of the line but find acting skipper Brett Ranga in support to close the gap to 12-10.
After a long stalemate and with South Canterbury feeling the pressure, the Thames Valley forward pack clicked up another gear and after Ranga drove them close, replacement prop Sergio de la Fuente dived right off the ruck to force his way over in the 68th minute.
Now dominating up front, Thames Valley kept the ball on their side of halfway with rucks and a completely dominant scrum, torturing the southerners as the clock ticked away, until halfback Willie Wright was penalised trying to snatch the ball and the underdogs just had to kick it out for their second extraordinary upset in as many weeks.
Meads Cup final Thames Valley 17 (Brett Ranga, Sergio de la Fuente tries; Reece Broughton pen, 2 con) bt South Canterbury 12 (Loni Toumohuni, Kalavini Leatigaga tries; Willie Wright con). HT: 12-3 South Canterbury.
Lochore Cup final Horowhenua-Kapiti 26 (Aaron Lahmert, David McErlean tries; James So'oialo 4 pen, 3 con) bt Wairarapa Bush 23 (Soli Malatai, Sam Gammie tries; Tipene Haira 3 pen, 2 con). HT: 16-7.
