Tasman Makos secure late victory over Waikato [Stuff]
A last-minute try to tighthead prop Siua Halanukonuka saw Tasman steal a desperate 23-16 national provincial championship rugby win over a spirited Waikato team at Trafalgar Park tonight.
Tasman struggled to achieve any fluency all night as Waikato almost snatched a draw against the home team.
Veteran fullback Robbie Malneek turned back the clock with a magical early try, splitting the defence from 45m out and outstripping the cover to dive in at the corner.
Marty Banks' superb sideline conversion gave Tasman a 7-0 lead after just four minutes with a penalty success minutes later stretching them out to 10-0.
But despite a dominant scrum, that was to be their only positive return for much of the first half as Waikato enjoyed a distinct territorial edge, often forcing Tasman to scramble in defence.
However, Waikato's only reward was a penalty to No 10 Damien McKenzie despite making most of the play against an error-ridden Tasman side.
Waikato missed a certain try after 32 minutes when winger Declan O'Donnell dropped the ball on the line following a period of intensive pressure.
Poor Tasman tackling and creative play by Waikato's backs often had Tasman in trouble although ironically, it was Tasman who increased their lead with two further Banks penalties putting the home team 16-3 ahead at the break.
Malneek almost repeated his first half heroics soon after the restart when he appeared to score after a lengthy Tasman buildup. But a TMO referral ruled a knock-on.
Instead it was Waikato who finally earned some reward for their efforts when O'Donnell capped an end to end movement with a try in the corner after just seven minutes, McKenzie's conversion and a subsequent penalty eventually cutting the deficit to just 16-13.
His third success midway through the half to level the scores set the scene for a tense final quarter.
Both teams created opportunities over the dying stages, with Waikato's confidence growing as the match wore on.
But it was Halanukonuka who finally sealed the issue right at the death.
Tasman 23 (Robbie Malneek, Siua Halanukonuka tries, Marty Banks 3 pens, 2 cons) Waikato 16 (Declan O'Donnell try, Damien McKenzie 3 pens, con). HT: 16-3.
- Stuff
