Canterbury serve payback on Tasman
Tasman’s past came back to haunt them when an agitated Canterbury side caned them 45-14 on Sunday afternoon in Christchurch.
Rugby players can be like elephants in terms of not forgetting a sledge or cheap shot, and even if some Canterbury men weren’t carrying any baggage prior to this national provincial championship match they were soon reminded of the digs their comrades had endured during previous encounters.
Midfielder Rob Thompson revealed a pre-match presentation highlighted some scrapes they had had against Tasman in the past.
‘‘Our trainer is good at putting clips together and he showed us a video of the last three years of us playing them, and the niggle that they can bring off the ball,’’ Thompson said.
‘‘Looking at their team, a lot of that niggle is gone now. But we were expecting it and it got our blood boiling.
‘‘We just had to stay calm … And I guess be prepared for everything.’’
As it happened, there might have been some yap-and-shove contests, but thankfully there were no unseemly punch-ups or silly antics.
Tasman left wing James Lowe attracted his share of attention, you can bet his showboating when he scored a try against Canterbury a few seasons ago made that video montage, but it was just shirt grabbing and verbal fire.
Perhaps the change in coach, with former boss Kieran Keane now at the Chiefs, has resulted in the Tasman players taking a more sensible approach under his replacement Leon MacDonald.
The scoreline suggests Canterbury coasted home, and they did eventually, but required tries in the final quarter to Dominic Bird, Nathan Vella, Jack Goodhue and Inga Finau.
No-one could dispute the decision to name fullback Jordie Barrett, the younger brother of All Black playmaker Beauden, as the recipient of the man of the match award; you deserve it for scoring 25 points by scoring a try and kicking eight of your nine shots at goal.
Asked to recollect when, or if, he had scored that many points in a game the tall No 15 was modest: ‘‘Not very often; probably in junior rugby when teams score 10 tries a game. So, yeah, I was pretty lucky in that facet.’’
The sooner Scott Robertson signs him up for the Crusaders, the better.
Not only an accurate goal kicker, Barrett is capable under the high ball, has a big punt and, as Thompson noted, the ability to rattle opponents’ bells with his defensive hits.
Not surpringly, he took some encouragement from watching Beauden play against the Wallabies in Wellington on Saturday night.
‘‘Someone close to you doing well – it gives you a bit of motivation to do well yourself.’’
That Canterbury scrum was a tiger with locks Dominic Bird and Scott Barrett providing serious grunt and loosehead prop Siate Tokolahi putting in a big shift.
They helped blitz the Tasman pack, forcing them to concede four turnovers on their own feed; at times the visitors crumbled, at others they were penalised. It all took a serious toll on Tasman’s ability to launch attacks. Tasman weren’t helped by a dreadful run of injuries, either: midfielder David Havili was knocked out, forwards Shannon Frizell (leg) and Peter Samu (elbow) were also among the casualties.
Under the new breakdown laws, Canterbury look hot. Even though they turned over the ball far too often – 18 times to Tasman’s 12 – Robertson said they need to keep playing razzle dazzle when loaded with so much possession.
Tasman tried to hoist contestable kicks as a way of making inroads, but eventually, the weight of possession (64 per cent) and territory (74) was too much.
Meanwhile round two featured Waikato successfully defending the Ranfurly Shield against North Harbour in Hamilton.
The Mooloo men used a fast start to get them home 26-15. Waikato will put the Log o’ Wood on the line again next weekend, against unbeaten Manawatu. Manawatu needed an Otere Black penalty on fulltime to sneak a 34-31 win in round two. Taranaki flexed their muscles with a comprehensive 55-28 thumping of Hawke’s Bay in New Plymouth on Saturday.