Barbarians give Star a finishing lesson

Rugby can be cruel at times, certainly if you allow it to be.

Up 16-12 with time up on the clock, Star looked set to kick-start its 2018 Southland premier club rugby season back into action with a win over the Eastern-Northern Barbarians.

It had gone into the game with four straight losses and was eager to get back into the winning groove.

But  it was handed a deflating lesson in just how not to close out a game. With a lineout about the midway point on the field Star simply needed to win the ball and boot it to touch.

The first part of the job was completed, but the kick was not the touch-finder it needed to be.

From inside their own 22m the Barbarians then put together a string of phases and inched their way down the field, to the point they were metres out.

The ball was flung wide and wing Ryan McCall crossed for a dramatic match-winner.

For good measure, Caleb Young added the conversion to push the fulltime score out to 19-16.

Both teams ought to be proud of the effort and stubbornness shown on defence throughout the 80 minutes. But it was only the Barbarians who could reflect on that gutsy performance on Saturday night knowing four competition points were safely locked away.

It took about 20 minutes before any scoring took place in the game when the Barbarians pounced on a loose pass and McCall scored.

Moments later Star crossed through a Fale Iosefa try to make it 7-5.

With time almost up in the first half, Star rolled out a nice lineout move between hooker Sy Waiti and lock Manaaki Waiti which had already been successful for them this season.

A Hayden Pope penalty pushed it out to 13-7 in Star’s favour in the second half, before lock Brenton Howden scored to bring it back to 13-12.

Pope slotted a second penalty to make it 16-12 and set up the thrilling finish, where McCall’s try was the final say.

In a team which is built mainly on grit and belief, fullback Rory van Hugt continues to provide the Barbarians with some added attacking spark when he gets hold of the ball.

For Star, lock Selby-Rickit was impressive — a sentence which has been rolled out weekly this season, given his form.

The Barbarians retain their place in the top four of the competition standings, which are remarkably tight.

The Barbarians sit third-equal with an ever-improving Blues team on 18 points.

Blues delivered what some might regard as an upset win over competition leader Marist on Saturday.

However, few probably should be surprised by the 24-19 victory, given what Blues has shown in recent weeks.

After a 41-12 thumping at the hands of Pirates-Old Boys, it has produced three straight wins and looks very much a team bound for the playoffs.

Woodlands maintained its second spot in the competition standings on Saturday, picking up a tight 23-19 win over Pirates-Old Boys.

- Logan Savory

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