With other results going their way, the Green and Blacks secured a home semifinal in the Meads Cup against Thames Valley next weekend.
South Canterbury, with three changes to the backline and some shuffling in the forwards, started their match with much more purpose than previous weekends.
With the experience of Miles Medlicott at first five-eighth directing the attack and organising the defence it only took two minutes for Sireli Masi to score the opening try.
Two more penetrating back moves led to further tries to Clarence Moli and Tangi Savielo as South Canterbury raced to a 17-0 lead with only 10 minutes gone.
Horowhenua finally settled and started getting into the game but the try after 12 minutes was disallowed although they were still next to score 20 minutes later, to narrow it to 17-7.
However, with not long to go until the break, another veteran Kalavini Leatigaga finished another good move to score and give South Canterbury the very important four-try bonus point and a halftime lead. This try pushed Vinnie even further ahead as the leading Heartland rugby try scorer for all provinces, as he moved to 52 tries.
In the second half, with a heavy ball and even wetter ground conditions, the match lost a lot of structure but with Horowhenua scoring first to get within 10 points it was still anyone’s game to win.
However the Horowhenua comeback was halted quickly after Masi intercepted a pass and was too quick even in the wet for any chasers to score 60m away and the conversion by Willie Wright stretched the lead further.
Horowhenua came back to score with 20 minutes of play left but with the subs benches emptied the flow of the game was very untidy and South Canterbury’s defence was sound as they ground out the win in the final quarter.
South Canterbury finished tied on points with Thames Valley but get the home game at Fraser Park due to beating them in the round-robin, while the unbeaten Mid Canterbury side host Wairarapa in the other Meads Cup semifinal.
It will be a tough encounter with Thames Valley getting much stronger at the pointy edge of the season, but South Canterbury showed more spirit and organisation this week and with the semi being Willie Wright’s 100th cap, his team-mates will want to make the final for him, too.
In the Lochore Cup Whanganui host Horowhenua-Kapiti while North Otago host Poverty Bay in the other semifinal.
Results: Mid Canterbury beat North Otago 47-7, Wairarapa-Bush beat Poverty Bay 29-24, Thames Valley beat Whanganui 38-5, King Country beat East Coast 73-14 while West Coast beat Buller 34-11.
— Supplied
