Waikato has successfully defended the Ranfurly Shield after beating a valiant North Harbour 26-15 in Hamilton this afternoon.
To their absolute credit, North Harbour put on a hell of a showing at FMG Stadium, Waikato. Be it because they arrived in Hamilton a day before the game, or the fact that they were looking down the barrel of a thrashing, Steve Jackson‘s men can be proud of their impressive showing.
Sean Botherway‘s men can thank their lucky stars that they had such a dominating opening to the match. For nearly an hour, Waikato were outplayed by North Harbour, but they had a 19-point lead to play with, and this proved critical in the end.
The match was also an inter-division contest with points in the Mitre 10 Cup up for grabs.
Waikato Survive North Harbour Challenge
After a season of Super Rugby under his belt, Loni Uhila made his first appearance for Waikato today. In the last six months, ‘The Tongan Bear’ has become a superstar, achieving a title with the Hurricanes in his first year. Back in the Waikato, Uhila says that Ranfurly Shield matches are like finals football.
Shield challenges are like finals footy. You’ve got to expect the unexpected. Our front eight dug deep today, we will take the learning from here. All week we have been talking about just doing our jobs so I’m proud we did that.
In the first quarter of the game, Waikato had notched 19-points. The hosts enjoyed 80% possession and all the territory early in the match. Poor tackling by Harbour allowed Waikato to make clean breaks up the field. The breaks led to tries, three out of the gate immediately for the hosts.
Michael Little scored to put Harbour back in the match. It continues an impressive two weeks for the youngster who is clearly following in his famous fathers footsteps. Harbour recovered well and enjoyed a better second quarter.
Bryn Gatland had earlier handed Waikato their first try when he had his kicked charged down. But the son of Waikato Rugby great Warren Gatland looked calm and composed from then on. Gatland sparked Harbour’s back line into gear, leading them well with good set plays when the possession finally came. Gatland missed two kicks on goal, kicks that would have earned his side an extra five-points.
North Harbour had recovered well enough to trail 19-10 at halftime. Refusing to ‘look down the barrel, Harbour were by no means ‘down and out’ and started the second half hot on attack again.
North Harbour Come Back From 19-0 Deficit
Sam Christie threw a high, wide, floating pass out to his wing, and it allowed an easy Harbour intercept. Moments later, Bryn Hall scored. It was a soft try to giveaway, and Waikato had found themselves with just a four-point advantage.
Matt Vaega could have scored Harbour’s go ahead try. A desperate tackle by Jordan Trainor saw the ball come free, but the visitors just kept coming and coming.
FULL TIME | @WaikatoRugby has retained the #RanfurlyShield after a 26-15 win over @NorthHarbour #WAIvNOR #Mitre10Cup pic.twitter.com/UNhJ6Y4Mzt
— Mitre10 Cup (@Mitre10Cup) August 27, 2016
Atu Moli hit the Harbour attack hard, jostling free the ball at crucial moments on defence. Harbour needed some points just to keep their momentum rolling. Waikato’s defence continued to improve, and it gave the hosts an attacking line out. Hame Faiva clutched the ball at the back of a rolling maul and scored, but it came with an injury.
Waikato had restored their lead past ten-points, now leading 26-15. Harbour couldn’t answer, but their effort in the loss should be commended.
Injuries Continue For Waikato
On the injury front, Waikato flanker James Tucker could be facing a substantial period of time out of rugby. Tucker fell to the sidelines in agony, and replays showed he had severely twisted his right knee in the ruck. Faiva also left the field gingerly after scoring an important try for Waikato, but his injury didn’t look anywhere near as serious as his teammates.
Waikato will now prepare for another Ranfurly Shield defence against Manawatu next week. It is back to the drawing board for North Harbour, and they will now travel to the nations capital to play Wellington.
Waikato 26
Tries: Isaac Boss, Loni Uhila, Nathaniel Apa, Hame Faiva
Pen: nill
Con: Trainor (3)
North Harbour (15)
Tries: Michael Little, Bryn Hall.
Pen: Gatland (1)
Con: Gatland (1)
