Defensive lapses take edge off win [Nelson Mail
Even another record-breaking ITM Cup rugby win wasn't enough to satisfy all the protagonists after the Tasman Makos took Bay of Plenty apart 56-27 in Tauranga yesterday.
Having already put a record 35 points on Hawke's Bay the previous week in Blenheim, Tasman's seven-try effort against the Steamers at ASB Baypark Stadium easily saw them eclipse their winning 41-39 scoreline achieved four seasons ago in Blenheim.
At times yesterday Tasman looked superb, particularly on attack with two of the tries to second five-eighth Tom Marshall and later to fullback James Lowe both the products of perfectly-executed set-phase moves. They also used their width clinically at times to expose some inexperienced Steamers defenders as their support play and attacking confidence occasionally overwhelmed the home side.
But the Makos are setting high standards for themselves this season as they look to make a genuine impact in their first foray into premiership ranks. So despite running in seven tries - having already secured their try-scoring bonus by halftime to hold a handy 34-15 lead - there were enough defensive lapses and errors of their own making to ensure that this week's buildup to their third-round clash with Auckland will be a demanding one.
Scoring seven tries is one thing. Conceding four at the other end, including a spectacular 80m effort by wing Tino Nemani following a slick line-break by Bay of Plenty No 10 Dan Hollingshead shortly after the restart, set the alarm bells ringing in the Tasman camp.
Tasman's head coach Kieran Keane, while obviously satisfied to have have picked up another five competition points, certainly wasn't about to shower his players with compliments.
"We were pretty disappointed as coaches and we thought that performance . . . hopefully we can bury it and move forward," Keane said.
"I think it actually ended up being a good lesson for us early in the season. There was nothing in our game, other than our set piece strikes, that worked for us.
"We went into our shells, we had people playing average games [and] had no respect for the ball. We had a team at our mercy and we coughed it up and we never played with our heads up. So there wasn't a lot we did well as a team."
Fullback Lowe kept his reputation intact, constantly threatening on attack, while lock Tevita Cavubati also provided impact as a second half replacement with some effective lineout work as Tasman's set piece again stood up to scrutiny.
"It was one to dump and I think everybody in our group feels a little bit deflated, even though we scored a lot of points.""Individually, some players obviously made their mark, but some players didn't," Keane said.
Nor was Tasman captain and flanker Shane Christie prepared to gloss over what he felt was a sub-par team effort.
"I was a bit disappointed. There were too many errors and we didn't do the basics well and we didn't stick to our game plan," Christie said.
"We got the win, but our expectations are high - so we've got to stick to our own standards and it wasn't there tonight."
Bay of Plenty had stunned Tasman in the opening stanzas when they swooped on a Tasman turnover to send prop Kane Hames surging across out wide. However, their 7-0 lead was short-lived when Tasman hooker Quentin MacDonald intercepted an attempted long pass by Hollinson just outside their quarter to run in between the posts just four minutes later.
Tasman finally gained their first lead of the match when centre Kieron Fonotia split the defence from an attacking lineout and drew the final defender before putting Marshall across for their second try and a 17-10 advantage. Further tries to Christie and then Fonotia saw Tasman distance themselves at 34-10.
Right on halftime, the Steamers caught Tasman napping as a midfield break by No 12 Doug Edwards and several quick phases created space for hooker Joe Royal out wide as Tasman took their 34-15 lead into halftime.
Nemani's spectacular try highlighted some of Tasman's defensive frailties before Lowe capped off a wonderfully-contrived scrum move for Tasman's fifth try. Substitute loosie Johan Bardoul scored Bay of Plenty's bonus point try, but further tries to Banks and finally to substitute wing David Havili from another sweeping 80m movement, saw Tasman round out their high-scoring win.
Despite missing four shots at goal, Banks still ended the match with 26 points. But the Tasman players were likely to have Keane's stern words ringing in their ears long into the night.
"You can't abdicate responsibility and just worry about when you're on attack . . . you've got to worry about when you're on defence as well," Keane said. "Those things lose trust and when you start losing trust, things start falling apart. There were some big lessons for these boys and hopefully we'll be able to heed them as a group."
- The Nelson Mai
