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Written by Mr BMR789
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Saturday, 30 August 2008 |
Hawke's Bay has beaten Otago 19-10 in their Air New Zealand Cup match- its first victory over the men from the south in 24 years.
A strong all round team performance from Hawkes Bay proved too much for an inaccurate Otago at Carisbrook.
The Magpies defended stoutly for long periods of the match, particularly in the second half, as they shut down any chance of a late come back from Otago after leading 16-3 at half time.
Otago was unable to get back into the match after Hawke's Bay took its limited opportunities in the first spell.
It was difficult to single out any one Magpie player, with the entire squad putting in a spirited performance and each playing an important role in the final outcome.
Steven Setephano was outstanding for Otago in a well-beaten pack, making huge metres from the back of the scrum and from broken play, while Ben Smith was elusive with limited opportunities on the left wing.
In an energetic first 40 minutes of football, Otago failed to convert its early field position into points. Hawke's Bay looked far too good at ruck time and on defence and deserved their large lead going into the break.
Otago began the game at pace, mounting some serious pressure at ruck time but they failed to threaten the Magpies line. With Otago looking to keep the ball in hand more so than searching for territory with the boot, it inevitably conceded a penalty inside its own half.
First five-eighths Matt Berquist calmly slotted the goal from handy range to give the Magpies a 3-0 lead.
Otago, which held all the field position and the majority of the possession in the first quarter, finally converted it into points when Noakes kicked a penalty to tie the scores up at 3-all.
Berquist then potted a 42 metre dropped goal in the 26th minute and the Magpies took a surprise 6-3 lead.
Young talent Zac Guildford put the Bay further into the lead, making an incisive break from close range, after a strong build up from his forward pack. His try and the sweetly struck conversion from Berquist pushed the lead out to 13-3.
Shortly before halftime, Berquist added another three points courtesy of an infringement from Otago close to their line.
Otago came out firing in the second spell, with a far more conscientious display from its forward pack. However, for all its endeavour, it failed to make a real incision into the sizeable lead.
Hawke's Bay's defensive screen was water tight as Otago mounted surge after surge at the Magpies line. Play seemed to roam between the 22m lines in the second spell as both sides failed to grab hold of the match.
The Magpies showed extreme confidence in attack, with their short interplay and offloading in the tackle hard to break down for Otago.
Finally, Berquist opened the scoring in the second half with a penalty goal from wide out in the 72nd minute. Hawke's Bay's lead increased to 19-3.
Five-eighth Chris Noakes gave a miraculous offload to Daniel Bowden who went over untouched from close to the line in the 76th minute to give Otago a brief glimmer of hope. Noakes converted from in front to make the final score 19-10.
Hawkes Bay 19 (Zac Guildford try; Matt Berquist con, 3 pen, dg)
Otago 10 (Daniel Bowden try; Chris Noakes con, pen).
HT: 16-3. |
