Otherwise there was nothing between them in a game of kicking misfires and ruck penalties, aside from OBM gobbling more ball in the second half. They just couldn t breach the Te Kawau pickets other than Lee Thompson slotting two penalties to tie the game. OBM butchered an early try with the line open, but in the 33rd minute wing Max Harris broke cleverly to put wing Will Treder over. Te Kawau scored two tries, one after waves of crossfield attacks off a lineout. A Kameli Kuruyabaki intercept try took them to 17-11 against the grain, but OBM s toilers Jay Rolleston, Ben Crozier, Matene Ruawai and prop Anthony Guerin dug in.
Matenga was expecting it to be a big clash, and he said College had to keep doing what they had been doing and keep their discipline. His job will be helped this weekend by the return of backs Cyrus Baker and Awatere Kiwara from injury this week, and Patrick Tafili-Reid who has been unavailable the past two weeks. Manawatū Turbos flanker Johnny Galloway should be back from injury this week too. Back Andrew McDougall returned from tonsillitis last week and lock Massimo Kirikiri returned from concussion last week. It offsets the loss of suspended forwards Cory Purton, Kodie Albert-Papuni and Hamuera Burn, as well as loosie Elyjah Crosswell, who is with the New Zealand Barbarians under-20s this week playing against the Super Rugby under-20 teams in Taupō.
The cornerstone of Yellows’ recent dominance, their scrum, gave them an armchair ride in the second half. Feilding started dominating in the tight, with big men Sam Wasley, Hayden Stratford, Sean Rankin and Tietie Tuimauga all hard to stop. FOB-Ōroua were stuck in their end and couldn t come up with much on attack. Wild scored his second try late in the game to seal the win and his kicking kept the Stags pinned in their half. Both teams let scoring opportunities go, with dropped ball in the rain costing them, including Feilding wing Brad Carr, who spilled the ball over the line.
Ellis said they needed to be accurate and execute, but knew Yellows, who beat Old Boys-Marist 25-7 last week, would have a point to prove as well. He said it was the first derby game, but he knew they would meet again in the second round later in the season too. “I’ve been in this situation before too, so we’ve got to keep out feet on the ground. It’s a long season and we’re still building and trying to figure out combinations.” He said they were heading in the right direction, but had to play for 80 minutes, not 60, as they did in their 21-17 win over Kia Toa last week.
There were also yellow cards for Dane Whale (COB), Ben Stephens (COB) and Chase Jordan (Freyberg) for infringing at the breakdown. Freyberg were up for it in parts and put COB under pressure, with standout No 8 Jekope Kitou making big runs up the middle and getting Freys on the front foot. College held the ball for longer periods, taking advantage of any Freyberg mistake, with first five-eighth Stewart Cruden finding gaps. Their scrum was a weapon and won them a penalty try. Loose forwards Jared Goodson, who was a regular lineout target, and Elyjah Crosswell got stuck into everything. Pacey Freyberg wing Varcon King showed a clean pair of heels again and scored two tries, while midfielder Josh Maoate and hard-working openside flanker Michael Halutuituia had strong games.