Wellington produce magic to win NPC
You only needed to glance at TJ Perenara’s face to comprehend how much Wellington’s 26-18 win over Canterbury meant to the veteran halfback and his teammates last night.
Because Wellington victory in the NPC final at Orangetheory Stadium in Christchurch was one to savour for multiple reasons.
For starters, it was their first national title since 2000 when a Wellington team stacked with stars such as Tana Umaga and the late Jerry Collins triumphed at the now-defunct Lancaster Park in the Garden City.
Then there’s the fact that Wellington now have another lump of treasure to add to their pot of loot, to go alongside the Ranfurly Shield which they lifted off Hawke’s Bay earlier in the season.
And, last, but certainly not least, this was a performance that proved Wellington can slug it out with the best of them, and in fact, beat them up.
Tenacious defence, and crucial steals in the rucks, caused Canterbury no end of heartache in the second half as they tried to kick their way out of trouble and lost their composure by making too many mistakes.
Put it this way, there would have been few Canterbury supporters who would have griped about the final result. Yes, they can be a boisterous bunch down here, but they know a good footy side when they see one and the best team on the park was the one known as the Lions.
Even when Canterbury scored a late try to replacement back Ngatungane Punivai, with four minutes left on the clock, Wellington – despite Aidan Morgan missing two penalties earlier before kicking a late one to put the result beyond doubt – didn’t look like losing.
So, there was to be no fairytale finish for Canterbury’s former All Blacks George Bridge and Luke Romano; the former will soon depart for a fresh start in French clubland, while the latter, who began his provincial career after deciding to put his carpentry tools aside 14 years ago, is set to retire. Combative lock Romano took the field with 30min remaining, when his team were trailing by 10 points, and as much as he and his teammates tried to shatter Wellington’s resolve, they couldn’t find the magic required to pop their bubble.
Wellington’s first try of the night was a peach and it offered the Cantabs a painful glimpse of how dangerous they could be off turnover pill.
Having plundered a Canterbury lineout deep inside their own half, the visitors gave credence to the adage that an unexpected win in the set-piece can be like calling the right colour on the roulette wheel.
That, of course, depends if a team has the courage and selfbelief to back themselves; Wellington did just that, flicking the ball wide to give Du’Plessis Kirifi the chance to dart through the ineffectual Canterbury midfield defence, and motor upfield prior to putting fullback Ruben Love in the clear for safe passage to the tryline.
Fortunately for the Cantab fans, who were all wedged into the northern stand where they were mercifully sheltered from a nasty breeze that could chill the bones of even the most portly of souls, they were soon to have something to holler about.
They love a good scrum down in these parts, no surprise when you have a prime slab of beef in ex-All Black Owen Franks at tighthead, until he was replaced by Tamaiti Williams at halftime, and it was from this facet that the home side profited.
No 8 and skipper Billy Harmon launched from the boot, but it was the outstanding offload from fullback Chay Fihaki that provided wing Manasa Mataele with the space to score near the peg in the corner.
The inaccurate lineout was an issue for Canterbury – they coughed up three on their own throw in the first spell – but that couldn’t be blamed for allowing hooker Asafo Aumua to dot down for Wellington in the 35th minute.
Aumua’s power and determination enabled him to barge through a ruck to score, and given he has been promoted into the All Blacks as cover for Dane Coles, who is nursing a calf strain, there’s potential for him to be used in the test against Japan next weekend.
He could be quite an asset, if he produces this kind of aggression in the big smoke of