League: Whalers scuppered by rampant Rams

Whalers captain Isaac Misky looks to pass to loose forward Adam Tapsely in the game against...
Whalers captain Isaac Misky looks to pass to loose forward Adam Tapsely in the game against Southland Rams at the Oval on Saturday. Photo by Gregor Richardson.
The Otago Whalers were unable to chalk up their first win of the season at Kensington Oval on Saturday, going down to the Southland Rams 36-22.

The Whalers tried hard but unforced errors gave Southland too much ball in good positions.

The defeat will be a frustrating one for the Whalers side, and coach Ray Fitiao said his side did not play with the same intensity or accuracy as it did last week.

''We made too many mistakes and dropped off tackles.''

Whenever his side managed to swing the momentum from the rampant Rams side, it squandered opportunities and let the opposition off the hook.

The Rams had a dominant first half, running the ball well and spreading it wide to catch out the Whalers defence. The Whalers were unable to match that intensity and fell behind the pace being set.

The home side headed into the halftime break down by 12 points, with the score at 18 6.

Whatever Fitiao said at halftime must have been well received because his players showed a marked improvement on defence and brought a renewed intensity to the attacking game. A second half comeback saw them score 16 points against a strong defensive line.

Captain Isaac Misky led from the front and scored a try along the way. He was able to upset the defensive line and create opportunities on multiple occasions for his side.

Kail Spooner was also a standout for the Whalers, bringing together the defensive line from the fullback position and injecting himself into the attack with flair. Joe Bywater again showed his array of skills, scoring a try, managing a 75% kicking conversion rate, and hitting the Rams with some solid tackling.

Although the second half was more even, the Rams still managed to add to their points tally too frequently.

Fitiao conceded some of the tries were too easy and said the Rams were able to outnumber his edge defenders at times.

The loss will be disheartening for the Whalers, but they will take positives out of the game, having showed at times that they were equal to the task.

It was not an 80 minute performance, and they will be looking to correct that next Saturday, when they head to Greymouth for their first away game against the West Coast Chargers.


Rams v Whalers
The scores

Southland Rams 36
Pehi Te Whare 3, Sean Telfer 2, Kaza Neilson, Taina Tamou tries; Daniel Low 4 goals.

Otago Whalers 22
Joe Bywater, Isaac Misky, Emile Hughes, Josh Liuaana tries; Joe Bywater 3 goals


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