Manawatu muck in to win
Manawatu muck in to win
0 Comments | Manawatu Standard; Palmerston North, New Zealand, Jun 30, 2010 | by Peter LAMPP
Johnston Park’s name is mud as Evergreens beat Wanganui 34-12 in water- logged conditions.
Johnston Park’s sapping mud and rain are too old school to be of value to Manawatu sides in the year 2010.
The Manawatu Evergreens, in the first Turbos trial of the season, were browns by the end of their 34-12 win over a belligerent Wanganui in a bog at Feilding yesterday.
In the interests of the Feilding clubs and entente cordiale, no- one was slamming the venue; but let’s forget representative matches there in mid-winter wets.
In the real deal, the Turbos play on grassed carpets. But it was either Feilding or nothing and players could be excused for coughing up the slippery ball.
Massey University would have been ideal, but its grounds were off- limits, so the boot-sucking Johnston had to do. Next Wednesday they do it all again in Wanganui territory, on the sands of either Spriggens Park or the Kaierau Country Club.
The paddy field aside, a few Manawatu players furthered their quests for contracts or Manawatu B jerseys.
Of course it was a day for the forwards, notably Hamish Gosling at flanker and lock and flanker James Oliver.
Young locks Jason Rolfe and Sam Stevens weren’t far behind them, nor the lively Varsity hooker, Willie Tran, and industrious English prop Shane Kingsland.
But Turbos signatory Craig Clare was the Greens’ danger man, and even he was one of many Evergreens waiting for the ball to plop in the slop.
They scored five tries to two, Clare grabbing the first with a 70- metre dash after a Wanganui spill.
Clare set up try number five to Linton Army wing Lloyd Carter, who might be a wee guy in contact but his gas got him two tries and almost stole a third. Centre Tevita Taufui carved Wanganui up last year, but his boots were imprisoned in the glue yesterday.
Evergreens coach John Cruden got more out of it than he expected.
“In these conditions the backs have got to get themselves involved and it gets them used to each other,” he said.
A few lineout throws were wonky and Wanganui contested throws more strenuously than the Evergreens did.
From Cruden’s viewpoint, flanker Matenga Baker was more than an experiment at second-five. He made a big bust in the first half, only to pass to a blue jersey, but waltzed over joyously for a try near the end.
Wanganui didn’t turn up to be mid-winter fodder.
Their forwards ripped ball in the dark side and lofty lock Nick Cranston was a lineout menace. He’d left his boots in Ohakune, so a new pair of size 15s had to be rushed from Palmerston North.
Manawatu led 12-0 after two tries in 15 minutes, with referee Glen Whitley blowing his lungs out (28 pings all game). As the rain came, former Varsity forward Matt Gilbert mauled over from a lineout, former Bush hooker Shane Ratima went over after a scrum and with 50 minutes up, it was 12-all, Wanganui playing with dash.
Soon after, when Manawatu first- five Brad Truesdale lined up a penalty shot, it was out of respect to Wanganui and elicited “oohs” from their loyalists. But Guy Lennox ran on his second-string backline and Manawatu helped themselves to three late, runaway tries.
“We were competitive for large chunks of it,” Lennox said.
Scorers: Manawatu Evergreens 34 (Lloyd Carter 2, Craig Clare, Karl Bryson, Matenga Baker tries; Brad Truesdale 3 con, pen) Wanganui 12 (Matt Gilbert, Shane Ratima, tries; Mark Davis con) HT 12-5
wet carpet