Waikato end losing run
Younger brother Jono claimed the bragging rights in the Gibbes family as Waikato flattened Wellington 43-31 in Hamilton last night.
After more than a year without winning and 10 successive defeats, Jono’s Mooloos have ended the province’s worst losing streak by overcoming the Lions with a priceless Mitre 10 Cup victory in a crossover clash that upset the form book.
Waikato looked a far improved outfit from the one that has started
2018 with three defeats with Jono Gibbes in charge, with Sevu Reece scoring a fabulous hat-trick, but Wellington were poor after making a host of changes to their side that thumped Southland last Friday.
In a likely first in New Zealand’s provincial rugby history, two brothers were respective coaches of opposing sides but Waikato and Wellington have been heading in entirely different directions of late.
The two Waikato brothers never took the field together for the Mooloos in their playing days and Jono Gibbes, with this thumping victory against Wellington, is perhaps laying the path back towards the relative success his elder brother achieved during his spell as coach from 2009-12.
Chris Gibbes, incidentally, was the last Waikato coach to lead the Mooloos into the finals in 2011 when they finished as runnersup to perennial Premiership champions Canterbury.
His tenure since becoming Wellington coach last year has been almost flawless with the Lions taking Waikato’s place in the Premiership after earning promotion in 2017.
But his decision to rest several of their key players wouldn’t pay off against the resurgent Mooloos, who now look forward to a Ranfurly Shield challenge in Taranaki full of confidence.
The likes of Ben Lam, Vaea Fifita and Wes Goosen were all given a breather to prepare for a potentially decisive Premiership encounter with North Harbour, so Reece and Fletcher Smith took centre stage for Waikato, whose forwards dominated a youthful Wellington pack led by veteran No 8 Thomas Waldrom.
Last Thursday’s 35-17 defeat in Auckland stretched Waikato’s losing streak another week and that date (August 30) signalled a year since the Mooloos last tasted victory.