How the Turbos rated
Manawatu¯’s Championship rugby team had one of their more gruelling seasons. Peter Lampp reflects on some of the individual performers.
When the Manawatu¯ Turbos upended Waikato’s Mooloos in their opening hit-out, it seemed 2018 might not be so shabby after all.
Junior Laloifi gassed three Waikato defenders for the first of his two tries, marquee signing Rob Thompson ignited himself from centre and they won the final 43 minutes by 24-7.
Thompson put in 80-minute shifts in all of his nine games following an arduous Super season.
Laloifi, the former Queensland Red, had been invited to Feilding Old Boys-o¯ roua to push his wares from club rugby.
With five tries in his first five games, his princely pace wowed TV commentators and possible Super Rugby suitors.
But his sixth outing, against Tasman, was to be his final game in the No 15 jersey. He hobbled off concussed after five minutes against Tasman and it ultimately led to Sam Malcolm becoming the unlikely custodian at the back.
Malcolm had left for Sydney after playing only once as a substitute in 2017. Understandably, he had to be convinced to return and leave West Harbour when the Turbos called just before the season started.
He ended up starting seven of the 10 games, appearing in every one, doubling his previous 10 games to earn his blazer and became the first-choice fullback.
Manawatu¯ had lost Feilding first five-eighth Ben Wyness toa broken leg late in club rugby and with Otere Black still nursing his leg injury at the Blues, they had only Jade Te Rure to call on.
Te Rure, though, lasted only 22 minutes into the ill-fated Otago match, which the Turbos lost 50-17, when he injured his elbow and was sidelined until the final two matches.
Malcolm took his chance. Orthodox he may be, but he was a fearless little tackler, faultless under the high ball and he skilfully timed his runs, as when he ran off Laloifi to score against Bay of Plenty.
When Black made his first home appearance, against Tasman, the classy runs he had added to his repertoire in his year off and his prodigious line kicking made an immediate impression and the Blues should benefit from his pinpoint goalkicking next year.
Malcolm’s wasn’t the only mercy dash. Tom Hughes hadn’t played for the Turbos since 2014 because of disc problems in his back. He had been in Christchurch, locking the scrum for Sydenham and on the Canterbury fringes, appearing in the game of three halves involving the All Blacks.
He came home for three weeks on loan and stayed the duration, his 2.03-metre frame imposing itself in enemy lineouts. But for injuring a pectoral muscle, he would have started four of the final five matches.
A big season had been forecast for lock Liam Hallam-eames, but when he back-handed Waikato jersey-puller James Tucker, he was banished for four weeks. Fortunately for Manawatu¯ , it wasn’t seen by the referee, but it was later cited. And also fortunately for the Turbos, lock Tim Bond clouted Malcolm in the final seconds when Waikato were hot on attack.
No-one would foresee Waikato going on to win the Ranfurly Shield and being one of the hot teams, nor that Manawatu¯ wouldn’t win again for five weeks, until for the first time in 67 years at Rotorua to boot.
Every year their season is hobbled by an abortive Ranfurly Shield challenge.
Whispers began wafting about prop Michael Alaalatoa and the All Blacks, but when the Manawatu¯ scrum was shunted in the shield match at New Plymouth, it was Taranaki prop Angus Ta’avao who got the summons, as was the other prop, Reuben O’neill, at season’s end. It was Taranaki’s only ferocious rumble all season.
Alaalatoa soldiered on bravely in a scrum, which under heavy stress often seemed to have eight moving parts.
The loose forwards had too few parts, including the telling blow of losing captain Heiden Bedwellcurtis to Japan. High hopes had been held for burly Feilding No 8 Sam Wasley, and still are – he snapped a knee ligament on debut against Waikato.
The athletic Kia Toa No 8
Brayden Iose required surgery for his hip injury and so the promising
Sam Slade was flown in from Ponsonby.
Brice Henderson found himself the starting No 8 with little respite, living up to his Banger nickname when he came on against Wellington, who otherwise bullied Manawatu¯ .
Flanker Antonio Kiri Kiri played himself into the ground to justify his captain’s stripes in his best season in seven. Coach Jeremy Cotter eventually had to order him to spell after six 80-minute matches.
Kiri Kiri is off to Yorkshire, perhaps to be replaced by Adrian Wyrill, the Gisborne fetcher so hungry over the ball who arrived on loan from Taranaki and who wanted to stay.
Some see Hurricanes signing
Liam Mitchell as a lock, as he showed in the finale against Southland. He is the future, hated being subbed off and was an athlete in the No 6 jersey.
It was unusual in that the two halfbacks were rotated game by game. Jamie Booth had the most spectacular moments with his dashing, notably his 40-metre screamer after 57 seconds in the 17-15 win over Bay of Plenty at Rotorua. However, Kayne Hammington has a Highlanders contract, while Booth must again wait for the phone to ring.
Nick Crosswell was an inspiration to Sam Cane by recovering from a broken bone in his neck against Waikato last year and while now a lock, his on-field leadership saw him through to 94 games, the only 2006 original left.
Te Kawau hooker Sam Stewart emerged as a devoted Turbo, helping the renaissance of the lineout, and Hamish Northcott was valued for his early season line breaks and again faithfully shored up the midfield when summoned.
The Turbos’ All Blacks contributed to two of the team’s three wins: Nehe Milner-skudder popping up everywhere in the game against Waikato, and Ngani Laumape was the consummate finisher against Southland, when
Jackson Hemopo was the consummate Trojan.