Tasman Mako delighted to be back

The Tasman Mako emerged from lockdown slightly rusty following their enforced NPC hiatus, but with their ability to score tries undiminished.

They may have leaked a few too many points for their own liking during their 48-29 victory over Northland in Whangārei on Saturday, but their delight at being allowed back on the field was evident in their joyful, free-flowing attacking play.

Head coach Andrew Goodman also relished seeing his charges able to express themselves.

“We are just grateful to be back out there, running around doing what we love,” he said.

He admitted that while there was plenty of attacking flair on display, there were some issues to address on defence, particularly with the Taniwha scoring from a couple of lineout drives.

“[The opposition tries] probably came on the back of some poor discipline as well, errors that put us in those parts of the field that they capitalised on … it goes hand in hand, the discipline and making sure we can keep teams out of the zone.

“If we can match our intent on the ball with our intent off the ball it will go a long way to fix some of the stuff we weren’t quite there with today.

“There was some good stuff, but also some stuff we know we need to improve on before next week when we come up against a strong Waikato team,” he added.

While Tasman defence coach Shane Christie will be fully occupied this week with working out ways to stiffen up the Mako goal line resilience, there was much to enjoy about the side’s attacking prowess, especially after a lengthy lay-off.

A willingness to chance their arm on attack has always been a Mako hallmark, with players given a license to thrill. Their third try on Saturday was a cracker. Halfback Jack Grooby recognised a glaring hole in the home side’s back field defence and lofted a perfect chip kick for first five Mitch Hunt to run onto. Although the try had to pass a TMO examination before being awarded, it was a perfect example of the unscripted creativity that has made the Mako such a tough side to defend against.

Goodman said a number of his backline “really stood up”, including centre Leicester Fainga’anuku, winger Mark Telea, fullback Tom Marshall and Hunt. “They created a lot of play … as well as ‘Jim’ Tavatavanawai who is getting better and better every week”.

The Mako defender of the day award, decided on by the players, went to substitute Anton Segner, the openside flanker who came on for the injured Sione Havili in the first half. Segner put in a big shift, creating turnovers and suggesting he is quickly finding his feet at this level.

Tasman’s third consecutive win, coupled with Waikato’s controversial loss to Canterbury, propels them to the top of the premiership table. On Friday they take on the dangerous Mooloo men at Trafalgar Park, followed by the Southland Stags in Blenheim the following Sunday. A week later, they will embark on their first Ranfurly Shield challenge since 2012, taking on Hawke’s Bay, who held onto the Log by seeing off Bay of Plenty in extra time at the weekend.

Scorers: Tasman 48 (Norris, Fainga'anuku 2, Hunt, Telea 2, Tavatavanawai, Frizell tries, Hunt 4 con) Northland 29 (Nock, Gregory, Uluilakepa, Olsen, Momoedonu tries, Reihana con, Cooper con).

Nelson College win

Meanwhile, there was much more for the Tasman region to celebrate when the Nelson College First XV won the Miles Toyota Championship (formerly Press Cup) at Trafalgar Park on Saturday.

They beat Christ’s College 22-20 in a thrilling encounter. The home side trailed by 12 points at halftime but a second half revival saw them pick up their third Crusaders region title.  Nelson now travel south to play Otago Boys’ High School for the title of South Island champion.