EXTRA DETERMINATION GIVES WAINUIOMATA ITS

FIRST PREMIER GRAND FINAL TITLE SINCE 2007

By Carey Clements

Superb defence when it was most needed allowed the Wainuiomata Lions to write a new chapter in their history with a 22-18 win over the Porirua Vikings in the Wellington premier grand final at Rugby League Park on Saturday.

Going into the final, both teams had more than a decade’s drought since they had last won the Appleton Shield. The Vikings had the more recent title having beaten the Lions the last time they played each other in a final in 2010, whereas Wainuiomata’s last win was three years earlier in overcoming Randwick at the Hutt Recreation Ground.

Another slice of history around Saturday’s game was the fact that it was the first premier rugby league final at the long standing league ground since 2005. On that occasion the North City Vikings as they were then called, beat Wainuiomata 34-22.

Since then, the Lions appeared in three other finals, so it was fourth time lucky for them on Saturday. To get there required them to put Whiti out of finals contention for the first time in more than a decade. After mission was accomplished in very slippery conditions at Wie Park, it was now left for two old rivals to play one another.

Porirua meanwhile had a comfortable semi-final win over St George in firmer conditions at Ascot. This meant both Wainuiomata and Porirua had contrasting semis and were now about to play on a ground that very few current players had set foot on beforehand.

In contrast to both Wise and Ascot, Rugby League Park has one unique feature and that is a slope in the south west corner, which can offer a real test when it comes to defence.

The final was also the first appearance in the middle by match referee Greg Shaw, after appearing in many finals in the last decade as a touch judge.

So, this meant it was now all beautifully set up; Two teams that were both desperate to regain their lost glories from the past on a ground that was steeped in league history from the time it first began there in 1970.

That corner was the target of the first scoring act of the game in just the fourth minute when a high Luke Cummings bomb kick resulted in the Wainuiomata left wing Dante Kakahi make a botched grab, and the Vikings second row Sanele Aiono picked up the ball and went over unmarked, but not before being perilously close to having one of his feet touch the dead ball line.

The ensuing conversion by Vikings fullback Willie Schutz put the maroons up 6-nil, before the Lions entere the score sheet for the first time nine minutes later when a fine offload by standoff Marvin Karawana resulted in second row John Tahana Wharepapa-Rawiri going over for the first of his three tries in the game.

Wainuiomata Lions co-captain, John Tahana Wharepapa-Rawiri runs in for one of his three tries in the Grand Final

Over the next ten minutes, some superb sliding defence and some early turnovers by both sides played a part in keeping the game flow unpredictable. Early in the second quarter saw Porirua lose its try scorer Aiono to a ten minute bin and despite being one less on the field, Porirua still managed to pick up its second try six minutes later when a strong run near the line by team captain Enoch Tautolo proved an unstoppable force. The Schutz converted goal put Porirua up 12-4, but as often the case has shown in countless games, a loss of concentration resulted in the lead being reduced again.

In this case, it came from a superb 40 metre rub by Rawiri, before delivering an inside pass to his scrumhalf Regan Hauwaho, who just needed to run, dive and let the subsequent momentum carry him to the line before reaching out beyond it. Wainuiomata outside centre Bree Henderson picked up his side’s only goal of the game to send the score to 12-10.

Just before halftime Porirua could have gone up 14-10 with a straight forward penalty kick in front of the post, following a Wainuiomata infringement. The Vikings however elected to do a tap kick ten metres out and soon gave away possession from an unforced error. This meant the score stayed at 12-10 at halftime and still no clear signs as to which team would be the more dominant on offence.

Both teams had scoring opportunities early in the third quarter, but were thwarted either by fine opposition defence or by more unforced errors. Something had to give and in the case of the Lions, they picked up their first lead of the game in the 50^th minute following a smart chip kick by Hauwaho, resulting in Henderson running onto it before offloading to Wharepapa-Rawiri for his third try.

A short time later Wainuiomata lost Karawana to a broken nose, following an accidental head clash. It was the start of several injuries that then began to hamper and slow the momentum and tempo of the final.

But for some it was not the case as one of the best individual tries of the final came soon after the start of the final quarter when a dashing 25 metre run through three defenders resulted in Wharepapa-Rawiri going over for an unconverted try. That momentum was soon slowed down when the Wainuiomata co-captain Ulai Oti-Lahood was given a ten minute bin to the loud disapproval of his staunch club supporters.

Like Porirua earlier in the game, the bin proved an inspiration towards reigniting Wainuiomata as an unconverted try to former New Zealand Universities and Tertiary Students representative and now Lions prop David Saumolia put the green machine ahead 22-12.

In a final which saw some huge thumping tackles and strong running hit ups, it was now coming down to whichever team had the most energy left as the last ten minutes began to tick down.

A light hearted interruption stoppage in play for a few minutes through a dog running onto and sidestepping around several players on the field, helped to reignite the Vikings when play resumed.

At the time the Vikings were close to the Wainuiomata red zone and straight after Shaw blew his whistle to restart play, Porirua spread the ball wide, resulting in Darius Patau doing a cutout pass out to Aiono for a try in the right hand corner.

A superb sideline conversion by Schutz narrowed the score to 22-18 with just over six minutes remaining.

The restart allowed Porirua to get beyond halfway before a forward pass undid the good work that had been started by their big forwards. Both teams then got a good set of tackles each, before the game effectively  decided when a Porirua bomb kick inside the Lions 20 metres, resulted in the Wainuiomata right wing Simeona Saumolia taking the ball cleanly, and then running 50 metres down the sideline before then being tackled. Wainuiomata then tried a quick play and nearly got over the line twice, but were caught by the still alert and physical Porirua defence.

Several plays later while still trying to burst through, Porirua ran out of time and a new history moment was created as some players hid their emotions, while others did not hold back.

It has been a true final with many from both sides contributing and probably the right result in that the Lions outscored the Vikings by five tries to three.

Wainuiomata Lions Premier Mens coach, Jimmy Samu shares a moment with one of the Lions after the final whistle

The long planned voyage for Wainuiomata coach Jimmy Samu was now complete, having been a playing member of the 2007 side, which had last won a title.

“It was about pure determination, trusting in what we had set for the whole season and just rising to the occasion,” he said.

“We knew that ten minutes is a long time and we just needed to stay composed and try and work out how we could stay ahead. We just needed to trust in the processes and do it smartly and safely. I was just so proud of the boys.”

Rawiri’s three tries earnt him player of the match, but some superb undiminishing play from centre Joseph Oti, scrumhalf Regan Hauwaho, prop David Saumolia and courageous efforts from the injured Bree Henderson and Marvin Karawana were also key components to helping the Lions maintain their roar.

A more subdued Porirua coach Damon was proud of the effort his side put in.

“I just feel gutted for them as some were hoping they would turn around last year’s loss into a fitting swansong,” he said.

“However, what that means is that they may be back next year for another crack.”

The Vikings were led by some superb play from standoff Luke Cummings, hooker Sheldon Akavi, second row Tautolo and fullback Schutz.   

Score: Wainuiomata Lions 22 (John Tahana Wharepapa-Rawiri 3, David Saumolia, Regan Hauwaho tries; Bree Henderson goal), Porirua Vikings 18 (Sanele Aiono 2, Enoch Tautolo tries; Willie Schutz 3 goals). Halftime: Porirua 12-10. Penalties (with halftime being in brackets): Wainuiomata 9 (5), Porirua 7 (4).

Article added: Thursday 03 August 2023