North Otago vs Buller Feature
Last updated on September 1st, 2010
North Otago will play its 36th match against Buller in the second round of the Heartland championship in Oamaru on Saturday. The contest should be an even one with North Otago having won 18 games to Bullers 17.
In the first round Buller went down to Wairarapa-Bush in Westport, 16-23 picking up a bonus point for its efforts, with both sides scoring a try each. The accurate boot of former North Otago first five eighth, Jeremy Te Huia, kicking six penalties for the winners.
North Otago in its preparation for the game beat Otago Country, 40-22 and in the first round of Heartland demolished East Coast in Ruatoria, 116-3 scoring 17 tries in the process.
North Otago’s biggest difficulty this week may well be in getting its combined heads out of the clouds of euphoria created by that win. Co-coaches Barry Matthews and Shane Carter did just that at Tuesday’s practice with trainer Adam Keen given full licence to clean out the cobwebs with a tough fitness session.
The big question being asked in local circles is -”is this side on a par with the 2007 Meads Cup winning side?” The general consensus would be not yet, but with the depth of players available and the improved fitness of each individual that target is an achievable one.
Buller has been hard hit with coaches Craig Scanlon and Craig Neill having only six returning from the 2009 side in loose-head prop Phil Beveridge, utility back Matt Bonisch, flanker Luke Brownlee, Sam Marris who came on once last season as a sub, back Michael Mumm who four appearances as a sub last year and winger Penijamini Nabainivalu.
Brownlee epitomises all that is good about rugby in the heartland with the loose forward appearing in every first class game for Buller over the last ten years. Obviously in Westport rotation is unheard of. On Saturday Brownlee with play his 97th game in the cardinal and blue jersey but this is still well short of Thomas Stuart’s 154 games played from 1984-1999.
Bonisch just 24 years of age has played 41 games for Buller already and will be the general in backline which is unknown quantity with inside back Sam Marris and winger Penijamini Nabainivalu the only players from 2009.
Buller has three loan players in lock James Foster, flanker Blair McIlroy and first five eighth, Brad McKenzie, two from Canterbury Country and one from Nelson.
Buller first played North Otago in 1935 in Oamaru winning 21-13 and repeated the dose in the next match in 1949 in Westport, 16-6. North Otago’s first win came in 1951 with a 23-6 victory at the Showgrounds. There was then a gap of 11 years before North Otago beat Buller, 13-8 and the following year, 1963 whilst on tour North Otago with a couple of penalties took the game, 6-3 at Victoria Park.
Ten years later North Otago beat Buller, 34-3 in Oamaru. 1975 saw Buller down North Otago, 21-13 in Westport but with the coming of the NPC games between the two sides were on a more regular basis.
Between 1976 and 1984 Buller won five of the nine encounters including a 26-0 win in 1981. No games were played between the two unions in 1985 and 1986 as the NZRU decided to fiddle with the format but from 1987 on Buller dominated winning the next nine games in a row with no game played in 1990.
But the worm turned in 1997 when at Carisbrooke North Otago beat Buller 54-29. North Otago then won the next nine games through to 2009 with no games played in 2003, 2004 and 2005 with North Otago in second division.
The biggest winning margin of North Otago was 31 points in 2007 while Buller’s biggest winning margin was 28 points in 1992.
North Otago came out of the East Coast game with a couple of injuries to tight-head prop, Palenapa Mafi (right hand) and winger Greg Zampach, a former Buller boy with a groin strain.
The North Otago inside back combination of Kilifi Fangupo and first five eighth Ben Patston is an impressive one with Fangupo providing a sharpness that was lacking last year while Patston is developing the qualities on a classy first five eighth. Hamish McKenzie can play equally well in either position as he showed in Ruatoria when Patston was subbed. The big midfield of Luke Herden and Faaitu Tuamoheloa will test the Buller defence while the back three led by running fullback Billy Guyton is an ever present danger.
North Otago is well served in the front row with Will Henry and Gerard Sweeney fitting in smoothly as subs for Ralph Darling and Stu Philpott, Eric Duff, Aisake Fonua and Dave Simpson are a great locking trio while North Otago is awash with loosies in Josh Collier, Ryan Long, Tevita Fifita, Willi Tahitua with Ross Hay due to return for the game against Mid Canterbury.
