Floodgates open after stuttering beginning [Marlborough Express]
Outta my way: Tasman Makos loosehead prop Tim Perry barges over for the second of the two tries he scored during his side's big win over Manawatu at Lansdowne Park yesterday
Confidence will not be an issue for the Tasman Makos heading into this Saturday's ITM Cup championship semifinal against Southland at Lansdowne Park in Blenheim after they dispatched the Manawatu Turbos 57-14 at the same venue yesterday.
Once again proving how dangerous they can be, the attack-minded Makos scored eight tries to collect their fifth straight win and finish the round-robin at the top of the standings with eight victories from 10 matches. The result ended Manawatu's playoff hopes, as the Stags hung on to fourth spot, and also saw Tasman first five-eighth Marty Banks break a team record with yet another eye-catching display.
Banks notched 27 points, including a brace of tries, to take his season's tally to 130 and set a new individual season point-scoring record for the Makos, surpassing the 116 scored by former skipper Andrew Goodman in 2011.
Playing into the breeze, Tasman opened the scoring when Banks kicked a penalty in the third minute.
It was the visitors who scored the first five-pointer, though, the ball cleverly kept alive after a knock-on from Tasman second five-eighth Tom Marshall for first five-eighth Jade Te Rure to finish and add the conversion. The home side regained the lead five minutes later, wing Mitchell Scott making an incisive kick return and halfback Billy Guyton sniping around the edge of a ruck to run 20 metres and score behind the posts. A high turnover rate continued to prevent the contest from gaining any real rhythm as both sides displayed their willingness to attack and on 28 minutes that cost the Makos as fullback Lewis Marshall ran in Manawatu's second try.
Tasman lost the ball on their side of halfway when a set move broke down and the Turbos again showed good enterprise to keep the ball alive before Marshall eventually went through a hole 5m out. Te Rure's second conversion made it 14-10 but a few minutes before the break it was Tasman's turn to capitalise on an error.
A quick Manawatu lineout throw on halfway missed its mark and Makos captain/flanker Shane Christie swooped, allowing Scott to burst through a hole on the edge of the ensuing ruck and show his blistering acceleration to outrun the cover defence and score.
It took the Makos four minutes to open their account in the second spell, hooker Francis Smith scoring a fine team try following one of several strong breaks by powerhouse centre Kieron Fonotia. That set the tone for what was to follow.
Tasman's high-tempo, offload-happy style began to click and the Turbos were forced to spend the remainder of the match backpedalling. Shortly after Smith dotted down, prop Tim Perry secured the bonus point in style when Banks put him through a yawning gap 20m out and the 116kg loosehead showed all the pace and agility of a midfield back to round the last defender and score. At 29-14, Makos coaches Kieran Keane and Leon MacDonald then began to clear the decks and with 15 minutes remaining, Perry barged over for his second try, replacement halfback Mark Swanepoel providing the inside ball after a sustained period of pressure.
Given the way things have been going for Banks, it seemed almost inevitable the lanky No 10 would get in on the try-scoring action.
And sure enough, with nine minutes left, he scooped up a loose ball and cantered 20m to dot down.
A few minutes later he produced another deft pass to put replacement midfielder Andy Symons over and, with time almost up, Banks completed the rout when he barely managed to force the ball in the corner after another incision from Scott. Keane was largely satisfied but agreed it took his charges a while to get things right and felt they could not afford that to happen in the semifinal.
"We were impatient [in the first half]. Throwing balls and trying to get the continuity game going without attending to the basics. As soon as we got the basics right, we didn't throw those 50-50s and showed a lot more discipline; we were able to recycle the ball smartly and away we went.
"It was a dress rehearsal and we treated it very much like that.
"I suppose we would learn a little bit about being composed and about being in the fight for the whole 80 minutes. I don't think next week's opposition is going to capitulate quite the same way Manawatu did today, so we have to be careful there, but we'll follow similar patterns and prepare the same way."
Banks once again pulled all the right strings in the 10 jersey, kicking well off the tee and out of hand, and displaying ever-growing confidence with his running and passing games at this level.
Fonotia was the other standout in a well-performed backline, breaking the line on numerous occasions and getting plenty of support from classy midfield partner Marshall. Guyton put in another efficient effort and Swanepoel made an impact in the closing half-hour, while the back three of Scott, Bryce Heem and fullback Robbie Malneek constantly threatened the defence.
Up-front captain Christie was typically ever-present before coming off at halftime and his replacement, Vernon Fredericks, made several strong carries in the second spell.
Perry, blindside flanker Gary Redmond, and locks Joe Wheeler and George Stowers were industrious and provided the bulk of the grunt, while replacement prop Siua Halanukonuka made a noticeable impact.
About 3500 fans were in attendance and Keane hoped that number would rise significantly for the semifinal.
"I was a bit surprised about the crowd . . . hopefully they're saving their money and their attendance for the semifinal because semifinals are really hard to win and having home advantage is massive.
"We want twice as many people here to stir us on. I don't think people realise how important that aspect is, particularly when you're in a semifinal. You want every ounce of support you can get."
FINAL WHISTLE
Scorers:
Tasman 57 (Tim Perry 2, Marty Banks 2, Billy Guyton, Mitchell Scott, Francis Smith, Andy Symons tries, Banks 7 con, pen)
Manawatu 14 (Jade Te Rure, Lewis Marshall tries, Te Rure 2 con).
Halftime: 17-14.
