Big preseason win for Turbos
"This is still a long way from Mitre 10 Cup. It means nothing, but it is a step in the right direction." Manawatu Turbos coach Jeremy Cotter
Manawatu Turbos coach Jeremy Cotter is not letting himself get carried away despite posting 50 points on Hawke’s Bay for the second consecutive time this year.
The Manawatu Evergreens beat the Hawke’s Bay Saracens 54-17 in Napier on Saturday on the back of a dominant effort at the breakdown and a four-try effort from wing Newton Tudreu.
It is believed to be their first win at Mclean Park.
Hawke’s Bay were missing 13 of their Super Rugby players, but Manawatu were without nine Super Rugby players plus prop Fraser Armstrong who is training with the Hurricanes and injured No 8 Valentino Mapapalangi.
Ultimately Manawatu’s experience in the new breakdown laws, which will be rolled out in the NPC this year, gave them a significant advantage.
Cotter lead the charge to
implement the rules mid-way through the season and he reaped the rewards with the superior understanding his players had on Saturday.
He was pleased with the performance of his side, but was not getting too excited given it was only a preseason match.
‘‘It is exactly what we wanted,’’ he said. ‘‘They were excited and enjoyed what they were doing.
‘‘But this is still a long way from Mitre 10 Cup. It means nothing, but it is a step in the right direction.
‘‘You see it all the time, teams cruise through preseason and... then get thumped. You just have to keep your feet on the ground.’’
First five-eighth Ben Wyness and hooker Travis Taylor were two of the standouts performers.
Wyness must be close to earning a full contract - he is playing on a four-week temporary contract during the preseason.
Taylor was accurate at hooker and appears to be the frontrunner for a starting spot in week one.
After giving up a try within the first minute, there were ominous signs.
But then Manawatu kicked into their work.
The forwards, lead by Tom Parsons, Liam Hallam-eames, Tim Cadwallader and Kane Thompson, dominated up front, while Hawke’s Bay were heavily penalised leaving Manawatu with the lion’s share of possession and territory.
A brace of tries to Taylor and Tudreu gave Manawatu a 26-7 lead at the break.
When the players returned to the field, Hawke’s Bay finally showed some fight.
Strong carries from Robbie Fruean and Lewis Marshall helped them storm back to 26-17.
But Manawatu responded well. They lifted their effort on defence and found space for their outside backs.
Tudreu grabbed two more tries and set up another for Ambrose Curtis while Matt Feaunati picked up an intercept-try on fulltime.
On the injury front, Hallameames left the field with a concussion and Heiden Bedwell-curtis had a neck twinge, but it was not believed to be too serious.
Tudreu’s performance was positive sign as he carried on his dynamic club rugby form.
His express pace was too much for Hawke’s Bay to handle and he displayed some classy finishing skills.
‘‘It was good having a bit more space on the wing after playing at centre all season in club rugby,’’ he said.