The thin red and blue line holds firm for Q's 50th [Nelson Mail]

The Tasman Makos are renowned for their attacking attitude but it was defence that got them home at Trafalgar Park yesterday.

Defence, liberally doused with a good measure of character.

Tasman beat Hawke's Bay 18-9 to head back to the top of the ITM Cup championship points table. And just as significantly, they denied the Magpies any bonus points in an absorbing contest dictated by a stiff northerly wind.

Tasman played into it during the first half, and consistently looked to keep the ball in hand. But they often struggled against the wind during the second half as Hawke's Bay adopted the same tactics to frequently put Tasman's defence to the test.

Tasman scored the game's only two tries, the first to flanker and captain Shane Christie and the other to No 8 Liam Squire - a testament to their tight and committed defensive effort, with all of Hawke's Bay's points coming from the boot of their No 10 Ihaia West.

The victory also helped spark a celebration of Tasman hooker Quentin MacDonald's 50th appearance for the province. And judging by his commitment and relentless approach, it appeared that he'd taken it upon himself to atone for the previous week's frustrating loss to North Harbour.

"I just carried pretty hard, hit the ball up and just tried to help the team," said a relieved MacDonald "We tried to play quite a lot of rugby into [the wind] but the boys dug in deep, and it was good to get the win."

He said everyone had been committed to erasing some sour memories from Albany.

"We let ourselves down against North Harbour, everyone knows that, so to grind it out, especially in front of all the Tasman people, was pretty good."

MacDonald also admitted that plenty of emphasis had been placed on defence during the week.

"Yeah, that was one of our big work-ons because we'd let in [two] soft tries last week. I think the boys just dug deep.

"We knew [Hawke's Bay would] want to take us on around the rucks, especially in their forwards, where they've got some really strong runners. So we knew if we went low, dropped them and then get a go at the ball, we'd have a bit of success.

"We always knew it was going to be a grind . . . but I was just relieved to get the win, particularly on my 50th. That was pretty special."

Tasman commanded plenty of possession during the first half, although an equally committed Hawke's Bay defence and the constant struggle into the wind meant that the Makos' scoring opportunities were limited.

West had given the visitors a 6-0 advantage with the wind at his back, and both teams were reduced to 14 men when referee Ben O'Keeffe yellow-carded Tasman lock Alex Ainley and Hawke's Bay halfback Chris Eaton for a flurry of punches midway through the half.

 

But the critical moment came just three minutes before halftime, when Christie drove over from a well-controlled attacking lineout to score the game's opening try as Hawke's Bay took a 6-5 lead into the break.

A Tom Marshall penalty success directly after the restart gave Tasman their first lead at 8-6, before West again put the Magpies ahead 9-8.

Tasman's supporters had to wait another 15 minutes before the home team delivered the decisive blow.

Lock Joe Wheeler sparked the movement with a strong run out of defence, including a cheeky dummy, before kicking the ball ahead. With Squire leading Tasman's charge, the rangy No 8 just managed to beat the defence and the dead-ball line for a spectacular try.

Superb goalkicking by substitute halfback Billy Guyton helped to seal Tasman's win, despite some frantic final moments as both teams continued to fully test the opposition's defence.

Tasman head coach Kieran Keane said the players had been made fully aware of the formidable challenge Hawke's Bay presented.

"We asked for a bit of character, based on what we'd experienced last week, and I thought we showed that.

"That's credit to [the players] for showing that character and that will that they didn't want to lose. They felt a little bit embarrassed about their performance last time, so that's good for them - they'll get a little bit of mana back for themselves."

While Keane was pleased with Tasman's first-half performance, particularly their ball control, he was less enamoured with some poor second-half exit strategies with the wind at their backs. He was nevertheless delighted with his players' gutsy defence.

"Defence was a big factor for the week in the buildup. We played our workhorses in the loose forwards and kept our mobile pack together, simply as a mechanism to shore up our defence. And I think those combinations worked relatively well."

Besides MacDonald, loose forwards Christie, Squire and Gary Redmond all had strong games, with prop Siua Halanukonuka and Wheeler also conspicuous ball carriers.

Among the backs, Marshall produced his typically high work rate, while wings Bryce Heem and James Lowe and centre Kieron Fonotia showed strength on attack.

Tasman 18 (Shane Christie, Liam Squire tries, Tom Marshall pen, Billy Guyton pen, con) Hawke's Bay 9 (Ihaia West 3 pen) Ht 5-6.