Spirit shows it to come from behind

It had to work for this one.

But the Otago Spirit lived up to its name to remain unbeaten on Saturday.

Two late tries to Teilah Ferguson secured a 34-26 victory over the Hawke's Bay Tui in Napier.

The win maintains its perfect record in the Farah Palmer Cup Championship, leaving it in top spot heading into the semifinals in two weeks time.

The Spirit trailed 26-24 in tough conditions with just over five minutes to go.

But it did not panic.

Twice it remained patient to create space up the left wing for Ferguson - a former Hawke's Bay player - to dance over the line.

It used the full width of the field, building phases and displaying quality handling to get over the line.

A Greer Muir offload put Ferguson in space for the first one.

The replacement winger then stepped out of a tackle to edge the Spirit in front with five minutes remaining.

A similar build-up followed for the second, Kate Smith throwing a superb pass to put Ferguson in the clear and clinch the win.

Spirit coach Scott Manson had been thrilled with the win.

He said the strong wind made conditions tough and the side had battled well in a close game after a string of big wins.

However, it was the attitude to come back that was most pleasing.

"I think what got us over the line was superior fitness, but also the girls won that through ticker, a bit of heart," he said.

"That's pleasing to see heading into finals, that we can win games through a bit of ticker."

Otago led at the break, playing with a strong wind behind it in the first half.

Hawke's Bay opened the scoring off from lineout drive, but Hinemoa Watene responded shortly after.

The Spirit fullback took a gap off a scrum, capitalising after a period camped in the Tui 22.

Amy du Plessis gave Otago the lead five minutes later, the centre finishing after two well-delivered offloads.

Hawke's Bay hit back again, but two tries to first five-eighth Rosie Kelly gave the Spirit a 24-12 lead at halftime.

Two converted tries gave Hawke's Bay the lead midway through the second half.

Niamh Jefferson pounced on a dropped ball over the line for the first, before a lineout drive brought Forne Burkin her second.

It took the Spirit 15 minutes to find a response but it eventually found a winner.

 

Add a Comment