After trailing 29-14 at halftime, Wairarapa-Bush came to life in the second half, running away to a 56-29 win over North Otago in Oamaru on Saturday.
The visitors piled on 42 unanswered points and the Old Golds were kept scoreless in the second half for a second consecutive week.
It was a wake-up call for North Otago, who looked brilliant when they had the ball in hand and, much like in their opening game against Whanganui, took mere minutes to get on the board.
The Old Golds snaffled a Wairarapa-Bush overthrown lineout about 15m out and swung into action quickly.
They shifted it wide, and winger Hopoate Finau finished off in the corner to score the first of his hat-trick inside 90 seconds.
Then Junior Fakatoufifita crashed over off the back of a rolling maul.
Looking to get going, Wairarapa-Bush were camped inside the 22m when the Old Golds turned it over and Fakatoufifita made an elusive 50m break.
He fired it to fullback Ben Paton, who offloaded in the tackle to Finau to score.
That gave the home side a 17-0 lead and they looked lethal when they shifted the ball.
Wairarapa-Bush finally got on the board through halfback Sam Walton-Sexton.
They scored again shortly after to close the gap 17-14.
The visitors’ set piece went to work, and they looked set to score when Old Golds centre Ben Fakatava intercepted the ball.
He took off and threw a big wide ball about 20m out from the line that bounced up to first five Kenta Iemura.
Co-captain Hayden Tisdall then scored from their lineout.
Finau scored his third to give North Otago a 29-14 lead at halftime.
Enter Wairarapa-Bush and surely the best half of rugby they have played in recent years.
Off the back of their scrum, first five Jack Eschenbach swung the ball to the blindside, catching the Old Golds off guard.
It opened space for former Otago centre Levi Harmon, who dummied and put Charles Mataitai in the corner.
Hooker Lewis Bush struck again — closing the gap to a point — and added another to his tally off the back of a brilliant long-range play from his team.
It put the visitors in front, 33-29 for the first time and was only a sniff of what was to come from them.
They broke away again down the field, continuing to attack from broken play, and eventually lock Malakai Biumaiwai scored.
That made it 40-29 — and they were not done yet.
Looking to punish the Old Golds, Wairarapa-Bush kicked a couple of penalties to put the game out of reach.
Harmon scored his own scintillating try to extend his side’s lead to 51-29.
Wairarapa-Bush scored yet again in their eight-try jaunt to return home with their first win of the season and leave the Old Golds pondering a tough season ahead.
West Coast had a mammoth 80-21 win over East Coast, Mid Canterbury beat Horowhenua-Kapiti 40-27, King Country beat Poverty Bay 47-26, South Canterbury pipped defending champions Thames Valley 35-34, and Whanganui beat Buller 51-24.
Heartland Championship
The scores
Wairarapa-Bush 56
Lewis Bush 2, Folau Finau Vaea 2, Sam Walton-Sexton, Charles Mataitai, Levi Harmon, Malakai Biumaiwai tries; Jack Eschenbach 5 con, 2 pen
North Otago 29
Hopate Finau 3, Junior Fakatoufifita, Hayden Tisdall tries; Kenta Iemura 2 con.
Halftime: North Otago 29-14.
