Waikato vs BOP Game Report
27th July 2011 09:15AM
In a game between two of the Chiefs provinces, Waikato took on their neighbours Bay of Plenty at the Rotorua International Stadium tonight.
Bay of Plenty came into the match top of the table, while Waikato were looking to bounce back after their match against Taranaki.
Tension was high early on, with both captains trading punches as Waikato attacked the Bay of Plenty line.
Waikato found themselves under pressure by the Steamers, which was highlighted when Bay of Plenty halfback, Jamie Nutbrown, broke through the Mooloo defence to help score a great tackle by centre Jackson Willison to save an almost certain try.
The Steamers grabbed the first points through the boot of first-five Dan Waenga after Waikato were penalised by referee Mike Fraser for an infringing at the breakdown.
Bay of Plenty extended their lead in the 22nd minute when fullback Toby Arnold touched down after classy movement from the backs on the back of a break by Waenga.
Waenga converted the try to give the Steamers a 10-0 lead after 24 minutes of play.
Almost immediately from the kickoff Waikato received a penalty 40 metres out for first five Trent Renata to convert and put the visitors on the board 10-3.
The young playmaker Waenga returned the favour with two penalties of his own to push the Steamers lead out to 16-3 with eight minutes remaining in the first half.
With the halftime siren gone, Bay of Plenty continued to put the heat on Waikato and were rewarded with the penalty. Luckily for the Mooloo men, Waenga missed the shot at goal and Waikato went to the changing rooms down 16-3.
Waikato had their best scoring chance when both wingers Henry Speight and Frank Halai linked to break the home sides defence only for a nice piece of scrambling defence by Lelia Masaga to save a try.
Waenga continued his brilliant goal kicking display with another penalty from halfway to push his sides lead out to 19-3.
Six minutes later the Steamers fullback Toby Arnold scored his second try after some slick handling by the backs who managed to slide over the line to make it 24-3.
The pace of the game was continuing to catch up with Waikato as Waenga broke through again to almost put replacement Sam Cane over the line.
Although from the next phase, replacement hooker John Pareanga dived over the line to finish off a lovely passage of play. Waenga was unable to convert the extras to make it 29-3
Waikato lock Toby Lynn persisted and was rewarded with a try to the displeasure of the Bay of Plenty fans to make it 29-8.
New Zealand Sevens player Toby Arnold capped off an outstanding night as he tuned provider this time setting up Taniela Moa to score their bonus point try and certainly wrap up the game.
The conversion, by replacement Chris Noakes, pushed the score out to 36-8 as the home side simply outmuscled Waikato.
Referee Frasier signalled the end of the game with the Bay of Plenty comprehensively beating Waikato 36-8.
Afterwards, Waikato captain Nathan White said he was disappointed and credited Bay of Plenty on their performance but had to shift their focus onto Tasman.
"We got a couple of days to sort a few things out and get back on the track again." White said in his post-match interview.
Next up, Waikato take on a Tasman Makos outfit still searching for their first win of the competition at Waikato Stadium on Friday with kickoff at 8.05pm.
Score Summary
Waikato: 8 (Lynn Try, Renata Pen)
Bay of Plenty: 36 (Arnold 2, Pareanga, Moa Try, Waenga 3, Waenga Con, Noakes Con)
Halftime: 16-3 Bay of Plenty
The Waikato team is
1. Ben May
2. Aled de Malmanche
3. Nathan White (Captain)
4. Toby Lynn
5. Chris Middleton
6. Jack Lam
7. Zak Hohneck
8. Alex Bradley
9. Brendon Leonard
10. Trent Renata
11. Henry Speight
12. Rena Schuster
13. Jackson Willison
14. Frank Halai
15. Tim Mikkelson
Reserves:
16. Marcel Cummings-Toone on for de Malmanche in the 51st min
17. Toby Smith on for May in the 50th min
18. Romana Graham on for Middleton in the 50th min
19. Matt Vant Leven on for Hohneck in the 55th min
20. Malcolm Barnes on for Leonard in the 65th min
21. Sam Christie on for Mikkelson in the 65th min
22. Save Tokula on for Schuster in the 57th min
23. Latu Talakai on for White in the 72nd min
