Marko the Mako says....
Undefeated after 3 rounds, now that has a nice sound to it. Travelling up to play at Auckland’s fortress, Eden Park, was always going to be a tough assignment, and strong easterly wind and wet conditions contributed to a very tough day at the office.
Since their last defeat on July 20, 2011 in a mid-week match to Otago the home side had reeled off 13 wins in a row.
In addition to that, the Blues called upon their three released All Blacks, Charlie Faumuina, Stephen Luatau and Charles Piatau. The first two helped make up a very strong looking forward pack.
The Makos forward pack more than held their own in an impressive scrummaging performance to set the foundation for a 16-all draw and a very handy two points.
Prop forwards Ross Geldenhyus and Ciua Halanukonuka were the keys to the Makos eventually reaching parity and beyond at times with the Auckland scrum. Hooker Quentin MacDonald and the locks Tevita Cavubati and Joe Wheeler provided added grunt.
MacDonald along with breakaways Shane Christie and Pete Samu contributed to turnover steals that kept the Makos in the game just when the Blues were looking dangerous.
Despite heavy pressure for the first 15 minutes, it was the Makos who put first points on the board through a remarkable try to Q Macdonald, resulting from a poor clearance under pressure by Luatua. Marty Banks converted and added a penalty which saw the Makos go to the sheds 10-3 in front.
Auckland, with the easterly wind now in their favour, began the task of narrowing the gap. After an exchange of penalties Auckland put on a very good converted try to Luatua in the corner. Behind by 16 – 13 and the weather deteriorating, Banks came to the party with a 76th minute penalty that tied the game up.
That set the scene for a nail biting finish. First Marty Banks' 48m penalty attempt into the wind with just three minutes remaining fell short, then his counterpart Simon Hickey pushed a last-minute attempt wide of the uprights to seal the draw.
Auckland 16 (Steven Luatua try, Simon Hickey 3 pens, con) Tasman 16 (Quentin MacDonald try, Marty Banks 2 pens, con) Ht 3-10
Makos skipper Shane Christie said, "we probably got what we deserved. We've got a lot to learn from that - especially our forward pack. We'll be a better team for it. We'll right the wrongs and move on."
Loosehead prop Ciua Halanukonuka was awarded the team’s Makoman award. His strength and endurance propping against All Black tight head Charlie Faumuina set the foundations for a Makos scrum we can all be proud of.
Congratulations to Peter Samu on his debut ~ Mako # 123.
Next up the Makos enjoy two matches at Trafalgar Park, Nelson. The first of these this Friday night (5 Sept, 6.05pm) is against Waikato.
With an early kick off we hope to see many coming to the Shark Tank straight after work.
The gates open at 4pm, there will be live music by the Lee Fern Band and food & beverage outlets operating through-out the evening.
Kick-off is at 6.05pm and please remember “Nothing Beats Being There”.
Fins Up, Marko
