Blue Ribbon win to HSOB
Blues Brothers: The 2009 Rockforte Finance premier club rugby champions are Emerre and Hathaway High School Old Boys after a thoroughly-deserved 27-22 victory over defending titleholders Coxco Ngatapa at Rugby Park on Saturday. Picture by Paul Rickard
John Hill
ATTACK wins matches, defence wins championships and it was the magnificent defence of HSOB that won them the Lee Bros Shield at Rugby Park on Saturday.
Emerre and Hathaway HSOB upset the form book and the odds with a thoroughly-deserved 27-22 victory and you can forget the scoreline.
First five-eighth Scott Leighton’s first of five successful penalty attempts kick-started the blue and white machine after opposite Tim Gardner’s two kicks gave Coxco Ngatapa an early 6-0 lead. But it was a dominant second half that paved the victory path.
Two late Ngatapa tries merely added respectability for a team whose only loss in 2009 was to HSOB in the opening game of the season.
“We have no complaints whatsoever,” said a gracious Ngatapa coach Stu Donnelly. “The better team on the day won, no question about it. We were flat and I don’t know why. We’ve played some fantastic rugby all season but today we left it all in the shed.”
HSOB coach Wayne Ensor, who guided his team to a shield final victory against Ngatapa in 2007, was ecstatic.
“We knew we had to take the game to them to have any chance of winning and the boys rose to the occasion,” said Ensor. “Our defence was outstanding but we also showed we could attack. We scored two super tries.”
Ensor laid the platform for the win with the call to attack Ngatapa from the kick-off.
“We lost the semifinal to them a couple of weeks ago by trying to play 10-man rugby. We decided that wasn’t going to work today so we gave the boys the freedom to run the ball.”
Leighton, by his high standards, has had a quiet season and there have been several contenders to his title as the most influential player in the district.
On Saturday the No 10 stepped up when it counted although there were other HSOB players, who, had Leighton not been playing, could have won the man-of-the-match award. No 8 Juston Allen, openside flanker Ralph McInally and winger Ratu Vosaki
It wasn’t just Leighton’s five penalties and conversion, all struck with the confidence of a professional. It was the way he controlled the game with his technical kicking, organisational skills, tackling and willingness to take the ball to the defensive line.
The game was only minutes old when HSOB showed their hand. The ball was cleared from a scrum to Leighton, who 99 times out of a 100 would have kicked. Instead he caught Ngatapa out when he counter-attacked from inside his own 22.
Allen had a stormer. It was his first shield final and he faced the outstanding and experienced Ngatapa No 8 Sione Ngatu, who was expected to have a major influence, but the 21-year-old Allen typified the HSOB “no guts no glory” attitude.
Scotsman McInally, in his first season with HSOB, celebrated the win with a beer.
“I’m not a drinker, I like my rugby too much, but I told the boys earlier in the season if we won I’d have a beer,” said the 26-year-old who heads home in November.
“This is the first time I’ve ever won a championship, it’s awesome. HSOB are a great club and I’m playing with a great bunch of guys and a top coach. I love it here.”
Fijian flier Vosaki broke the game open with the first opening try after the sides went into the middle locked 12-all.
Ngatapa had first use of a strong wind on a superbly-prepared surface but every time they took the lead Leighton replied with penalties.
Five minutes into the second half and with Ngatapa a man down after Ngatu was sin-binned for a high tackle, Vosaki scored.
The move started on the right wing when Allen took off from the back of the scrum and passed to Leighton who looked certain to score under the posts only for Gardner to pull off a try-saving tackle.
But the ever-alert Leighton got a pass away to Fijian right winger Ratu Vosaki who outpaced the cover to score in the corner. Leighton did the rest with a fantastic sideline conversion.
Apart from second-five Josh Willoughby, Ngatapa lacked spark and lost their way. Even the normally reliable Gardner was not immune.
In the 55th minute Gardner broke free but with Willoughby and winger Jack Gaddum outside him and only one man to beat Gardner kicked ahead — allowing fullback Clayton Kiwara to dot down for a 22-metre restart.
Five minutes later, it was all over bar the shouting when Kiwara, whose dazzling footwork often took him past three and four defenders, put up a kick which had James Gaddum under pressure. The HSOB forwards arrived en masse and when the ball was recycled it went quickly through the backline before Vosaki passed to left-winger Daniel Barbara to gleefully finish in the corner.
With five minutes remaining HSOB coach Wayne Ensor cleared his bench event though Leighton had been sin-binned in the 71st minute for a professional foul.
Ngatapa hit back with tries to winger Alex Barker — who replaced James Kissling in the first half after Kissling suffered a hand injury — and fullback Campbell Te Rito.
It’s a great way to finish the season,” said skipper Colin Hovell.
“Our defence was awesome — for most of the match but we knew the game was won even though they scored those late tries. After we scored our second try I looked at the faces on our guys and knew there was no way we were going to lose.
“I’d like to make a special mention for the guys who didn’t get on today. It’s hard on them but we know how important they are.”
Hovell also singled out Scotman Ralph McInally and Vosaki .
“Ralph punched above his weight. He came to us as a hooker but with two hookers already in the squad he put his hand up for the openside flanker’s role. He also got involved in all the club’s off-field activites
“Ratu’s a quiet guy off the field but can open up defences with his pace.”