Marist wins Stuff Tasman Trophy men’s final, Waimea take women’s title
Marist returned the club rugby silverware to Nelson after a four-year absence and Waimea edged a thrilling women’s final in the Stuff Tasman Trophy double-header.
Disruption and delays caused by the region’s flooding and persistent rain meant Trafalgar Park hosted both men’s and women’s finals on Saturday.
Those affected by the flooding across rural Tasman were in the thoughts of players and officials in the after-match speeches.
For the decent-sized crowd that turned up, the club rugby finals were a good distraction at the end of a difficult week for many, and the sun even made a welcome appearance.
The support was loud and proud, with Waimea urged on by a loudhailer-wielding fan, and Marist boosted by Pasifika singing in the stands.
On a ground that lived up to its reputation as one of the best in the country despite the amount of rain it had absorbed, Marist ran out 43-17 winners over Waimea Old Boys in the men’s final and the Waimea women’s team held on to beat Kahurangi 23-22.
Waimea men had finished top of the regular season table by a point from Marist and the teams had two tight contests during the season, both won by Marist.
On Saturday, Marist started with a roar, with tries to No 6 Jone Tamani and halfback Wil Thornalley putting them out to 16-0 before a try right on halftime to Waimea captain Codey Grimes cut the margin.
But the telling story of the half was Marist’s stellar defence that stopped three Waimea surges on or over the goal-line.
Marist captain Tom Thornalley said afterwards that they had talked about how defence wins championships.
“Our big motto is that when we’re on the defensive line, it’s body on the line for each other. So I think those moments come down to how much you want it for your brother beside you and I think that’s what got us over the line today.”
In the second half, after Waimea closed to within six points, Marist pulled away with a searing Liam Boshoff try following a break by winger Isaiah Duncanson; another by rampagaing lock Joseph Domoni and one from prop Teu Sami who galloped through the Waimea defence three minutes from time and was mobbed by his teammates.
After three years when the trophy had been won by Marlborough’s Central club twice and Kahurangi last year, Tom Thornalley said it was a good feeling to bring it back to Marist.
He said the club had a good mix of youth and experience, providing a foundation for the future. Thornalley said having his brother playing in the team and a number of family members involved in the club was special. They include his grandmother Ngaere Thornalley who turned 80 this week and said the win was the best birthday present.
First-time Marist coach Nic Smith said it was a good way to finish off a lot of hard work from the club’s management, staff and players.
Having a four-day turnaround from a bruising semi-final win against Nelson on Tuesday night – delayed because of the weather – was a tough ask but the team turned it into a positive, and “I think actually it drew us closer together.”
The women’s final went down to the wire. Waimea led 11-8 at the break before Kahurangi struck through Eve Findlay early in the second half.
Waimea regained the lead with two more tries including a second for standout No 10 Bethan Manners. But Kahurangi were not done and narrowed the gap to one point with 10 minutes left when Asheigh Wood scored following a sharp break from substitute Jemima Daniels.
Kahurangi had other chances in the tense final minutes but couldn’t quite grab them, and the Waimea players jumped and hugged with delight at the final whistle.
It was particularly sweet for Manners after missing all of last season with a ruptured anterior cruciate ligament. She was named most valuable player of the season after the final.
“I’m so grateful to be playing again, and this team has been huge for me,” she said.
By Warren Gamble, Nelson Mail
This Post Has 0 Comments