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The Otago Whalers came away with a hard-fought 22-18 win over the Wellington Orcas in their first match of the national championship at Kettle Park on Saturday.
The Whalers established dominance early on and were able to score two tries near the beginning of the match through Jordan Ruatoe and Taua Piri. The Otago backline was at its brilliant best, with halves Piri and Vila Apuula directing play skilfully to put the outside backs in threatening positions. Centre Hyrum Martin ran rampant through the Orca’s defence. His seven runs for the match included a staggering 16 tackle busts and two line breaks.
Martin’s attacking prowess gave the Whalers real momentum, and was instrumental in the lead-up to their two first-half tries. The Orcas found their way into the game midway through the first half, scoring on the back of a Whalers error which meant they have to face up for repeat defensive sets on their line. The Whalers’ small lead was lost when the Orcas scored their second try with just minutes left in the first half enabling the Orcas to lead 12-10 at the break.
Whalers coach David Reedy stressed the importance of composure and set completion to his side, and challenged the players to look after the ball and close out their attacking sets with better kick options. Hooker Sam Johnstone led the charge in the second half for the Whalers, racking up 34 tackles and 11 carries in his man-of-the-match performance. Johnstone’s snipes out of dummy half tested the Orcas’ marker defence, and he gained major metres when he was able to get in behind the markers through sheer pace and elusive footwork.
The Whalers won the battle in the middle of the field due Johnstone, hooker Hagan Free, who notched up 39 tackles and 20 carries in yet another impressive performance, and second rower Camrin Brown, whose physicality on defence and attack was remarkable.
The platform that the forwards set allowed them to improve their set completion rates in the second half, and resulted in two more tries. Captain Apuula was one of the try-scorers, crossing the line to give his side a much needed lift, but it was Jordan Ruatoe’s try that really stood out. Ruatoe charged towards the line in the left-hand corner and chipped the ball over the defence before regathering it at pace and diving down to put his side in front.
The Orcas threw everything they could at Otago in the last 10 minutes of the match but the Whalers remained composed, and closed the game out with control.
The win means the Whalers’ game versus the Bay of Plenty Lakers at Puketawhero Park in Rotorua on Saturday will determine the side that goes through to the national premiership promotion-relegation play off at Mt Smart Stadium on October 7.
- Ricki Allan