Otago prop Halani Aulika signs autographs after his side's
nail-biting 17-16 win over Hawkes Bay yesterday. Photos by
Stephen Jaquiery.
A win at last.
Otago scored its first victory of the ITM Cup season, winning
17-16 in a real arm wrestle at Carisbrook yesterday, played
in a howling gale.
The home side slogged it out in the second half facing into
the wind, not letting Hawkes Bay have any easy balls, and
showing some ticker when it mattered.
The last five minutes Otago just simply refused to give up
the ball.
It created 12 phases in a row, clocking up ruck after ruck,
and then gained a penalty.
It kicked it out, won the lineout just and, when halfback
Johnny Legg kicked it out after the hooter, the arms were
raised by both the team and crowd.
Otago prop Kees Meeuws on the charge against Hawkes Bay
yesterday. Lining him up to tackle is Hawkes Bay blindside
flanker Mike Coman (left), replacement prop Josh Keys and
lock Ross Kennedy. In support is Halani Aulika (left) and
lock Hayden Triggs.
But really the game was won by the men in blue and gold
in the first five minutes of the second half when Otago managed
to score a try into the teeth of the wind.
The home side grabbed the ball from the kick-off after the
break and then just banged away, being held up just short of
the line.
It then gained a penalty when Hawkes Bay prop Clint Newland
lay all over the ball. Otago opted for a 5m scrum instead of
kicking the three points.
From the scrum it moved the ball to the middle of the field
and, after a couple of barges at the line, veteran prop Kees
Meeuws went over.
Glenn Dickson knocked over the conversion and was up 17-3.
It was a game of two halves but that was the only way it was
going to be in a wind at which even a brave sailor would have
baulked.
She was fair howling at Carisbrook yesterday and the wind
totally dominated the whole match.
Otago had it in the first half and it controlledterritory and
possession in that 40 minutes but only went into the break
seven points ahead.
It was once again guilty of some bad errors at crucial times
although the wind made it very difficult to hang on to the
ball.
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