Sports teams gallant in defeat
Table-toppers torohanga too strong for hosts
In wet and wild conditions at Albert Park, Ecolab Te Awamutu Sports Premier team couldn’t overcome an early 14-0 deficit, falling under the weight of a mammoth tackle count to a 22-13 loss to torohanga in a brutal Waikato club rugby encounter.
The loss doesn’t hurt them on the ladder, still sitting in fourth spot, but some distance has opened up between the top three and the rest.
J’ndre Liebenberg and Cody Nordstrom crossed for tries, while Taha Kemara picked up a penalty goal.
The visitors got the better of the battle off the tee, ultimately proving to be the difference.
The first quarter was all torohanga, using their huge forward pack to test the steel of the host’s defence.
Te Awamutu held firm for 15 minutes as wave after wave of attack was thrown at their line, finally breaking from a wide ball off the ruck to trail 7-0.
The assault continued with only a few moments of respite through the first half until an untimely turnover in their own quarter had Sports scrambling.
The torohanga forwards went to work, finding reward in the 26th minute with their second score, converted for a 0-14 scoreline.
Sports answered soon after, playing two wide from the ruck, loose forward Niah Church-Jones looked to crash, then offloaded at the line to Liebenberg screaming through the gap.
He bumped off a defender and headed for the right touchline, offloading to Nordstrom who weaved through defenders, offloading inside to Liebenberg again who ran over the last defender to score a scintillating try that belied the conditions.
Kemara couldn’t convert from wide and Sports trailed 14-5 at the break.
The second half continued in much the same vein as the first, both sides hurling themselves into contact around the ruck.
torohanga dominated possession but Sports matched the intense physicality in close.
A rare wave of attack resulted in Kemara narrowing the gap with a penalty goal only to be answered immediately from a lineout drive and a 19-8 scoreline.
The two and fro continued as Sports began to balance the possession ledger.
Nordstrom caught the defence out down the short side, chipping ahead and snatching the ball from the defender’s grasp to score in the left corner.
This narrowed the gap to five points with 10 minutes to play.
The intensity went up as the desperation increased, and the visitors’ set piece began to take control of the tiring hosts, earning a scrum penalty 40 metres out which was duly converted to extend the lead to eight points.
Sports had a final siege on the visitors’ goal line in the closing minutes, only to be held out by a ferocious defensive line to finish up with nothing to show from 80 minutes of toil in trying conditions.
For Sports, they were probably guilty of playing too much of the game without the ball, making an astonishing 244 tackles on the powerful torohanga side.
Out in front, continuing his impressive form this season, was midfielder Liebenberg who took out man of the match honours, leading the team in tackles, metres and carries.
Prop Tom Woelders put in 80 outstanding minutes in the tough conditions while Nordstrom showed his class at the fullback.
Sports hit the road this week, travelling to Hamilton to take on Melville, looking to get back on track and keep pace with the top three sides.
Ecolab Premier Development
In an almost carbon copy of the Premier fixture, Ecolab Premier Development got themselves in an early 14-0 hole and couldn’t keep pace, dropping their first game of the season 24-7 to torohanga.
Their loss drops them to fourth place but still in striking distance of the top three.
Both sides had moments of attack in the early stages but it was the visitors who struck with two scores in the 17th and 25th minutes for an early lead.
In a hole and struggling to find a way through the stifling defence, Sports lifted their intensity and marched the visitors back into their quarter.
The relentless pressure resulted in a penalty try to close the gap to seven points.
Sports though erased all their good work by letting in another score immediately after to increase the deficit, then giving away a kickable penalty as the half closed to trail 24-7 at the break.
It was a half in which Sports were guilty of letting the big torohanga Ō forwards run and offload too much and paid the price by playing most of the game in their own half.
The second half though was a much better defensive effort, stifling the visitors’ attacking movements, but try as they might, they just couldn’t find¯Oa way to break through.
Several attacking movements were spoilt by a desperate, destructive defence, the stalemate ensured neither side scored in the half.