After yesterday’s game, it is a nightmare scenario for Turbos coaches Jeremy Cotter and Aaron Good.
The Manawatu¯ Turbos are two first five-eighths down and one is not due back until round three of the NPC.
Close to halftime, Jade Te Rure went flying aloft to take a high ball during the Turbos’ error-ridden 47-15 loss to Tasman at Porirua yesterday, went down in a heap, felt a burning sensation and didn’t get up.
He was carried off by team doctor Stefan Lombard and wheeled away, his knee packed with ice.
It is a nightmare scenario for coaches Jeremy Cotter and Aaron Good, having already lost Ben Wyness for the season, Otere Black is still on the mend and the serious stuff is a mere two weeks away.
While the Turbos were in the market for another No 10, they have no option now, being deprived of a goalkicker and with nothing else in the province. It was too soon to diagnose the extent of the injury to Te Rure’s knee, the same leg he wrecked in Scotland two years ago.
Second five-eighth Hamish Northcott moved in and ran the backs as if it he had been doing it all year and, ironically, was probably the man of the match, making numerous clean breaks in the bright sunshine and dispensing his trademark thumping stand-up tackles.
Fullback Junior Laloifi took over the line-kicking with his left-footers and James Tofa the goalkicking without frightening the posts – all three tries were unconverted.
That aside, the Makos walloped the Turbos on the scoreboard, scoring seven tries. This was inflated by three in the final minutes when Manawatu¯ had men out of position, including halfback Atutahi Henare on the left wing.
Firstly the positives. Hooker Tim Cadwallader expertly nailed all seven lineout throws, while Nick Crosswell led the pack with No 8 Brice Henderson, and flanker Liam Mitchell was everywhere, as usual.
The scrum was mostly secure and when the Turbos had the ball they were dangerous, only to spoil it with rushed passes.
Right from the start, the match sensation was lean centre Lifeimi Mafi. Nothing has changed since 2003 – his first tackle was boom, followed by two more chiropractic hits, only for him to limp away with a twisted ankle and not emerge after halftime. His clearance from France came through only at 3am.
New left wing Michael Tagicakibau got caught infield by the fleet Tasman backline and although no Usain Bolt, his first run flattened a blue defender. Tagicakibau’s fine take of a high ball looking into the sun set up an attack for a Manawatu¯ try. Later, he too limped off with a calf strain.
Tasman surfed a wave of penalties and accurate kicks to the corner in the first half. The Turbos’ inaccuracies meant they saw little ball as Makos screamed up the sidelines.
The penalty tsunami was reversed after halftime and the Turbos got on a roll until the subs rostered on and Tasman’s Will Jordan again started skipping out of Turbos’ tackles.
Annoyingly, Manawatu¯ ’s mauls were turned over after winning safe lineout ball.
Cotter was at pains to point out no-one ever remembers pre-season results. ‘‘It was just errors – and penalties come from errors. There was a lack of cohesion and those sort of things can be fixed.
‘‘Pre-season doesn’t define your season. I was really pleased with what we created at times.’’
Next Friday is the final hit-out, against Hawke’s Bay. It’s the last chance for the new contenders.