Miter 10 Cup: Manawatū breaks his duck with victory over Southland in Manfeild

Manawatū has broken the duck in the Miter Cup 10 2020, and perhaps they have to thank their change of venue.

In a battle of two wrestling championship division sides, the Turbos beat Southland 24-12 on Sunday at Feilding, marking their forced departure from their Palmerston North field in style.

It was a proper provincial football, this one, and the game was one of two for Manawatū to be played in a makeshift stadium in Manfeild. That happened when Covid-19 delayed the competition and there was a collision with the race track at its normal home of Central Energy Trust Arena.

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There were portable tents that acted as changing rooms, scaffolding in place for the hospitality area, a truck parked behind a dead ball line adorned with advertising signs, caravan food outlets and containers alongside picnic tables, fans huddled together in temporary bleachers braving the raging wind. and the roar of car engines on the nearby famous race track.

And to top it off, a win – a bonus point on that – for the Turbos, who, for a couple of hours at least, knock them out of last place in the championship, ahead of Counties Manukau.

Meanwhile, Southland, which won just one game last year after two donut seasons, has now gone 28 straight away games without a win, and remains in fifth place, now likely out of semifinal contention.

After Charles Alaimalo came close to galloping after an interception, but Ben Wyness knocked him down in an attempt to save him, then Scott Eade missed a penalty from the front, perhaps it was an early indication that this was not going to be the one. Southland day.

And so it turned out, with Wyness in the fifth eighth and then also having the last word, with his attempt out of control in the 75th minute and 50 meters pocketing all five points for the hosts.

It was by no means a match to turn on replay and watch. It was a stop-start and a plague of bugs, but Manawatū fans rightly won’t mind.

The home team opened the scoring in the 16th minute when they counterattacked in style, with Te Rangatira Waitokia and James Tofa making good runs, before blocking Liam Mitchell exploded on a short ball to go over the top.

It took just five minutes for the Stags to get back to level, thanks to an impressive individual attempt by running back Logan Crowley, who had the ball from the lineout make its way and then slide 35 meters down the touchline and away under the sticks. .

But despite playing in the gale, Manawatū was able to maintain field position and racked up two attempts in six minutes at each end, with Waitokia coming in after good quick hands from the backs, then Nigel Ah Wong away by a great shot thanks to a nice long pass from Josiah Maraku.

Trailing 17-7 at halftime, Southland needed to find the first points of the second spell, and after a rather ugly quarter hour of play, they finally did, with hooker Greg Pleasants-Tate trailing behind a strong lineout. drive.

The trend of the team playing with the wind dominating continued, as Southland began to enjoy possession and position, but Isaac Te Tamaki knocked down the line in the 62nd minute was a great moment.

The Turbos held up with strong defense and breakdown work, and nothing better than Wyness’s throw of the ball from the great Nathan Va’atausili, who saw the No. 10 gallop halfway up the field to everyone’s amazement.

Take a look

Manawatū 24 (Liam Mitchell, Waitokia Master, Nigel Ah Wong, Ben Wyness tries; Ben Wyness 2 scam) Southland 12 (Logan Crowley tries; Scott Eade scam). HT: 17-7.

MVP Points: Ben Wyness 3, Logan Crowley 2, TK Howden 1.