DAMN GOOD THRASHINGS
All Blacks hit 50, Wellington hit 60
Wellington’s after-match utterances were almost as impressive as they had been during the 80 minutes.
The Lions aren’t a bad young side, but the expectation was that Canterbury would be far too good for them, at Westpac Stadium yesterday. So much for those assumptions.
Wellington ended up walloping the national provincial premiership leaders 60-14 in a clinical display that belied the team’s championship status.
It’ll be getting to a playoff match for promotion - and winning it - that determines the success or failure of the Lions’ season, but handing Canterbury a hiding along the way isn’t something to be dismissed either.
‘‘It’s a pretty good performance, a pretty good outcome,’’ Wellington coach Chris Gibbes said.
‘‘We’ve got a hell of a lot of respect for Canterbury. They’ve set the standard for a long time and for us to come and apply our gameplan like that and for it to work like it did is a pretty pleasing moment.
‘‘The perspective we’ve got to keep here is that we need to win this thing at the back end [of the season], not today. We’ll take that win and we’ll take that performance and we’ll enjoy that for what it is and then we’ll get back to work on Tuesday.’’
Wellington were relentless and energetic and ruthless and did all the things you’d expect from a good side.
Go through the team from one to 23 and most played well or very well, with first five-eighth Jackson Garden Bachop and hooker Asafo Aumua among those whose performances probably pushed into the outstanding bracket.
Garden-Bachop kicked 20 points, and steered the ship beautifully, in extremely trying weather conditions, while Aumua’s 60-metre solo try was backed up by a brace from wing Malo Tuitama and other five-pointers for Julian Savea, Isaia Walker-Leawere, Du’Plessis Kirifi, Ben Lam and Regan Verney.
It was quality stuff against quality opposition, although it ought to be noted that this was Canterbury’s third game in 10 days. It’s a schedule that knocks teams around, but not one Canterbury coach Glenn Delaney felt mitigated or excused yesterday’s performance.
‘‘Everyone has to do it and no complaints whatsoever,’’ Delaney said. ‘‘At the end of the day, Wellington were just better than us.’’
Canterbury had made the better start and created a couple of tryscoring opportunities, including one that led to Wellington’s first points. Garden Bachop gambled on his own line, claiming an intercept and offloading to Savea to score. It was pretty much oneway traffic from there.
‘‘They got on a roll and got some points up quickly and the conditions meant that if you got off to a good start you were probably going to be able to maintain it.
‘‘They certainly did and they put us under a lot of pressure, they had long phases of ball in hand and I thought they did a good job today,’’ said Delaney of the victors.
He hadn’t gauged the fitness, or otherwise, of the Canterbury players, but Wellington emerged with a couple of notable injuries. Prop Jeff To’omaga Allen, who has been a regular in the All Blacks’ squad lately, limped off with what appeared to be a corked thigh, while flanker James Blackwell was in a sling at fulltime after injuring a shoulder.
Blackwell looks destined to join Brad Shields and Wes Goosen in not being available for this Saturday’s clash with Waikato in Hamilton.
Wellington were hoping to celebrate a little in the meantime. This was their first win over Canterbury since 2013, while the 60 points eclipsed their previous record score of 48 against the redand-blacks, posted back in 1990.
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"We'll take that win and we'll take that performance and we'll enjoy that for what it is and then we'll get back to work on Tuesday." Chris Gibbes, Wellington coach