Talking Rugby: Steelform Whanganui pipped by South Canterbury

Steelform Whanganui captain Dane Whale escapes a tackle.

Steelform Whanganui were far from disgraced in losing 30-40 to defending champions South Canterbury in a rousing Bunnings Warehouse Meads Cup rugby final at the Temuka Domain last Saturday.

It was a South Island double for only the third time in the history of Heartland rugby, with West Coast claiming the union’s first national title in its 133-year existence with a 23-20 victory over West Coast at John Sturgeon Park in Greymouth.

Like last season, Whanganui matched a well-drilled South Canterbury side in most aspects of play, but the green and blacks fully deserved their victory on home soil and now match the Butcher Boys as three-peat Meads champions.

South Canterbury have been unbeaten in 30 Heartland matches since beating West Coast 23-19 in the 2019 Lochore Cup final in Timaru.

Timoci Seruwalu makes a run for Steelform Whanganui.

Apart from that final and last weekend’s results, the only other year the South Island scooped both Heartland titles was 2013, when Mid Canterbury beat North Otago 26-20 for the Meads Cup, and neighbours South Canterbury beat Buller 13-10 in the Lochore decider.

In addition to claiming a third successive Meads title last weekend, South Canterbury had last year headed Whanganui’s most points in a season with 491 (old record 440 in 2016) and most tries (69 in 2022 — old record, 63 tries in 2008).

Both the 2008 and 2016 Whanganui teams were unbeaten in the Meads Cup, with Johnny Mow (13) and Cameron Crowley (12) the top try-scorers in 2008, and Te Rangatira Waitokia top try (12) and points (72) scorers in 2016.

Winger Kalavini Leatigaga scored two of his team’s five tries on Saturday, fullback Liueli Simote scored nine tries each, and Nelson loan first-five Sam Briggs scored 154 points for South Canterbury in the 2022 season.

Whanganui scored 21 consecutive wins between 2015-17, with South Canterbury expanding that sequence to 30 since 2019 (Note — no Heartland rugby in 2020 because of Covid).

Whanganui’s three-peat championship era stats:

2015 – Played 10, won 8, drew 1 (17-all Home v King Country), lost 1 (28-30 Home v Mid Canterbury), points for 372 (50 tries), against 207 (25 tries), average score 37-21. In the final beat South Canterbury 28-11 away.

2016 – P 10, W 10, for 452 (60), against 186 (27), average score: 45-19, Final: Beat Buller 20-18 Home.

2017 – P 10, W 7, L 3 (17-21 v South Canterbury, 39-40 v Mid Canterbury, 8-15 v Horowhenua-Kapiti all Away). Final: Beat Horowhenua-Kapiti 30-14 away. For 338 (42), against 163 (17), average score 34-16.

South Canterbury’s three-peat record:

2021 – P 9, W 9, for 400 (57), against 140 (18), average score 44-16. Final: 33-27 v North Otago away. Note: No semifinals played.

2022 – P 10, W 10, for 491 (69), against 167 (20), average score:49-17. Final: 47-36 v Whanganui at Pleasant Point.

2023 – P 10, W 10, for 415 (62), against 227 (33), average score: 42-23. Final: 40-30 v Whanganui at Temuka Domain.

Whanganui’s 2023 record:

P 10, W 7, L 3 (33-36 v Thames Valley Home, 17-23 v King Country Away, 30-40 v South Canterbury away), for 332 (47), against 199 (26), average score 33-20).

The top three Heartland rankings have been the same unions for the past three years — South Canterbury No 1 each season, Whanganui No 2 in 2022-23 and No 3 in 2001, and Thames Valley 2-3-3 since 2021. Fourth-ranked North Otago in 2021, King Country in 2022 and East Coast this year.

The highest climbs in 2023 have been West Coast from 12th to fifth, Poverty Bay from 10th to sixth, and Wairarapa Bush from 11th to eighth. The largest drops are King Country fourth to 10th, Horowhenua-Kapiti eighth to 12th, and Mid Canterbury sixth to ninth.