Missing players costs Hora Hora
Published date | 29 May 2023 |
Author | RUGBY Imran Ali |
Publication title | Northern Advocate, The (Whangarei, New Zealand) |
Hora Hora mentor Marcelle Kaipo is acutely aware that only a few points separate his side and the Sharks, Kamo and Mid Northern, with only four rounds to spare and the race for the top finish heating up.
“Looking at the competition now, it’s so tight, one loss can drop you from top to the bottom,” Kaipo said post-match on Saturday, when injuries and player unavailability forced him to start two Division 1 players.
Division 1 players mostly made up the entire Premier bench for Hora Hora. They played in the 61-24 win over Kerikeri in the lower division, prior to the Premier match.
“We asked a few of our B players to play two full games which did stretch us. We’ve been getting away with it for the last few weeks but today, we ran a bit out of luck,” Kaipo said.
Shorn of six of their senior Premier players on Saturday, Hora Hora enjoyed better territory and possession but one player dropped the ball close to the tryline, there was a missed tackle in their 22, and coming off second best in the physical stakes proved costly in the end.
The net result was a lot of sideways running, turnovers, not sticking to the basics and sighs to the heavens. Kerikeri ramped up the pressure when it mattered most in the last quarter as the visitors began tiring out.
The hosts opted to kick for territory and it worked a treat. Kerikeri came out of the blocks strongly and scored in the fourth minute. They rattled Hora Hora for most of the opening quarter, defended well and hit the rucks better. Their ball-carrying grunt was impressive.
There was a long lull before Hora Hora playmaker Dan Hawkins scored after a quick tap. He worked well in tandem with fellow Taniwha Bruce Kauika-Petersen and hard-running centre Lyric Brownlee, with a number of breaks down the midfield channel, but couldn’t link up for the finish.
Northland rake Kauika-Petersen, playing at No 8, was a standout with his bullocking runs off good front-foot ball. Hora Hora appeared to be on track for another hard-earned victory once the momentum shifted in their favour in the second and third quarters.
The forwards once again looked to be in reasonable shape and began hitting their straps. With the scores tied at 7-7 at halftime, the game was anyone’s for the taking.
Kerikeri withstood a lot of pressure in the third...
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