Southland v Hawke's Bay
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Magpies team for the game against Southland:
- Ricky Riccitelli
- Ash Dixon (c)
- Ben May
- Geoff Cridge
- Mark Abbott
- Trent Boswell-Wakefield
- Tony Lamborn
- Fa'alemiga Selesele
- Brad Weber
- Ihaia West
- Mason Emerson
- Tiaan Falcon
- Robbie Fruean
- Jonah Lowe
- Matt Garland
Reserves:
16. Jorian Tangaere
17. Jason Long
18. Tolu Fahamokioa
19. Ross Filipo
20. Ben Hamelink
21. Chris Eaton
22. Billy Ropiha
23. Ryan TongiaMost significant change compared to previous games is Robbie Fruean being named at centre, Jonah Lowe moving to the right wing and Ryan Tongia taking place on the bench with Matt Garland remaining at fullback. The rest is like the game v Auckland.
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Southland:
- Joe Walsh
- Brayden Mitchell
- Guy Millar
- Mike McKee
- Matt Philip
- Bill Fukofuka
- Phil Halder
- Mika Mafi
- Jimmy Cowan
- Wharenui Hawera
- Jaye Thompson-Te Muunu
- Dylan Collier
- Kieran Moffat
- Tauasosi Tuimavave
- Junior Ngaluafe
Reserves: 16. Jason Rutledge, 17. Peni Ravi, 18. Reuben Northover, 19. Michael Stewart, 20. Josh Clark, 21. Michael Dowsett, 22. James Schrader, 23. Mike Molloy.
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Getting close to kick off time. Dare we get our hopes up for a sufficient improvement from the dross served up too often this season for a win tonight or are we just pissing into the wind to be so optimistic?
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Oh no, it's Hometown Jackson refereeing and it is Southland first onto the board with a long range penalty to Wharenui Hawera Southland 03 - 00 Hawkes Bay after three minutes.
To make matters dire Brad Weber is off for a concussion test.
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Someone must have been praying hard as Brad Weber is back on. Unfortunately not hard enough to make sure Ihaia West can get an easy kick.
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But maybe it was a trap being laid as from the resumption of play Weber darts over underneath the posts Southland 03 - 07
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Hometown in again with a 48 metre penalty after 22 minutes Southland 06 - 07 Hawkes Bay. Southland have had very little possession so far.
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Jimmy Cowan palpably off side as he kicks at the ball in the middle of a HB ruck right on the goaline but surpise surprise Hometown gives a penalty to Southland.
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And now a blantant knock on by a Southland player right under his goalposts rules a Hawkes Bay knock on.
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Couple of penalties have been successful, the second of which sees the Southland No 8 binned and then Hometowm sees fit to bin West for a completely innocous feather like holding back of a Southland player on a touchies/TMO intervention. Hawera converts and somehow the halftime score is Southland 12 - 10 Hawkes Bay
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A try to Ash Dixon from a driving maul from a linout right in the right hand corner opens the second half. With West still in the bin Tiaan Falcon is the deputised goalkicker but he too is about as succussful as West has been tonight with the touchies waving it away Southland 12 - 15 Hawkes Bay forty two minutes gone
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Falcon redeems himself moments later as he converts a try scored by Matt Garland right under the posts after a big Jonah Lowe break. Southland 12 - 22 Hawkes Bay
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The lead is reduced by yet another three points with Southland's most attacking and dangerous play, long range penalty attempts, proves successful once more Southland 15 - 22 Hawkes Bay
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Is this the end? Not only have Southland thread their way through the Bay's paper thin tackling but also Brad Weber has been replaced . To make matters worse the conversion is nailed right from the right hand corner Southland 22 - 22 Hawkes Bay after sixty minutes
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A sneaky move (a perfectly disguised miscommunication between Eaton and Selesele from an attacking scrum) sees a penalty given to the Bay from which West eventually rugby league kicks the ball out wide for Mason Emerson to take on the full and score in a tackle in the left hand corner. West converts Southland 22 - 29 Hawkes Bay after sixty six minutes
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Now another try this time to Tony Lambourn in the right hand corner is nicely converted by West and that is followed up almost immediately with West himself scrambling over in the left hand corner in a scruffy passage of play. He converts. From the restart West this time is the villan, throwing a pass that is intercepted resulting in a converted try to cap off a flurry of scoring Southland 29 - 43 Hawkes Bay after seventy six minutes
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It's over Southland 29 - 43 Hawkes Bay but we cannot read anything into that given that both teams have been awfully poor all season. It really was a dance of the desperates but at least a win will make it slightly easier for me to get to sleep tonight. As an aside did anyone manage to spot whether Mr. Philpott was in attendance tonight? Having a win sort of indicates he probably had nothing to do with the preparation of the team.
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@Higgins said in Southland v Hawke's Bay:
Someone must have been praying hard as Brad Weber is back on. Unfortunately not hard enough to make sure Ihaia West can get an easy kick.
That was Mrs SG and she is an atheist.
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Well, it's nice to get a bonus point win, but that's about it.
The Magpies still can't tackle. We just had much more possession and, therefore, try scoring opportunities because Southland was worse than us. If we hadn't given away so many penalties in our own half - also thanks to Jackson - and Hawera hadn't been such a good kicker (I think he's among the top kickers in M10 Cup), the points difference would have been a lot bigger. Against most other opponents, we would have struggled again though, because we wouldn't have so much possession and given away even more penalties in our own half.
Jackson was so blind that he should wear +20 glasses. He didn't see Southland's knock-ons & forward passes, but penalised the Magpies for a Southland knock-on and sent West to the bin for nothing. Maybe to compensate because as a hometown ref he regretted sending the Southland player to the bin?
Ihaia's goal kicking: he should get some advice from the league coach (forgot who it was) who managed to convert Mo'unga from a terrible kicker into a good kicker half-way through the Super season.
On a positive note: the 6 tries and the bonus point win will be good for self-confidence. Hopefully that will translate into improvement. Tasman isn't going that well this season, so a win should be possible. A 9 day break should provide plenty of time to rest up and train on our weaknesses. Not having high hopes though. It just isn't our year.
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@Stargazer said in Southland v Hawke's Bay:
Tasman isn't going that well this season, so a win should be possible. A 9 day break should provide plenty of time to rest up and train on our weaknesses. Not having high hopes though. It just isn't our year.
That's being a bit optimistic. They are our bogey team and damn Marty Banks always plays a blinder against us. Even when we are having a good year they seem to tip us up so lord only knows what they will do to us in a bad year. If it was Northland you were referring to then I might agree with you! Hell I'm very worried about the prospect of losing to the Steamers and the ramifications should that eventuate.
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@Higgins said in Southland v Hawke's Bay:
@Stargazer said in Southland v Hawke's Bay:
Tasman isn't going that well this season, so a win should be possible. A 9 day break should provide plenty of time to rest up and train on our weaknesses. Not having high hopes though. It just isn't our year.
That's being a bit optimistic. They are our bogey team and damn Marty Banks always plays a blinder against us. Even when we are having a good year they seem to tip us up so lord only knows what they will do to us in a bad year. If it was Northland you were referring to then I might agree with you! Hell I'm very worried about the prospect of losing to the Steamers and the ramifications should that eventuate.
That's why I said "should be" and not "is", and included the last two sentences.
I actually fear this may have been our one and only win of the season, and that a lot of our guys will also miss out of a SR contract for next season, particularly Tony Lamborn (he was only in Canes WTG) and Hugh Renton (injured again, and Canes have signed Reed Prinsep), Mark Abbott and Geoff Cridge (Canes signed Lousi
), Ryan Tongia, Robbie Fruean (too many injuries, so little game time) and Gareth Evans (hardly game time for Landers, and now not playing because of season ending injury). Youngsters Emerson and Lowe might not get a proper look into because of the bad season; I had hoped at least for WTG spots, esp for Lowe, but maybe not likely now (also because of Canes' bias for Welly school boys). -
@Stargazer Don't think I agree with Shane Hurndell when he said we've turned a corner. But after watching Northland play Tasman it showed that they can, with the right tactics be beaten at McLean Park next weekend. Northland showed that Tasman did not respond well to the pick and go up the middle. If the Bay can replicate that with more intensity Brad Webber and Ihia West may feed of it. They also showed that Fonotia and Havili don't like a defence that is in their face cutting down time and space. Marty Banks showed class as usual but he too showed flaws under pressure. Tasman are a team used to getting their own way, deny them that constantly and they can crack. I also noticed towards the end a bit of dissension in there ranks.The gestures between Banks and Christie didn't look that assuring. A good break for the Bay and next weekend come out and rip shit and bust.
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Something Hawkes Bay will have to watch against Tasman which frustrated the hell out of me against my Northland team last night,and supporting the Taniwha is frustrating in itself,Tasman used a lazy runner in front of their ball carrier which they used as an obstruction,which hindered the line speed of the defenders,unfortunately neither we or the official were quite sharp enough to anything about it,which either meant taking that player as to attract attention to the official,or constantly get in the ear of the referee,mind you,thats hard work when Brendon Pickerill from North Harbour is the ref,NZs answer to Stuart Dickinson,
Hopefully your coaching staff have picked up on this,hard to believe your team with so much super rugby experience is struggling,i but i was glad to see you guys turnover Southland,they are such a boring niggley team.
Personally i hate these new breakdown laws,Hawkes Bay have always been great at the breakdown,and i wonder if that's where you problem is -
@Steven-Harris Yes I did notice that and I'm with you with the new breakdown laws. For me it takes away the contest and allows more forwards to be standing off thus removing good 1/1 opportunities for the backs. I admired Northlands approach last night and they very well may have given the blue print on how to beat Tasman. In fact had they not been behind as much at halftime they could have won.
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@billsy11 ,hope common sense prevails,and they do kick these laws to touch.
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@Steven-Harris Hope they kick them clear over the grandstand. It just doesn't provide a contest at the breakdown and players being smart exploid the law interpretation.
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yep have heard comments now from about 3 or 4 9s that dont like them, they say it makes it so much messier for them.
So many games you see the disruption with feet coming through hacking the ball.
I guess in theory it speeds the game up if you clear it quickly but with feet kicking through you need to commit more numbers to secure it cleanly.
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@taniwharugby said in Southland v Hawke's Bay:
yep have heard comments now from about 3 or 4 9s that dont like them, they say it makes it so much messier for them.
So many games you see the disruption with feet coming through hacking the ball.
I guess in theory it speeds the game up if you clear it quickly but with feet kicking through you need to commit more numbers to secure it cleanly.
After watching it for a few weeks now, and seeing how 9s have to gather a ball with forwards trying to kick the ball, it's only a matter of time before a halfback gets kicked against his head. I'm surprised it hasn't happened yet. One of the reasons for this rule change was to increase the safety of players by outlawing the diving etc, but if it has achieved anything, it hasn't become safer for halfbacks (or other players trying to clear the ball).
