Cowan shines in Makos win [Fairfax]
Halfback Jimmy Cowan has celebrated his debut outing with a try as the Tasman Makos beat Otago 31-25 to end their two-match emerging players southern rugby tour on a winning note.
Former All Black Cowan scored Tasman's fourth and final try to eventually outscore Otago by four tries to three at Dunedin's Forsyth Barr Stadium on Saturday in a performance head coach Kieran Keane said was a marked improvement on Wednesday's 24-22 loss to Canterbury at Glenmark.
"It was a better game, a better performance and more cohesiveness in the second half, so all round it was a harder hitout and a better game for us. We came a long way in four days."
Two tries to flanker Pete Samu, his second from a controlled forward drive right on halftime, had helped Tasman to a 14-6 halftime lead after Peter Breen had kicked two early penalties for Otago.
Hooker Quentin MacDonald scored Tasman's third try before Cowan celebrated his return to New Zealand's domestic rugby scene with the team's final try with 10 minutes remaining.
Otago kept in touch throughout the second half through tries to Breen, former New Zealand under-20 midfielder Teihorangi Walden and centre Fa'asiu Fuatai, with a final penalty success by Tasman No 10 David Havili helping to stretch the final margin out to six points. Havili converted all four of Tasman's tries.
Although an improvement on Wednesday's performance, Keane said that it was predictably rough around the edges. "We probably bombed four tries, so it wasn't a perfect performance. But having said that, there was some good continuity and pretty good support play."
The set phases functioned well, Tasman losing only one lineout all game and the scrum was solid.
"The forwards drove well, [there was] some excellent mauling and at times our defence was pretty good."
Billy Guyton and Cowan shared the halfback duties, and Keane said that Cowan "slotted in seamlessly".
Newcomer Ben Tyler, a former Brumbies B player, impressed at both wing and fullback.
Keane said the selectors had a lot to consider heading into today's official squad announcement, but that the southern tour had helped answer some important issues. "We're still underdone, we're lucky we've got another two weeks [before the ITM Cup starts] because we'll need every minute."
Tasman play Manawatu in their final buildup game at Trafalgar Park on Thursday.
Tasman Makos 31 (Pete Samu 2, Quentin MacDonald, Jimmy Cowan tries, David Havili 4 cons, pen) Otago 25 (Peter Breen, Tei Walden, Fa'asiu Fuatai tries, Breen 2 pens, 2 cons). HT: 14-6.
