Wanganui to defend their crown
WANGANUI will get a shot at their sixth Meads Cup title after they proved too tough for South Canterbury yesterday.
The defending champions toppled the top seeds 29-24 and will face Horowhenua Kapiti, who beat Buller 18-17, courtesy of a last gasp penalty to first-five James So’oialo.
In fact So’oialo’s six penalties proved too much for Buller, who managed to score two late tries.
Underdogs Wanganui came out with plenty of bite in Timaru.
After 30 minutes they led 13-3 and could have been 17 points ahead, but a poor pass cost them with a two-on-one overlap.
Instead, South Canterbury scored from their own goal line with a brilliant attack that saw halfback Willie Wright go in under the posts and then convert to make it 13-10.
Just before the break, a turnover on halfway however cost South Canterbury and Wanganui’s powerful No.8 Bryn Hudson burst free inside the 22 to GETTY IMAGES score and make the margin 10 points at the break.
South Canterbury however struck straight back in somewhat bizarre circumstances in the second half.
Wright’s attempted penalty bent away from the left hand upright and ball bananaed on the bounce for the chasing secondfive Kevin Moore to score and the margin was down to 20-17.
Two penalties to Nick Harding put Wanganui further out before Wright broke the defence.
An inside pass then found hooker Marac Beckham and South Canterbury had a sniff at 28-26.
Wanganui were then unlucky to have two tries disallowed, the second of those seemed to be a certainty, but the referee and his assistant were unsighted and didn’t award the score.
The defending champions then added a further penalty, those three points meant South Canterbury needed a try in the final four minutes.
But despite giving the ball plenty of air Wanganui held on for a deserved win.