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Tasman No. 12 Tim O’Malley scores against Otago in Dunedin on Saturday.
Tasman has harnessed the power of his scrum and great wing Leicester Fainga’anuku to fight his way to a 26-20 victory against Otago.
It was rarely pretty, but Mako doesn’t care: In a weekend of near-endless permutations of the Miter 10 Cup, victory guarantees a semi-final at home for the defending Premiership champions.
Fainga’anuku bounced off defenders every time he carried the ball, including Otago No 8 Nasi Manu, and when blocking Quinten Strange shot from close in the middle of the second half, he gave the visitors a useful 26-13 lead and guaranteed they would pick up some momentum towards the final.
Jona Nareki set up a try for Kayne Hammington with five minutes to go, but Otago will still limp to a final at home against Northland or Taranaki next week after two losses, following a tough loss to Southland last weekend.
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Otago No. 10 Josh Ioane struggled to unleash his attack, and Otago is clearly losing injured Liam Coltman and Josh Dickson.
His defense held up well and the lineout maul had some good moments, while Otago Freedom wing Vahaakolo again showed his final prowess, grabbing the first try of the game in the 10th minute.
Otago’s attack was a bit clumsy to get the ball to Vahaakolo, but it only needed a bit of room to do the damage, speeding past Tasmania’s running back Finlay Christie with ease on the way to the line in the right corner.
Joe Allison / Getty Images
Sio Tomkinson makes a break for Otago against Tasman on Saturday.
It was Vahaakolo’s seventh attempt in his debut season and a Super Rugby contract seems like a clear possibility for the 23-year-old when the teams are announced in early December.
However, Tasman was in the Otago scrum and lazy veteran Jamie Mackintosh had a rough afternoon before getting caught within the hour mark.
For Tasman, Fainga’anuku, Sione Havili and Fetuli Paea were strong with the ball in hand, while David Havili contributed some smart touches as a fullback.
Joe Allison / Getty Images
Tasmanian midfielder Fetuli Paea seeks his support at Forsyth Barr Stadium on Saturday.
After taking a 13-10 lead at halftime, Tasman went up a gear in the 20 minutes after halftime, and Strange’s attempt was no more than they deserved.
It came from the hand of another strong scrum and a series of powerful carries both backwards and forwards.
Fainga’anuku was a real handful all afternoon and Mako No. 10 Mitch Hunt was determined to hit him as much of the ball as possible, be it from wide passes or cross kicks.
Tasman had started unconvincingly and was behind Vahaakolo’s clever shot, but they managed to put together a good attack after 20 minutes, with Havili and Mark Telea combining well to set up a try for number 12 Tim O’Malley.
Ioane tied the scores with a penalty before Manu and Ryan Coxon sparked a brief fight after Coxon dropped a shoulder on Otago’s loose striker as he tried to charge a kick.
Tasman finished the half strong as Fainga’anuku, Sione Havili and Fetuli Paea started to score yards with the ball in hand, and a Mictch Hunt penalty before the bell rang sent them into the break with a 13-10 lead. .
Mako then took the game away from Otago in the third quarter of the game, although he had to endure a nervous shot after his clumsy attempts to close out the game kept the hosts in it until the final whistle.
Tasmania 26 (Tim O’Malley, Quinten Strange attempts, Mitch Hunt 2 con, 4 pen) Otago 20 (Freedom Vahaakolo, Kayne Hammington tries to try, Josh Ioane scam, 2 pens). HT: 13-10
MVP Points: Leicester Fainga’anuku 3, Sione Havili 2, Quinten Strange 1
