The benchmark has been set. Kaierau's 95-0 walloping of Ratana on Saturday should send shockwaves into the remaining clubs in the Wanganui Rugby Union's area.
Now it's up to those other clubs to get themselves properly fit and create good organisation and planning to give themselves a chance against the rampaging city side.
On the evidence of the first two weeks, most of the seven other clubs have a long way to go on the fitness front, at the very least. KAIERAU 95 RATANA 0
This apparenty happened occasionally to Ratana in the late 1990s ? as evidenced by the 95-20 loss to Waiouru in 1998 and another 70-odd points put on them by pirates a year later.
The danger signals were flashed the previous week when Ratana looked on the ropes against a moderate Marist side before scrambling to a narrow win.
Kaierau was in no such forgiving mood at Ratana on Saturday, leading 29-0 at halftime and impressively putting the foot on the Ratana throat and squeezing through that second half.
There were 66 more points in that second half, and 15 tries in all ? and scarily two very large, rampaging forwards with tryscoring hunger were missing.
Filifili Samuela, who scored two against Taihape, has a shoulder problem and may be out for another week, while big No 8 Akapusi Qera is at present captaining the Fijian under-20 team at the Pacific tournament. Goodness only knows what he might have scored on Saturday.
So the ball now is in Ratana's court. Clearly the apparent struggle to get a team organised for a start, followed by the lack of proper training in a team sense and certainly as individuals, has left the side under-prepared.
That was a fact admitted by coach Murray Ririnui before the season started. But he's turned the team around before ? and he and Jerome Nahona laid the challenge down to the players after Saturday's debacle.
One previous happening sticks in my mind ? way back in 1972 in Palmerston North, a talent-loaded Varsity A thumped Kia Toa 96-0 in the first match of the season.
A few months later the two same clubs met in the championship final ? and drew it.
So it can be done. Ratana still has a decent dose of experience in its ranks. And that's a start.
Other scores: RUAPEHU 47 UTIKU OB 0 MARIST 21 Marton 6 Pirates 29 TAIHAPE 6
Kaierau set the standard
AdvertisementAdvertise with NZME.