Storming Turbos revitalise Manawatū spirits

Peter Lampp is a seasoned sports commentator and former sports editor based in Palmerston North.

OPINION: The Manawatū rugby region seismically rocked when Julian Goerke delivered the coup de grace to Auckland at Eden Park on Wednesday evening.

It was the most unexpected triumph in Turbos times since they were hatched in 2006, judging by the constant ping, ping, ping of text messages which arrived.

Most Manawatū fans had to pinch themselves. The Turbos had won two consecutive matches after the hooter.

The win over Northland had lifted Manawatū from its dormancy, the 70-metre winning try resembling Nathan Tudreu’s 90-metre gallop in 2014 to win the Championship final.

To shape up to Auckland after only five days should have been insurmountable, but not so for TK Howden, the only player who had started the previous game against Northland.

He nicked Auckland’s first lineout and played non-stop in the same dynamic manner as Manawatū’s recent All Black, Jackson Hemopo.

After Goerke’s try at 31-all, the Sky commentators urged caution, warning the try had still to be converted. Isaiah Armstrong-Ravula, as his uncle Richie Mo’unga would, nonchalantly banged it over, 33-31 thank you; no extra time.

This was a Wednesday “storm week” XV made up mostly of Manawatū players who had barely had a run, and captained by Johnny Galloway who had virtually no rugby all season because of his hamstring injury. Hardly surprising he staggered off with cramp.

When Auckland zipped to 14-0 after 21 minutes, the fear was of another 68 point mauling, of the Canterbury variety.

But the backup Turbos had nothing to lose, even manufactured a lineout with variations to produce one of the proudest Manawatū moments in modern times against the country’s richest union, 10 times Manawatu’s size.

There have been others since the semi-professional era started 17 seasons back.

In 2008 there was the 25-24 ambush of Canterbury at Lancaster Park and the 38-all draw with Waikato. Three years later, Aaron Cruden and co ran Waikato off their feet to win 54-20.

More recently, in 2019, in Nick Crosswell’s 100th game, they toppled Canterbury 32-29 at Christchurch when Ngani Laumape starred.

One of the most painful was in 2009 when Dave Rennie’s Turbos had Auckland dusted with time almost expired at Eden Park only for a ball to be stolen illegally at a ruck which led to a try and a 23-20 loss.

On Wednesday, Ranfurly Shield coach Graham Hamer texted from Tauranga, “well done Mike Rogers and the entire squad, a fantastic win’”.

While Hamer’s team began the greatest Manawatū era when they beat Auckland 12-10 at Eden Park in 1976, the current squad is in its infancy.

Armstrong-Ravula will surely anchor the New Zealand under-20s to South Africa next year. Waqa Nalaga has starred at centre for College Old Boys for two seasons and his skills on the right wing against Auckland means he’ll be hard to leave out after patiently waiting his turn among the 37 players used so far.

At centre, Old Boys-Marist player Keegan Christian-Goss played a big defensive shift in the win while second five-eighth James Tofa, with his lethal tackling, has benefited from his season with Beziers in France.

Coach Mike Rogers tasted recent victory with the New England Free Jacks and it has proved fortuitous that he has been able to fill vacancies with proven players from Major League Rugby in America, many only on development contracts.

The latest was Canadian international hooker Andrew Quattrin who played 80 minutes against Auckland and casually hit his lineout targets. Young hooker Vernon Bason would have played, but his shoulder is still not repaired.

There is always an outcry when a local player is passed over for an outsider. Put that to Rogers and he will explain how a microscope is put over every contender.

A Rotorua contact said Rogers should have been appointed Bay of Plenty coach when Clayton McMillan departed, but BOP “stuffed it up and as a result we have had three coaches in three years”.

Replacement hooker Raymond Tuputupu came on as a flanker on Wednesday and was in his explosive element in the hard-driving tough stuff which he took to the Aucklanders. His young Freyberg mate, prop Joe Gavigan, coped with All Black Angus Ta’avao.

Terrell Peita has been an asset since he arrived on loan from Auckland and it seems he’ll probably stay for the season to provide much-needed depth to the loose forwards.

There are always casualties and Wednesday’s triumph probably saw the end of prop Sean Paranihi and wing Taniela Filomone for the season with knee injuries.

Flanker Elyjah Crosswell’s broken wrist has probably imperilled his season too while prop Sae-Ta’ufo’ou might be fit for the final two games after dislocating his shoulder in the warm-up before the Taranaki game.

Former Hurricanes halfback Luke Campbell returns to Turbos’ training on Monday after the birth of a baby, a day after whatever surprise awaits against Tasman.