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Courageous Bay's reign ends |
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Written by Jamie Troughton
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Monday, 06 September 2004 |
IT was a magnificent way to end perhaps the greatest three weeks in Bay of Plenty rugby history.
The province bid farewell to the Ranfurly Shield yesterday after losing to an All Black-laden Canterbury side 33-26, but not before shocking the visitors with a tenacity and ferocity worthy of the greatest of tenures.
On paper, Bay of Plenty didn't stand a chance. Thirteen current or former All Blacks dotted the opposition starting ranks, and the home side was dealt a major blow when halfback Kevin Senio pulled out yesterday morning with an ankle injury.
Yet despite these overwhelming odds, they crawled back from a 26-13 deficit with 25 minutes left to play and could have snatched an incredible draw in the final movement of the game.
As the fulltime hooter sounded, Bay of Plenty launched a final raid on Canterbury's defences, and fullback Adrian Cashmore punched through just on halfway.
With second-five Grant McQuoid haring along beside him, he put a grubber through into the Canterbury in-goal but Canterbury fullback Ben Blair won the race to the ball and forced to end the game.
McQuoid stayed prone after the whistle had gone, his head pressed into the Blue Chip Stadium turf.
It had been a horrible week for him but his bravery in playing seven days after the loss of his newborn baby epitomised the spirit in the team.
``I'm so proud of my teammates,'' McQuoid said later. ``It was disappointing to lose the Shield but I wasn't disappointed with how we played at all.''
Whether Cashmore should have kicked ahead is debatable, but McQuoid for one thought he'd judged it right.
``Maybe in hindsight, but someone grabbed me on the collar at one stage, making me think they were right on me. If he'd passed it to me, maybe they would have tackled me straight away, and Cashy saw that too.''
There were 15 heroes on the field for Bay of Plenty, but those to receive special praise were skipper Wayne Ormond, teenaged No 8 Colin Bourke and replacement halfback Ruki Tipuna.
Ormond conceded a penalty try nine minutes from the end when he tackled Canterbury flanker Johnny Leo'o from an offside position but the try was a certainty anyway.
All it meant was the conversion by All Black pivot Andrew Mehrtens was in front of the posts rather than from wider out - although Ormond was admittedly lucky referee Paul Honiss allowed him to stay on the field.
Elsewhere though he was magnificent, completely outplaying his illustrious opposite, former All Black captain Reuben Thorne.
Bourke was sensational in covering defence and set up Glen Jackson's second half try with a scything run through the midfield.
Jackson kicked immaculately and his try brought him a personal haul of 21 points.
The other try was a gem, essentially a 14-point effort after Canterbury were pressing hard on Bay's line with a two-man overlap after 17 minutes.
But a jarring Ormond tackle on Daniel Carter knocked the ball into the hands of Steamers centre Rua Tipoki, who galloped 65m and unloaded a pass for wing Anthony Tahana to score.
Tipuna, meanwhile, allayed fears his tiny frame was unsuitable for first division rugby. He made several sniping runs and benefited greatly from a highly competitive tight-five which fed him clean, fast ball.
All of which was a minor consolation to the absence of the Shield after the game, although Steamers coach Vern Cotter was far from despondent.
``We dictated our play on them and did so for large periods of the game and it came right down to a split-second at the end,'' Cotter noted.
``We'd discussed it, and if ever we were going to lose it, we wanted to lose it with style and put up a good fight, and the players did that until the last minute.
``I'm a little bit empty but by the same token the guys went down fighting and that's what the Shield's about and that's what the team's about.''
Bay of Plenty have an unenviable next fortnight, facing Otago and Wellington at home in consecutive weeks.
They are likely to be without prop Simms Davison who was getting x-rays today to confirm a fractured sternum, while Senio is still in doubt with his ankle.
Allowing for further injury though, Ormond will play his 50th game for Bay of Plenty against Otago on Saturday. He's confident his side can put the Shield loss behind them.
``There won't be any problem,'' Ormond said. ``The boys have set some standards and levels and we've just got to stay focused and get back on our feet as quickly as possible.
``I thought we were the equal of Canterbury today. It was a difficult week for us but it pulled the boys a lot tighter and they really dug deep when it was required.
I couldn't ask more from the guys. They put in a gutsy effort and did all they could but unfortunately the result didn't go our way.''
Canterbury's first two tries were both dubious, with Caleb Ralph running on to a flat pass from Ben Blair, and Justin Marshall stretching over while on his knees from what looked like an offside position.
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