North Otago produced its finest defensive effort in the final qualifying round on Saturday when it shut out Wairarapa-Bush 24-0 in Masterton.
The visitors needed to win to make the semifinals. They produced a superb defensive performance, denying the opposition any points while scoring three tries.
North Otago was coming off a 41-22 drubbing from South Canterbury the previous week. But in Masterton it controlled the bulk of the 80 minutes.
Coach Nigel Walsh was elated.
"Our defence was very good and Wairarapa-Bush didn’t look like breaking through ... to be honest," he said.
"On top of that we created opportunities. We had control up front in the first half and when I brought prop Meli Kolinisau on at halftime we really destroyed the opposition — getting a lot of tightheads — and the backs made use of this with directness and decisiveness."
Paul Tupai was the third first five-eighth during the season for North Otago, and he made an almost immediate impact when he sliced through the defence to score in the fourth minute.
North Otago took over in the final forty minutes.
Josh Buchan kicked a penalty in the 15th minute, and on the 30-minute mark flanker Junior Fakatoufifita touched down.
Replacement back Hemaua Samasoni went in for the third try to stretch the final margin.
Walsh believed it was just the boost North Otago needed to go on to the semifinals.
"We were a lot more organised and a lot more direct in what the boys were doing.
"There’s still plenty to work in for next week. But it was good to see us controlling the ball for the majority of the game and play with it at the right end.
"We created pressure, we had line speed and we held on to the ball for long periods."
Now it must travel back to Masterton this Saturday and do it again in the Lochore Cup semifinal.
In the Meads Cup semifinals next Saturday, Wanganui will meet Thames Valley and South Canterbury play King Country.
Horowhenua-Kapiti plays Mid Canterbury in the other Lochore Cup semifinal.
In other games, South Canterbury beat Thames Valley 33-24, King Country upset Mid Canterbury 31-29, Buller found form with a 41-27 win over Poverty Bay, Wanganui downed Horowhenua-Kapiti 57-27 and West Coast walloped East Coast 66-26.
- Terry O'Neill
Heartland Championship
The scores
North Otago 24
Paul Tupai, Junior Fakatoufifita, Hemaua Samasoni tries; Josh Buchan pen, 3 con
Wairarapa-Bush 0
Halftime: 7-0