Can you believe it! Time is bolting past and we have completed 12 of the 20 weeks of this year’s Rugby season. We have seen some real highs and even though suffering defeats we have luckily endured very few lows. We have definitely seen the club grow or maybe a better way to put it is that we have impassioned and encouraged people to return and remember what belonging to this club is all about. Over the last 12 weeks I have seen clubs whose culture is not about whanau and practicing the value of standing “Shoulder to Shoulder” win, lose or draw. Those have been the clubs whose players are absent from aftermatch functions, whose side lines are empty or worse still whose makeup of the team is not reflected in those people you rub shoulders with at the after match. Once you know what it is about this club that takes us a notch above the rest, you realise that as much as the Taihape Rugby Club is about the game ultimately it’s about how we as people look after visitors, how we support each other and how we work together remembering that we all have something valuable to contribute. This week’s games have been no exception from any other we have played. We secured a good win over Utiku Old Boys, with our senior team coming out well deserved winners 28 – 15 however the Premieres weren’t as lucky going down to Pirates 39 -15. The senior squad numbers swelled this week which may on the face of it seem a good thing however for Clint and his management team, I’m sure this had him reassessing what was needed and considering many options as to who would ultimately earn a jersey for the game. From the first whistle there was a sense of urgency in the team. The seniors played arguably the best game they have played all season and comments like “playing like a team possessed” and “got some mongrel in their play” were just some of the comments heard around the grounds. The forwards did themselves proud and it is fair to say that they matched UOB scrum and actually outplayed them on occasion with every one of our forwards giving their all, putting their bodies on the line which led to turnovers in our favour. Patience and discipline could certainly be seen as the key. Senior’s captain Ted Kavanagh , Kiel Martin , Howie Campus , William Thompson and Arthur Kauika did a great job of doing simple pick and go’s gaining momentum for the ball to be fed out to the backline. Wiremu Lawrence and Jaye Rewai both had strong games. “Big Man”, Cyrus Tosi was always going to be a target and this game was no exception. His ability to create overlaps and line breaks and also add in some good tactical kicking led to good field position which earned us at least one try with speedster Russ Finn taking out the honours. Emmanuel Mapanda played another storming game and it was welcome back to BJ Bowsher who put his stamp on the team with his encouragement and experience. “Man of the Match“ Brett was doing it again this week, hunting the ball, getting to breakdowns, stealing loose ball, generally playing clever and focussed rugby. Brett and Wade both did great work in the lineouts up against UOB veteran Ash Transom. PT Hay Horton had another solid game and also welcome back Mike Loyd into the squad. Good job to the 4 try scorers, Kiel Martin, Russ Finn, William Thompson and Mike Loyd. Next week we are up against Marist Celtic so keep up the momentum boys, it’s an away game and we need the support going down to Wanganui. Mention to Bennett Horton for refereeing. You were fair, which ultimately showed up in the game with no fighting or back chat, commendable Benny! To the Premieres game this week, things were not as exhilarating however there were times within the match when the Taihape Rugby Club supporters easily could have taken the “roof off the stadium” (that’s if they had one) with the boisterous but behaved support. Looking at the game itself, the first 10 minutes or so could have given us an early lead with two missed opportunities with penalties. There were definite holes in our defensive field placement this week especially when play turned into loose and unstructured play. Thinking about where to be next in a movement had our boys scrambling somewhat and left them rooted to the spot instead of covering those vulnerable areas on the field that were left wide open for the opposition to quickly take advantage of and ultimately score. Being in the right place at the right time was the key to this game. The opposition well and truly kept the “Key” in their possession not letting go. Trying to build momentum for us was hard as the opposition capitalized on our mistakes and turned that into points leading 17- 3 in the first half. The second half had us score 2 tries and a conversion but this was not enough to keep the opposition down. All 19 guys who put on the uniform this week played with heart, vigour and gave there all for 80 minutes on the field. Marcus Totman was an absolute tackling machine, ball hunter and goliath throwing himself into every break down situation. Tremaine Gilbert also played arguably the best game he has had this season playing good offensive and defensive rugby which culminated in him “wowing” the crowd in the second half with a 60 metre run away try after a brilliant intercept! Dylan Maloney, our second try scorer of the day also had another strong consistent game and along with the rest of his forward pack continued to inspire and encourage the boys. Frazer Bryant also had a storming game and had some good bursts and made his presence felt on the day. Richie Iorns, “Mr Steady” and guys like Timi and Matiu Teepa got stuck in again this week. James Barrett and Rimu Wipaki both had good games and it’s amazing to see these boys taking on men two to three times their size without flinching and quite frankly loving it! Unluckily Luke Whale sustained an injury in the game but despite this he played the full game forfeiting goal kicking duties to Tom Wells. Cyrus Paringatai went well again and Matt Totman was as dependable as ever. Welcome back to Matt Ash who has been recovering from an injury for the last 6 or 7 weeks. Positive areas of play for us this week were our scrum, ball handling skills and good fluid ball movement plays with our back line. The defence from our boys was fierce at times especially with straight up man on man rugby. Denying ball and maintaining possession was paramount strategy for us which worked well but unfortunately not enough times for us. There were niggles of undisciplined play but all in all the referee did a good job of controlling the game and it seemed that both teams respected the skills that each team brought to the game of rugby in the end. Instead of being a fly on the wall this week I’d like to be the mascot that sits quietly in the corner taking in the knowledge, acumen and good sense of Coach Kerry and his management team. I’m sure there will be some questions posed and solutions sort from players as to how we can improve. Get rid of the negatives but take forward all of the positives into next week’s game against Kaierau is my advice. There’s an old adage that says “It isn’t over till the fat lady sings”! in this case “The game isn’t over till the last whistle blows!” I’d like to commend both teams for never giving up and battling to that last whistle! A big thanks to our stalwart supporters who follow both teams week in week out, you’re awesome! Was great to see the Prems Manager, Anthony Martin, down at the game in Wanganui on Saturday albeit on crutches! Get well soon! Lastly I’d like to thank all those people who continue to support the decisions that are being made on behalf of the club by coaches, management, and the committee If there is one thing I have learnt over the years, people in roles such as their’s will generally have a “Method to their madness” and they are usually looking for a positive outcome that takes into consideration the “big picture” Keep well people, smile a lot and laugh more, Ka kite till next week!
Posted on: Mon, 17 Jun 2013 02:52:54 +0000
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