North Harbour beats Otago in tense game

Press, 11 September 1989, Page 40

North Harbour beats Otago in tense game

PA Dunedin North Harbour displayed more finesse on attack, immense character on defence and Frano Botica demonstrated his goal-kicking prowess as it gained a hard-earned 21-15 win over Otago in a national championship rugby match at Carisbrook yesterday. It was North Harbour’s first win in four games against Otago, and it lifted it to clear second place in the competition. It was a tense, absorbing match played in blustery conditions before a crowd, of 12,000 and one in which North Harbour in direct contrast to Otago made the most of its chances. The North Harbour backs constructed three good tries, one early in each half when the Otago midfield defence uncharacteristically missed crucial tackles. But when the fullback, Greg Cooper, scored a magnificent team try, which he converted, 7min into the second spell, and 4min later added a penalty goal to reduce the deficit to 15-18, the game was in the balance.

It was Botica who gave North Harbour some breathing space when he goaled a splendid penalty goal from near, touch on the 22.

This gave him four out of four for the match, including a superblystruck conversion of the second try in the scoreboard corner in a crosswind which made goalkicking difficult. It is one of the ironies of New Zealand rugby that he has been denied an All Black test place because of goal-kicking. He has kicked 36 out of 42 for North Harbour this year and not even Grant Fox could better that ratio. Botica’s penalty goal was about the only breathing space North Harbour did have, for Otago launched wave after wave of attacks during the next 20min as it sought to draw level. Otago battered at the line but the North Harbour defence helped by a lack of penetration and imagination in the Otago backs repelled every thrust. There were some wrong options taken by Otago against a defence which seemed a little brittle out wide but which was impenetrable closer in.

Walter Little, on the fringe of All Black selection, did his chances no harm in front of Alex Wyllie by creating the first two North Harbour tries by breaking apart the Otago defence.

After only 2min he doubled around to take the pass and waft through the defence before transferring to the fullback, Paul Feeney, who stumbled but kept his feet to score. ticket to Ireland and Wales, had a profound effect on the outcome of the game. Scores: North Harbour 21 (Paul Feeney, Paul McGahan and lain Wood tries, Frano Botica 3 conversions, penalty goal) Otago 15 (Greg Cooper try. Cooper conversion, 3 penalty goals). RECORDS TUMBLE Auckland rewrote much of the national first division rugby record book, and moved closer to several Ranfurly Shield records when it thrashed Counties, 84-3, at Eden Park on Saturday. The score and the winning margin were first division records, turning away the week-old mark of 76-16 set by North Harbour over Taranaki the previous week-end and the 67-0 margin by Waikato over Counties earlier in the season. Grant Fox kicked 11 conversions to regain the record which Frano Botica, of North Harbour, had held for a week with 10 conversions against Taranaki. Fox scored 28 points on Saturday. Scorers: Auckland 84 (Wright 3, Ridge 3, McCahill

2, John Kirwan, Joe Stanley, Bruce Morton, Marty Brooke, Zinzan Brooke, Sean Fitzpatrick, tries. Grant Fox 11 conversions, 2 penalty goals) Counties 3 (Stu Hollier penalty goal). ■

• Wellington got things a little more than half right when it scored four second-half tries to beat Bay of Plenty, 27-17, in a national first division rugby match at Athletic Park on Saturday. The Wellington forward pack appears to be growing in strength with Murray Pierce and Chris Tregaskis displaying total line-out control while its scrum has solidified with the introduction of Graham Hurunui, the return of Hika Reid and through the leadership of Mike O’Leary. • The golden boot of the Southland fullback, Eion Crossan, gave him a provincial points scoring record in the first half of a crucial second division rugby game against Manawatu in Invercargill on Saturday. His second-half exploits broke the heart of the visitors and a 20 points haul, being the main factor in Southland’s thrilling 24-19 win, after trailing 319 at half-time. Scorers: Southland 24 (Phil Johnston, try; Eion Crossan conversion, six penalty goals), Manawatu 19 (Glynn Champion, try; Champion four penalty goals, Andrew McMaster dropped goal).