Rugby: First half set the foundations for Stratford-Eltham title

Grant Hassall

Photo by: LDV Photography

A dominant opening quarter laid the platform for a deserved and well-overdue victory for Stratford-Eltham in the CMK Taranaki premier club rugby final.

The opening exchanges illustrated plenty of nerves, with mistakes aplenty, but then things settled, with Stratford-Eltham running away to a 32-19 victory over a gallant but outclassed Southern at Yarrow Stadium on Saturday.

The Stratford club last won the title in 1971 and Eltham in 1991. Saturday’s victory, which has been building for the past few seasons, is the first since the two clubs combined in 2017. It was also the maiden South Taranaki final since the finals format was introduced in 1983.

“I’m very proud of the boys,” Stratford-Eltham captain Nathan Clough said at the presentation. “We’ve worked hard all year, and this is a great result for the team and our club.”

It was a genuine team effort from the victors.

After the early wobbles, Stratford-Eltham laid it on, scooting away to a 21-0 lead, through three converted tries, in the opening 24 minutes.

The first try was a real confidence booster for Stratford-Eltham, when they mauled Southern from the lineout, with Harry Hansen, son of former Hurricane Bruce, scoring. In many respects, it set the tone of the match, where Southern’s forwards, scrums aside, where outshone by Stratford-Eltham.

That was illustrated again 15 minutes into the game, when Stratford-Eltham walked over the top of a ruck 30m out from the Southern line and Leone Nawai put away Adam Lennox to score.

Completing the opening whitewash, Semisi Balenaisa finished off a 60m movement, following another Southern turnover, with Nawai, Lennox and Vereniki Tikoisolomone – including a dexterous chip and regather – handling.

New Taranaki Bulls squad member Obey Samate converted all three, impressively putting to one side a misfired opening penalty attempt.

It gave the game a degree of inevitability. But Southern didn’t die.

They were prepared throughout the afternoon to give the ball plenty of air – although that did cost them on occasions when they attempted it from their own quarter – and a skip pass from the first scrum they had in enemy territory saw Tane Leatherby score. Brent Ashton-Landers converted.

While Samate retorted with a penalty, Stratford-Eltham failed to take the restart, with Benny Katene being awarded a try in the corner.

That carried the score to 24-14 at the break. The game was still very much alive.

But just as in the first stanza, it was all Stratford-Eltham for the opening 20 minutes of the second spell. Southern defended purposefully, before Samate found his way over, beating three would-be tacklers in the process.

A further Samate penalty seven minutes from time – giving the flyhalf five from seven off the tee in an excellent performance – sewed the game up.

Leatherby had the final say with another try, which Ashton-Landers converted, but it was academic by then. Southern’s scrum was clearly superior although Stratford-Eltham was able to negate that with early wheels. But its lineout malfunctioned with Stratford-Eltham controlling the majority of possession and territory in its triumph.

Clifton thrashed Southern 55-0 in the women’s final. New Plymouth Old Boys held on to beat Southern 23-21 to claim the division one trophy. Patea beat Bell Block in division two 17-15. Tukapa beat Inglewood in a thrilling U21 final 22-19 and Southern scored a last minute try to overcome Tukapa in division three 31-30.