Action Jackson in top form
Turns out there’s a secret to kicking nine from 10 in a swirling Westpac Stadium gale.
On any day, seven conversions and two penalties would have represented a good day out for Wellington first five-eighth Jackson Garden-Bachop. The fact they came in abominable weather, and helped the Lions to a shock 60-14 win over unbeaten Canterbury, just made his effort all the more meritorious.
The only kick Garden-Bachop actually missed was right on fulltime and from next to the posts.
‘‘I just try and aim where I would aim [in calm conditions] and just get it over the posts as fast as I can and hope the wind doesn’t catch it,’’ Garden-Bachop said.
That’s easier said the done, with his 37th minute penalty attempt from 45 metres a good example.
From the press box it seemed pretty evident that Wellington were playing into the gale. Their direct, one-out football was typical of how teams play in those circumstances.
Canterbury, who like to use the ball to beat the man, could hardly string two passes together. With the wind at their back in the opening 40 minutes, passes were continually blown beyond the grasp of the intended receiver.
Which made Garden-Bachop’s long-range penalty attempt look wildly optimistic. At least from up in the stand.
‘‘The wind goes in every direction at Westpac...where I was it felt like it was with me, but down at the posts it could’ve been going the other way.’’
Garden-Bachop duly booted it over, to give the Lions a useful 17-7 halftime lead, and said the last thing you do in Wellington is aim the ball away from the posts and rely on the wind to do the rest.
‘‘You can’t do that because, like I said, what you’re feeling where you are is completely different by the posts.’’
Sunday’s 20-point haul means Garden-Bachop is the the national provincial competition’s highest poinst-scorer after five rounds, with 74. Wellington lead the second-tier championship standings by 11 points from Northland, with Canterbury still atop the premiership ladder despite the heavy defeat.
‘‘Probably even we didn’t think we’d come out and put 60 on a team like Canterbury, who’ve been the benchmark for the last few years and certainly this season,’’ said Garden-Bachop.
It could have been quite different. Canterbury dominated the early going, creating a couple of tryscoring opportunities before Garden-Bachop went for an intercept on his own line.
‘‘If I didn’t get that they were probably going to score in the corner - they probably had a threeman overlap - so we rushed up and the ball came into my hands, which is a bit lucky I suppose.’’
The first five-eighth eventually offloaded to captain Julian Savea, who palmed off fullback George Bridge to put Wellington 7-0 up. When an Asafo Aumua try helped make it 14-0 four minutes later, the Lions had all the momentum they needed.
Waikato, Otago, Southland and Northland are on the schedule between now and the semifinals and, while Sunday’s win was a beaut, plenty still stands between Wellington and promotion.