Mako fall to Magpies in Napier
By Jack Malcolm [Nelson App]
The Tasman Mako playoff hopes are out of their hands after a 25-17 loss to Hawke’s Bay at McLean Park.
It was a helter-skelter affair in the pouring rain, with both teams struggling to string phases together in the tricky conditions.
When they did put it together, they played some fantastic rugby but it was few and far between.
A late consolation try showed what could have been for the Mako as they broke out from inside their in goal with a Sevu Reece dummy before off to Macca Springer, who was pulled down 10 metres short.
Quick ball and a cross-field kick to reserve forward Viliami Napa’a on the wing saw them in for the try.
The sequence also highlighted how much the absence of key players, like Sevu, have impacted the Mako’s season as they now have to rely on results going their way if they want their season to continue.
The first half was where Tasman found the most of their success, looking like they would take a 10-10 scoreline into the sheds before conceding after the hooter to a Magpies rolling maul.
Their set-piece at lineout time was fantastic, setting up the first try of the game two minutes in to hooker Tyrone Thompson.
A Taine Robinson penalty kept the visiting side in touch before the Magpies scored again with Neria Foma’i picking up his first of two tries on the end of a cross-field kick under a penalty advantage.
The try was also set up on the back of a strong rolling maul, which the Mako struggled with throughout the game.
Tasman answered back with a fantastic team try finished by Noah Hotham, with Macca sprinting into space and off after a picture-perfect pass from second five-eighth Alex Nankivell.
They looked to have sewn up a handy halftime scoreline, but the Magpie’s rolling maul came to the fore again on the eve of the break with a try to flanker Marino Mikaele-Tu’u.
The second half saw a much more strategic game, with both teams opting to put the ball on the boot and play for field position.
It was Hawke’s Bay who came away winners from the games of force-back, scoring again through Neria as they broke through the defence and were able to capitalise.
A scrum penalty against the feed then saw them stretch their lead to three scoring plays, 15 points, with less than 10 minutes on the clock.
Viliami’s try seeing the team finish on a high in what might be their last game of the season.
They currently sit fourth on the leaderboards but can lose their spot by Northland when they take on the winless Manawatu on Sunday.
Hawke’s Bay 25 (Neria Foma’i 2, Tyrone Thompson, Marino Mikaele-Tu’u tries; Lincoln McClutchie penalty, conversion) defeated Tasman 17 (Viliami Napa’a, Noah Hotham tries; Willie Havili, Taine Robinson conversions; Taine Robinson penalty).