Fri, Oct 29, 2021 9:11 PM

Tasman beaten by Canterbury

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Peter Jones

Tasman’s hopes of a Bunnings NPC rugby premiership three-peat hang by a thread after a 24-20 loss to Canterbury at Orangetheory Stadium in Christchurch tonight.

The home side, seeking to end a rare three-match losing streak, had a late revival to thank for their victory.

Tasman led 9-7 at the break and quickly asserted themselves in the second spell. A fourth penalty to Mitchell Hunt, followed by a try to hooker Quentin MacDonald from a rolling lineout drive, then a fifth Hunt penalty, pushed them to a handy 20-7 lead.

The turning point came midway through the second spell, Anton Segner being penalised at the breakdown, from which Canterbury took full advantage, on the back of a string of penalties. Veteran Luke Romano scored from a disjointed lineout drive, first five Fergus Burke converted, then booted a penalty to narrow the gap to three.

The final, and decisive, try came in the 74thminute, midfielder Dallas McLeod darting over after a period of concerted pressure.

Tasman’s best were first five Mitch Hunt and halfback Louie Chapman, who kicked their side into some wonderful positions, but a lack of ruthlessness by their forward pack and impact from the bench cost them in the long run.

The first half was eminently forgettable. After 40 minutes, 16 penalties, a string of mistakes from both sides and two yellow cards, both against Tasman, the Mako led 9-7, courtesy of three Hunt penalties.

The home side scored first is slippery, wet conditions, playmaker Fergus Burke skipping through a disjointed Tasman defensive line in the fifth minute. He converted his try and when Leicester Fainga’anuka had a brain explosion, tackling a player in the air to be yellow carded, they looked likely to take control. However, Tasman steeled themselves, and although they lost Sam Matenga to the bin five minutes later for repeat infringements, held Canterbury at bay.

Despite some questionable decisions, the early loss of hooker Andrew Makalio with a head knock, and a couple of costly errors in the “red zone” the Mako dominated field position during a second quarter when both sides were unable to string more than seven phases together and were good for their narrow lead at the break.

Following their previous loss to Hawke’s Bay, the last time Tasman lost back-to-back NPC matches was round one and two in 2017.

Scorers: Canterbury 24 (Fergus Burke, Luke Romano, Dallas McLeod tries, Burke 3 con, pen) Tasman 20 (Quentin MacDonald try, Mitch Hunt 5 pen). HT: 9-7 Tasman

Tasman's final match during the round robin series is against Wellington in Blenheim next Saturday, kick off 2.05pm.

Premiership table after tonight's match: Hawke's Bay 33, Wellington 25, Tasman 23, Canterbury 23, Waikato 21, Bay of Plenty 17.

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