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While the media, life-long Dirty Scumbags and Bogans alike seethed at a perceived slight against their beloved Hamilton last week, no one seemed to spare a thought for the Bay of Plenty Steamers. If Hamilton is a boring city, then a trip to Invercargill could best be described as Catatonic.
Some back-country farmers from down south like to refer to the bright lights of Invercargill as "Inver-Vegas", which always pisses me off, being from Rotorua. It seems a little apt, however, in hindsight. The coaches this week chose to gamble with Waikato cast-off Mark Burman on the blindside flank; a move which was widely questioned on these boards in the days before the match. You would have to say that just like in Las Vegas, the house always wins. Burman was a weak link in our pack I thought, and showed a distinct lack of pace when Tuineau cantered past him for his try.
Admittedly it was James McGougan who put in a limp attempted tackle before that. He shouldn't have been that wide in the defensive line in the first place, and it again reinforced the time-honoured saying that props should "get the f**k out of the backs, bro!" Missed tackle aside, McGougan was again solid at scrum time and good at ruck and maul time.
Overall, it was a scrappy sort of affair. We failed to keep a lid on Robbie Robinson, who for my money is a far better prospect than the much-touted Aaron Cruden. Robinson's kicking game is classy, and we suffered because of his accuracy.
There wasn't much between the two teams for the most part. I hate to single one player out above everyone else in a loss, but Burman shouldn't start on the flank ever again for the Steamers. We have great depth in the squad, with young guys like Zak Hohneck and Matt Vant Leven waiting in the wings. They might be young guys, but they're true flankers and one of them should have been starting on the side of the scrum for us. It's easy to forget that Luke Braid is still only a young bloke too, and so was Tanerau Latimer when he started at this level. No use in trying to convert an average journeyman footballer into a dynamic flanker when we have the real thing waiting for a shot.
A big positive was that we managed to sneak a bouns point for the close loss. It's the first one we've picked up all season, and beacause we've been winning it hasn't mattered too much. They're valuable come end-of-season time though, and let's hope we can pick up a few more for four tries as well as returning to our earlier winning ways.
Luke Braid and Colin Bourke were class again. With Burman out of the loose mix we'll be back to our menacing best in that department. Ben Smith was assured again, and the man variously known as "Rooter" and "Billy Elusiv" is showing that despite not having played much fullback, he has the game to keep Zar Lawrence out.
Our kicking game seemed a little over the top I thought. I for one would like to see us running it a bit more, and if that means bringing in the likes of Wayne Hughson then so be it. Cory Aporo has been quiet and Hughson looked hungry for a crack. His break was classy, and he showed a lot of strength to maintain his feet considering he's not a huge chap.
So, third place keeps us nicely in touch. Tasman will be tough this week, especially if they bring back Kade Poki to their midfield. We'll need to be on our game, but man for man we're the better outfit, so let's hope it shows on the field. Get down to Baypark if you can make it, and help cheer our boys on to a win and a four try bonus point.
Go the Bay!
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