Whanganui rugby: Young guns shine in 77-59 win over Classics
All impressed – Vakarorogo retaining his lethal finishing ability with two tries, while Mason's rapid acceleration was a bit much for the 35-plus-year-old Classics backs, racing away for his double.
Those included some of several turnover-intercept tries Whanganui scored after pulling down a couple of wayward passes from their legendary opposition, another being a breakaway from flanker Ekenasio Fisio, who started in the coveted No7 jumper ahead of mainstay Jamie Hughes and impressed with his powerful runs.
Robinson coolly slotted all seven of his conversions, with Whanganui keeping a perfect kicking record through replacement fullback Chad Whale and even new prop Finley Ocheduszko Brown.
But having blown out to a 77-31 lead at three-quarter time, Whanganui got a little lesson in the final 20 minutes from the seasoned professionals about not getting too laissez-faire with their security out wide.
Trying for more intercepts and leaving gaps, while putting the ball down on the fringes, saw the Classics run in 28 unanswered points, a reminder of the first quarter where they made liberal use of the rolling substitutions very early to get tries and come back at the home side for 14-14 and 28-21.
Former NZ Sevens winger Toby Arnold, through pouncing and kick chasing, caught Whanganui out to score a hat-trick, while it was very cool to watch the old All Blacks midfield firm of Isaia Toeava and Anthony Tuitavake pull a classic 1-2 punch attack for Tuitavake to dive across.
Fellow All Black Stephen Donald slotted a perfect four from four conversions, the Classics missing a few when he was off the field or else a closer scoreline might have made Whanganui a little nervous.
It was some of the non-test veteran Classics who really impressed, such as former Chief and hard-working reserve forward James McGougan, as well as try-scoring former Blues lock Hoani Matenga.
Nostalgia came to the fore when Whanganui's legendary former captain Peter Rowe, two-time NZ Heartland Player of the Year and five-time Meads Cup winner, took a vacated spot on the Classics bench.
Now looking at more regular opposition for the rest of the preseason, Hamlin wants his team to be refining structure and putting in an 80-minute focus, as the Heartland preparation begins in earnest.
'You take eight or nine off at a time, having some continuity is a little hard to expect, but I think there's enough there to show there's some promise around this group.
'Sounds pretty trivial, having 77 points on the game, but we should have done things a little bit tidier in execution.
'Within the next two to three weeks, that's what will happen – we'll get tidier and cleaner on that, and all the things we're hoping to do.
'We got everything we wanted out of the day in terms of putting our game shape and model into practice, and no one got seriously hurt, so it's a good day by all.'
Whanganui 77 (A Vakarorogo 2, T Mason 2, S Kubunavanua, C Whale, T Pulemagafa, H Symes, S Pakinga, S O'Leary, E Fiso tries; E Robinson 7 con, C Whale 3 con, F Ocheduszko Brown con) bt Classics 59 (T Arnold 3, L Visinia, L Harmon, F Levave, J Rutledge, H Matenga, A Tuitavake tries; S Donald 4 con, Visinia 2 con, C Bourke con). QT: 21-14; HT: 49-31; ¾T: 77-31.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
NZ Herald
20 hours ago
- NZ Herald
Whanganui rugby: Steelform Whanganui welcome back key players for Heartland season start
'Aleki [Vakarorogo] is back and Ethan [Robinson] is back. They could have played last week, to be fair, but we took a cautious approach to it. 'If Aleki is injury-free, history tells us he's one of the best players in the Heartland comp for the last two to three years.' Both Vakarorogo (42) and Robinson (45) could play their 50th games this campaign if they stay injury-free. Vakarorogo's strike rate of 38 tries is quite phenomenal. Also missing the Centurions match, last year's flanker-captain Jamie Hughes (79) and lock Matt Ashworth (34) return, with Hughes on the reserves as powerful loose forward Ekenasio Fiso has impressed in pre-season play. Experienced lock Peter-Travis Hay-Horton will miss at least this week's game as his long injury recovery continues. 'PT's still got a medical clearance issue we have to tidy up, so we just have to see how we land on that,' said Hamlin. 'Looking at him running around, he's close. 'We just got to get them all on the park at the same time. 'They'll give us some more stuff and the ability to hopefully play to script a little more, if that's what's working, or the experience to say, 'we need to do something else here'.' A niggle for new prop Finley Ocheduszko Brown keeps him away from the 10 players who will make their official Whanganui debuts, with Faafetai Pulemagafa and Ross McDonald the confirmed first-choice front row, backed up by Jonty Bird and Renato Tikoisolomone. Historically, Shaun O'Leary will become the first player since Nick Harding to be a Whanganui 'double rep', having debuted in the senior cricket team in 2021 at the end of his final year at Whanganui Collegiate. 'We want to play to our strengths we have in the squad and that's the reason we selected those kids, no point in playing away from it,' said Hamlin. After a proud history with three Meads Cup and two Lochore Cup victories in the Heartland Championship, North Otago are looking to climb back from a horror 2024 where a 2-6 record resulted in them missing finals for the first time in 18 seasons of the competition. Their pre-season was marked by an impressive 47-24 win over regular opponents Otago Country. 'Traditionally, they're just strong, they'll have a bit of class and a bit of x-factor around themselves somewhere,' said Hamlin. '[We're] Just expecting a big tough game, and some of our boys will be having first-up runs. 'It's having those new guys keep taking those steps towards being comfortable at this level. 'We go down to South Canterbury in three or four weeks' time, you want to be [ready]. 'You can't win it in the first couple of weeks, but you can go a long way to making it hard for yourself.' Kickoff is at 1.30pm.
Otago Daily Times
a day ago
- Otago Daily Times
Uncertainties for Old Golds
Meads Cup or bust — that tends to be the attitude of North Otago rugby fans. Hayden Meikle looks ahead to the new Heartland Championship season. The only knowns are the unknowns. We do not know exactly what Luke Herden will bring to the table as he attempts to get the Old Golds back to the big dance in his first season as coach. We do not know how so many new North Otago players — including four from Japan, three from Dunedin clubs and one intriguing veteran with a swag of international experience — will combine in a relatively short period. We do not know how much time previous stars Kelepi Funaki, Junior Fakatoufifita and Hayden Tisdall are going to need to get back up to speed after missing last season. We do not really know whether playing at the A&P Showgrounds will provide significant home advantage or just be a reminder that the completion of the new stadium and ground layout at Centennial Park cannot come soon enough. So, if someone asks how North Otago are going to perform in the Heartland Championship this season, perhaps the easiest answer is: who knows? Herden replaces Jason Forrest, the popular and long-serving local whose time as head coach started with Meads Cup glory but ended with the Old Golds missing the playoffs for the first time in 25 years. "Spook" was an outstanding player in his time as a loanee to the north. He did it all from fullback in the great 2002 team that won the old NPC third division final. Then, when he had slowed up just a little, he was second five and captain when North Otago won the Meads Cup for the second time in 2010. The primary school deputy principal has had his thumb in plenty of coaching pies since he hung up the boots, including a year as Old Golds assistant, and certainly lacks for nothing in terms of excitement and ambition. But coaching in Heartland rugby is a tough gig. The season is both a grind — because of the travel demands — and over far too quickly, especially if you do not start well. You get relatively little time to work with your team, and it can be an immense challenge to find the right recipe when it comes to blending the aforementioned mix of cultures. When it all comes together, as it did so often for the Old Golds between 2000 and 2019, well, it can be a lot of fun. Herden's first squad is relatively light on Heartland experience, so success this season may be a measure of both his recruitment skills and his coaching staff's ability to turn talent into performance. Funaki is a 50-cap Old Golds prop and Tisdall a barrel of energy at hooker. Their return to the squad is most welcome, and when you add in Paea Palaa, Jake Greenslade and University prop Steve Salelea, you have a front row that should be just fine. Epineru Logavatu and Apenisa Tuiba have skill and grunt at lock, while Fakatoufifita, Savenaca Rabaka and newcomer Mitch Morton will hold up a loose trio missing stalwart Mat Duff. Jake Matthews, Greg Dyer and Hayden Todd were the most consistent members of the backline last season, and they are all gone. Second five Toni Feke and speedy utility Ben McCarthy provide spark, and there is excitement around the development of fullback Ben Paton. Danny Tusitala, the former Samoan test player who will be available from round two, is an intriguing prospect at halfback, as are new first five Kenta Iemura and Zingari-Richmond centre Ben Fakava. The Old Golds have struggled for consistency in recent seasons, and have also blown leads in games they might have won. Addressing both issues must be a priority for Herden. Two wins from eight games, and a lowly ninth placing, made 2024 a forgettable season for the Old Golds. In a couple of months, we will know if 2025 is destined to be remembered more fondly.
Otago Daily Times
2 days ago
- Otago Daily Times
Herden believes Meads Cup attainable
Luke Herden will coach his first game in the Heartland Championship when North Otago head to Whanganui on Saturday. Herden tells Hayden Meikle why he is so excited about the chance to pilot the Old Golds back to glory. Meikle: Have you settled on a captain yet? Herden: Not just yet. But we've got a good leadership team, and we will finalise a captain or co-captains from that. There are a lot of good leaders in the team, and they all have their strengths. Speaking of strengths, what stands out when you look at your squad for this season? I feel we've got quite a balanced squad. We've got the Pasifika flair, and some Japanese players who are really sharp with their skill set around catch and pass, which will allow us to play with speed and width, and we've got tough players. We've got really grunty forwards with a good amount of skill. And any areas that might need some work in the first few weeks? We probably won't know that until we start playing. All I can say is the way we've trained, the way the team has come together ... I'm quite excited about where we can go this year, and I'm looking forward to the players showcasing their skills for the community. North Otago haven't made the Meads Cup since they won it in 2019. Are you targeting nothing less than a return to the top four? Yep. I've said to the players, and been quite honest, that I think they've got the ability to win the Meads Cup. Everything that they've shown me — in club rugby, resilience, coming together and connecting with each other — has just increased my thoughts around, yeah, we can definitely win the Meads Cup. Throw me a couple of names to watch in the Old Golds jersey this season. I think a guy who's had a massive club season, considering Kurow didn't quite make the playoffs, is Mitch Morton. He's just a rangy forward who doesn't stop. He'll go all day. Big heart, big skill set, and I'm looking forward to seeing him take the step up to Heartland level. Kelepi Funaki, Junior Fakatoufifita and Tini Feke. I'm looking forward to seeing our loan players get a crack. Ben Fakava, from Zingari, is ready-made for Heartland rugby as a stepping stone to hopefully NPC next year. And one to keep an eye on is our first five, Kenta Iemura. I look forward to seeing him go. You played in a great era for North Otago rugby. Are there any sort of lessons from that era that can translate to the 2025 campaign? Yeah, definitely. It would be all around what these players have already shown, and that's coming together and connecting. It's not a sort of glitzy, glamorous life of travel you might associate with Super Rugby. We're going to be together for hours on end on buses and at airports, and getting back to Oamaru at midnight. So how well we get along with each other and support each other and be there for each other, both on and off the field, is crucial. Back in the day, we were like that. And these boys have come together just the same. They have banter and they're enthusiastic and they help each other out. We've got that ingredient, which is crucial for a recipe of success. You loved wearing the gold jersey as a player. How do you think you will feel when the game kicks off on Saturday and your career as North Otago coach has properly begun? I've already had sleepless nights. I'm waking up at 3.30am thinking about things, ha ha. I'm just fizzing. It's been a long time since March or April when I was appointed to the role, and it's finally arrived. I'm just as, if not a little bit more, nervous than I was back in the day as a player. I'm just excited. I really do believe we can send a shiver up the country with the Heartland team we've got. But I would just like to get this weekend out of the way, and with a win.
