Waikato ended their 2015 campaign by claiming the coveted Ranfurly Shield, but as the dust dies down on the current excitement, some hard work is going to have to be done before the Mooloos are genuine championship contenders.
Waikato won just three matches in the 2015 ITM Cup season, a big let down after a promising pre season, and a worry considering the amount of promising talent that the young side put out onto the park in each match.
Evaluating Waikato’s ITM Cup Campaign
Youngster Shaun Stevenson was arguably the fullback of the competition, scoring on debut and going onto notch another three during the short season. But it was Stevenson’s reading of the game and ability to back himself on the touchline, often breaking out of tackles and gaining extra meters, that really impressed. Stevenson’s territorial punting game is valuable, and the youngster is also a potential goal kicking option next season.
Damian McKenzie lit up the competition, and after a Super Rugby campaign with the Chiefs where he underwent sports psychology, McKenzie was one of the leading point scorers and line breakers in the competition, finishing on three tries and a much-improved kicking success rate of 78%.
Co-captain Brad Weber scooped up all the major awards at the WRU’s awards dinner after a dominant season with 7 tries that included a hat trick in the Ranfurly Shield victory over Hawkes Bay.
Days later, it was revealed that Weber would be leaving Waikato after signing a two-year deal with Hawkes Bay in ITM Cup. Weber’s departure now leaves a big opportunity for young Harrison Levien to make the halfback role his own next season.
James Tucker was also mighty impressive at flanker and lock, plus a much improved showing from Loni Uhila in the front row certainly saw the Mooloos give a good all-round challenge to each side throughout the season.
With all the talent on show, some of it lived up to, and some of it underwhelmed, the fact that Waikato only managed to secure just three wins during the season is a big disappointment. Many of the games Waikato lost were ones that got away in the second half, a good example being the losses to Auckland and Canterbury. With the claiming of the Shield to end the season, it has almost slipped the minds of many that under the coaching tenure of Sean Botherway, Waikato came within another loss of relegation.
Botherway has achieved a lot of success at club level, including coaching Hamilton Marist to successive club titles, but his opening stab at ITM Cup coaching left a lot to be desired.
Botherway cannot be blamed for any of it and will work into the role further during the offseason.
Waikato will be a young side again next year, make no mistake about that, but if Sean Botherway can retain the services of Damian McKenzie, James Tucker, and Shaun Stevenson in particular, his side will always be dangerous on match day. The question of if Waikato can capture the title next year is another conversation, a lot of pressure is already on the side to keeping holding onto the Ranfurly Shield and it will create a lot of excitement about Mooloo Rugby in Hamilton next season.
With interest and excitement, the results have to improve for Waikato.
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