NPC: Hawke’s Bay eye quarterfinal with 25-17 win over Tasman in Napier

At McLean Park, Napier: Hawke’s Bay 25 (Neria Fomai 2, Tyrone Thompson, Marino Mikaele-Tu’u tries; Lincoln McClutchie pen, con) Tasman 17 (Noah Hotham, Viliama Napa tries; William Havili con, Taine Robinson con, pen). HT: 17-10.

Winning pretty wasn’t important for Hawke’s Bay in Napier on Friday night.

What mattered to the Magpies was that they kept their NPC title hopes alive with a bonus-point 25-17 victory over Tasman, bounding over Otago into fourth place in the Odds conference following this final round-robin match at McLean Park.

Now the pressure is on Otago to produce an upset win – with a bonus point – over Canterbury on Saturday in Dunedin, a difficult assignment at the best of times.

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Let’s be honest. This win in dreadful conditions on their home track should have been enough for Hawke’s Bay to secure a place in next weekend’s quarterfinals.

For Tasman, the news wasn’t so good. They remain in fourth place in the Evens conference, and are in danger of being run down by Northland when they play Manawatū on Sunday.

Hawke’s Bay leaned on a magnificent defensive effort in the second half to keep Tasman, who unloaded All Blacks wings Sevu Reece and Leicester Fainga’anuku off the bench, scoreless until a spectacular late try to Viliama Napa.

That was it. Game, set and match. Tasman really had no answer to the Bay’s intensity in the tackle.

While Tasman knew what brand of the medicine Hawke’s Bay were going to serve-up, that wasn’t to say they could swipe the ladle from their hands.

Because when the Bay went to their lineout drives in the first half, on two occasions it was like hitting the right buttons in a gaming machine in Las Vegas.

Their first try was the usual yawn-festival, with hooker Tyrone Thompson barrelling over off a drive from the set-piece. The second, though, was easier on the eye after playmaker Lincoln McClutchie nudged across a delicate cross-kick into the waiting arms of wing Neria Fomai.

The Bay’s third try, bang on halftime, to loose forward Marina Mikaele-Tu’u was worth celebrating for the fact that they were rewarded for sustained pressure in the final frantic minutes in the first spell.

Yet it was Tasman who arguably scored the sweetest try of the first half in the difficult conditions. The highlight was the long pass by No 12 Alex Nankivell to Macca Springer, who steamed down the wide channel before slipping an inside ball for the roaming Noah Hotham to dot down.

The big blow was delivered by the Bay when Fomai grabbed his second try in the 47th minute.

No 8 Devan Flanders powered into space, fed Chase Tiatia and Fomai didn’t fumble the final transfer.

Tasman were also unlucky. Centre Levi Aumua appeared to have delivered a counter-punch when he raced under the posts, but it was scratched because it was deemed the ball had been knocked on.

It just wasn’t to be Tasman’s night.

The big moment

The bonus-point try soon after halftime to Hawke’s Bay’s wing Fomai was a killer for the visitors, opening up the lead to 12 points.

Match rating

5.5/10 would be a fair review. The wet, sloppy conditions led to the ball whistling through the air too often for this to be a fine spectacle. Handling errors in such rough conditions were inevitable. As was the kicking game.

The big picture

Hawke’s Bay should be through to the quarterfinal. Tasman could still make it, but have to rely on Northland coming a cropper against Manawatū.

MVP

Loose forward Flanders toiled away manfully in the Bay pack. But any of the forwards could have got the award.