Talking Rugby with John B. Phillips: Whanganui scores big at Tremain Park

Steelform Whanganui can expect strong opposition from the Wellington Centurions at Cooks Gardens on Saturday in the final dress rehearsal before the start of the Heartland championship.
The Centurions took Wairarapa-Bush apart 76-10 last weekend while Whanganui recorded its highest score in seven games against the Hawke's Bay Saracens with a 45-27 victory at Napier's Tremain Park.
For Whanganui, whose previous highest score against the Bay was 41-19 in Cooks Gardens in 2017, it was the first victory over the Saracens in three years.
It was 21-10 at halftime to the Butcher Boys, thanks to two early tries from Taihape loose forward Ben Whale who helped Whanganui outscore the hosts seven tries to five.

Although versatile utility back Tyler Rogers-Holden and inside back Brook Tremayne suffered injuries, it is hoped they will be back for Saturday along with young prop Keightley Watson, who missed the Napier fixture because of flight disruptions.

Whanganui took only 24 players north and considering the Saracens ran on 13 new players early in the second spell, it was a sustained effort from the blue and blacks.
The victory, after losses against the Manawatu Evergreens (10-33) and Taranaki Trojans (33-38) was a morale booster for Whanganui.

Although the blues have played two close games against the Wellington Centurions in recent seasons, winning 15-14 at Cooks Gardens in 2019 and being beaten 19-12 at Porirua last year after leading 12-5 at halftime, last week's result from Masterton indicates the Wellington visitors could be hard to contain.

The Wairarapa Stags had beaten Central Hawke's Bay 38-6, but were no match for the 30-strong Centurions squad that includes backup players for the Wellington Lions NPC team plus talented young club players.

There is a feast of Pacific Islanders in the squad, which also faces games against Hawke's Bay and Tasman B.
The try-scorers against Whanganui last season – Ethan Webster-Nonu (2) and Callum Harkin – are included again this year.
Also likely to play are Butcher Boys Joeli Rauca and Semi Vodesese, who scored tries in Porirua, and Joe Edwards and Dane Whale who collected tries in the 2019 local victory.
Saturday marks the return of 87-cap Butcher Boys halfback Lindsay Horrocks and penetrating loose forward Samu Kubunavanua for the first time this rep season.
Horrocks has scored 87 points for Whanganui while Kubunavanua, who has been in Fiji recently, has scored 81 points.

It is important the Butcher Boys continue the good form shown last weekend because West Coast could be a tough opening-round Bunnings Warehouse Heartland opponent in Greymouth on Saturday week.
The Coast, who have recruited well with a sprinkling of Canterbury loan players, have been in great early form – coming from 22-0 down to upset Nelson and lift the Seddon Shield 28-26 and defend it 16-7 against Marlborough in Murchison last weekend.

It has certainly been a mixed 2022 season for the champion Border premier rugby team.
The Waverley-based squad overcame two decisive qualifying-round hidings at the hands of in-form Taihape to "out-Fox" the red-hot favourites 16-15 in an enthralling final at Cooks Gardens to join Ohakune-Karioi (1984-86) and Ratana (2001-03) as three-peat winners of the union-wide combined championship title.
But the record 77-7 away and 51-15 home thrashings handed out by Taihape and narrow losses against Kaierau and Ngamatapouri left Border with a minus for and against points record (230-262) for the season.
It is the first time in the 45-year history of the combined competition that the champion team has recorded a minus overall game points deficit of 32 points, averaging a score of 23-26 over 10 matches.
By contrast, Taihape finished with an average score of 42-26.
Top marks, however, must go to the Border "brains trust" for formulating a strategy to nullify Taihape's strengths by moving the ball from side to side and tackling like demons.
In addition, Taihape's goal-kicking machine (Dane Whale) was off target for the only time in the campaign, missing half a dozen shots at goal.
As it turns out, any one of the kicks would have won the title.
Finals, however, are one-off cut-throat affairs and Border reaped the rewards for formulating clever tactics.

The team's season statistics were in complete contrast to Border's first two legs of the hat-trick performance – a 40-14 average score in 2021 and 40-13 in 2020 when the squad dropped only one game each year and scored twice as many points and 70 tries compared with 29 this season.
Since the combined series started in 1978, only one squad has managed a 50-plus average match score – Kaierau with 59-6 in 2005.
That side, coached by "Red" Morris, scored 948 points and conceded 100 during an unbeaten 16-match season following 18 from 18 (average 45-11) the previous year.
Another Morris-coached squad won 16 on the trot in 1997 with an average score of 44-15
Border are second on the best average game scores with the 2016 side, 17-16 victors in the first of four close finals against Taihape, averaging 48-15.

The average match scores for Whanganui premier champion club teams during the union-wide competitions that started in1978 are -
59-6 2005 Kaierau P 16 W16 For 948 Ag 100 Tries 149
48-15 2016 Border P 16 W 15 For 770 Ag 147 Tries 119
45-11 2004 Kaierau P 18 W 18 For 814 Ag 191 Tries 122
44-15 1997 Kaierau P 16 W 16 For 898 Ag 236 Tries 99
42-14 2007 Marist P 16 W 11 For 625 Ag 217 Tries 97
40-14 2021 Border P 12 W 11 For 475 Ag 162 Tries 72
40-13 2020 Border P 12 W 11 For 464 Ag 161 Tries 74
39-11 2013 Ruapehu P 18 W 17 D1 For 710 Ag 193 tries 103
39-8 1998 Tech P 20 W 19 For 773 Ag 163 Tries 116
36-10 2003 Ratana P 18 W 17 D 1 For 609 Ag 168 Tries 94
36-9 2001 Ratana P 18 W 18 For 649 Ag 153 Tries 96
35-13 1995 Waverley P 17 W 15 For 602 Ag 221 Tries 53
34-8 2009 Ruapehu P 16 W 14 For 543 Ag 136 Tries 84
34-7 2002 Ratana P 18 W 17 For 635 Ag 123 Tries 94
32-13 2018 Ruapehu P 16 W 13 For 517 Ag 203 Tries 84
32-14 1993 Kaierau P 17 W 15 For 537 Ag 241 Tries 62
32-14 2015 Pirates P 16 W 14 For 518 Ag 228 Tries 72
31-14 2019 Taihape P 14 W 9 For 433 Ag 195 Tries 61
31-15 2010 Marist P 16 W 13 For 492 Ag 237 Tries 73
29-17 2017 Ruapehu P 18 W 13 D 1 For 530 Ag 298 Tries 81
27-12 2012 Ruapehu P 14 W12 For 384 Ag 166 Tries 57
26-8 1989 Marton P 16 W 14 D 1 For 408 Ag 120 Tries 56
26-9 1999 Kaierau P 17 W 15 For 437 Ag 159 Tries 66
26-12 2000 Marist P 17 W 14 For 535 Ag 201 Tries 74
26-15 1996 Marist P 19 W 13 D 1 For 502 Ag 277 Tries 62
26-17 1994 Marton P 17 W 11 For 450 Ag 284Tries 52
25-3 1987 WHSOB P14 W 14 For 349 Ag 42 Tries 58
25-15 2011 Ratana P 16 W 11 D 1 For393 Ag 245 Tries 58
24-7 1986 Ohakune P 14 W11 D 2 For 335 Ag 91 Tries 54
24-10 2006 Ratana P 16 W 15 For 391 Ag 160 Tries 55
23-16 2014 Pirates P 18 W 14 For 459 Ag 259 Tries 62
22-6 2009 Ruapehu P 16 W14 For 357 Ag 101 Tries 57
22-6 1984 Ohakune P 16 W 16 For 659 Ag 100 Tries 55
21-7 1980 Waverley P 20 W 18 For 414 Ag 147 Tries 6
20-8 1991 Kaierau P 15 W 12 D 1 For 293 Ag121 Tries 44
19-8 1095 Ohakune P 14 W 13 For 269 Ag 114 Tries 51
18-9 1992 Utiku IOB P 18 W 13 D 1 For 329 Ag 160 Tries 54
17-9 1983 Marist P 9 W 9 For 155 Ag 78 Tries Unknown
16-6 1988 Marist P 14 W 12 For 227 Ag 84 Tries 33
16-7 1990 Wang Counties P 16 W 14 For 252 Ag 117 Tries 26
16-10 1982 Huia P 9 W 7 For 143 Ag 87 Tries 17
15-9 1981 Huia P 10 W 8 D1 For 148 Ag 91 Tries 18
15-7 1979 Ohakune P 7 W 6 For 106 Ag 50 Triea 13
1978 – Utiku OB 1, Kaierau & Waverley 2 equal (Round Robin)
Minus average score
23-26 2022 Border P 10 W 6 L 4 For 230 Ag 262 Tries 29