Whale coolly slotted two conversions and a penalty, as South Canterbury lock Kieran Harris and Thames Valley No 8 Korbin Chwesik, also the captain, drove over the chalk for tries.
Māori scored first in the second stanza, with Whale away on a reply penalty attempt, and then the well-conditioned Māori backs got into their work with some superb linebreaks, turnover counterattacks and support play to run in four unanswered tries.
Playing for pride, Heartland had the final say off the last play of the match as, following a Māori goal-line dropout, Whale ran to a gap out wide then produced a lovely delayed skip pass which led to King Country reserve back Jack Dallas-Johnson scoring in the corner.
McCarthy, who is of Ngāti Tūwharetoa descent and in his second season with NZ Māori, played a strong 60-minute shift before being subbed.
Having inherited this inaugural team chosen from 12 Heartland provinces, who all came together on October 3, Cowan was proud of their efforts.
“Looking at it, what we pulled together and achieved in 72 hours, from different unions, is pretty good.
“Just the last 20 minutes the Māori showed superior fitness.”
Getting tired and trying to move the ball with flat passes from midfield set pieces, Heartland found the Māori backs could get up quickly and with one turnover attackers became defenders who had given the ball carrier a 5m head start.
“To get in that sort of level, margins have become slimmer,” said Cowan.
“It was a great experience for 23 Heartland men, to get put in a professional environment.
“It’s a bit of a baptism of fire, but a great experience for everyone involved.”
Happenings
PEROFETA: Whanganui’s expat All Black Stephen Perofeta has been confirmed in the final 36-man squad for the All Blacks Northern Tour starting later this month. The 27-year-old will be looking to add to his five test appearances as the All Blacks face Japan, England, Ireland, France and Italy from October 26 to November 24. He is one of six outside backs chosen for the squad.
HAMAHONA: Former Whanganui women’s player and current Manawatū Cyclones flanker Anahera Hamahona is among 49 players selected to attend the NZ Under-20 Women’s Rugby development camp being held at NZCIS in Wellington on October 17-21. Hamahona was a key figure in the Cyclones’ undefeated march to the FPC Championship.
APPRENTICE: The Steelform Whanganui team is offering a lucky local the chance to be their Heartland Apprentice for Saturday’s Bunnings Warehouse Heartland Championship semifinal with Thames Valley at Cooks Gardens. The winner will be chosen from a special scavenger hunt at Cooks Gardens on Friday, from 11am-noon, to see who can find the winning ticket. The Apprentice on Saturday will attend the Captain’s Run, have a pre-game meal at Barracks Bar & Restaurant, be with the team in the team room before the game and run out on to the field with them, while they will watch from the reserve bench and join in the halftime Gumboot Race.
AUCTION: The special Steelform Whanganui charity jerseys from last weekend’s game at Cooks Gardens are still available for online bids on the Trademe website. The proceeds from the auctions go to the New Zealand Rugby Foundation, which provides financial and emotional support to severely injured players. The auction closes on Friday.
