Rebels Still Alive After Highlander Firefight

Round 17 Match Report: By Paul Cook

Southern Districts have kept their finals chances alive with a hard fought 43-35 victory over a defiant Gordon at Chatswood Oval. The eleven try thriller was a case of the Highlanders forward power meeting the gusto of the Rebels backline as all five of the home sides scorers came from their impressive pack while five of the visitors six tries came from their dazzling princesses.

Wallaby centre Rob Horne made a solid if unspectacular return from long term injury* but it was Junior Waratah, Brackin Karauria-Henry who took the plaudits with his hat-trick helping Southos eventually see off a Gordon side that can take much heart from their performance against their Super Rugby laden opponents.

Even though the game produced 78pts, it actually took a while for the score keepers to be called into action as a bruising opening quarter saw both sides flex their forward muscle but fail to make a breakthrough. Ita Vaea and Lopeti Timani were human wrecking balls for the Rebels but every breach of the Gordon line was met with scrambling defence, their only failure to hold firm seeing Rome Nifo’s try called back for a forward pass.

With Dan Palmer and John Ulugia in the front row, the Rebels looked to apply the blowtorch at scrum time but the Highlanders refused to take a backward step and their task was eased somewhat when Ulugia went off with a torn calf which may end his season.

However, with the array of talent at their disposal in the backs, it was only a matter of time before something gave. A promising looking counter attack from Gordon’s Dion Berryman was quelled on halfway and when the Highlanders failed to throw enough bodies in to the ruck, Karauria-Henry was on hand to pilfer and spin away for a solo run to the posts.

The tone for the rest of the match was set when the hosts hit back within minutes. A succession of pick and drives got them within striking distance and when a penalty gave them the put in from 5 metres out, they kept it up their jumpers to eventually drive lock Lex Fairley over for their first.

Southos showed that they too had the ability from in close when Palmer was the one who profited from an effective rolling maul to restore their lead but back came Gordon on the half hour to level. A half-break from Rebel Sean Doyle left him isolated from his team mates and the inevitable turnover saw flanker Aisea Namoa breakthrough the traffic and show a clean pair of heels for the corner.

The game was end to end now with both sides looking likely in the opposing 22, yet vulnerable in their own and another try apiece in the 5 minutes before the break was unsurprising. Southos led the way, using the flanks this time as a two man break down the right wing saw Nick Cummins over before a tap and go near the line gave Fairley his second at the other end.

Jordan McGregor and Dave Harvey were locked in their own personal kicking duel and with neither missing a beat, the half-time score after an entertaining 40 minutes was 21 all. Gordon head coach John Briggs was pleasantly surprised by the parity achieved by his side:

“On paper they’re [Southos] a very good side with a lot of Super Rugby players but I knew that we were in the game because they weren’t hurting us. We just had to keep doing what we were doing and trust our play and keep rolling up the sleeves.”

His counterpart Steve Talbot paid tribute to Gordon’s efforts and admitted the Rebels still had a way to go if they wanted to become the finished article:

“Their pick and drive was very good, they do it really well and we couldn’t counter that, we couldn’t stop them. Restarts are a problem as well, we score tries and then the kick-off isn’t clean and we don’t get field position and I think it’s that continuity thing, the urgency to support and to retain possession so that we can build something. We’re sort of all stop and start and I suppose the scoreline and the way the points were scored back and forwards meant that we didn’t really consolidate.”

Both sides had forced changes for the second stanza, Dan Palmer had limped off before the break with a persistent ankle injury while Gordon were dealt a hammer blow with the loss of Dion Berryman’s service. The versatile back had been having another outstanding game with ball in hand and was consistently brave and efficient under the high ball.

The try for try pattern was finally broken when McGregor slotted over a penalty in the 44th minute and when captain and prop Tetera Faulkner belied his field position with a terrific 20 metre line break followed by an expertly wrapped pass around an outstretched arm for Karauria-Henry’s second, it looked like the Highlanders were facing an uphill task.

But this Gordon outfit has good team spirit and rarely knows when it’s beaten and true to form, back they came. Reverting to their strengths, they plundered two quick tries through rolling mauls, both finished off by prop James Atwill and Harvey’s precision put them into the lead for the first time at 35-29 with less than a quarter of the match remaining.

Southos season was now on the line and to their credit, they stepped up to the plate when challenged but spirited defence and no small amount of heart from Gordon made them work hard for their victory.

With eleven minutes left, a misguided clearance from Harvey was partially blocked and when the ball found Cummins, he put in a lovely step for a clear run to the posts. Five minutes later, Karauria-Henry produced a moment of magic to win it. Gathering on halfway, he put up a lovely chip down the line, regathered, put in a fend and streaked in for his hat-trick.

Replacement Dewet Roos took over the kicking duties from McGregor and plundered one from two to seal the 43-35 win and keep their season alive.

Southern Districts 43 (Brackin Karauria-Henry 3, Nick Cummins 2, Dan Palmer tries; Jordan McGregor 3 cons, 1 pen, Dewet Roos 2 cons) d Gordon 35 (Lex Fairley 2, James Atwill 2, Aisea Namoa tries; Dave Harvey 5 cons) at Chatswood Oval Referee: Andrew Lees

*For an in-depth look at Rob Horne’s comeback, please check out: RuggaMatrix

Final Thoughts…

Southern Districts centre Rob Horne:

“That first bit of contact is the one you’re looking for and once you get that, everything else sort of looks after itself but I just wanted to get a few touches today. The elbow stood up pretty well, the lungs were struggling a bit but it was good to play eighty, that’s what I wanted out of it and I got that.

“There were a lot of points scored but it was a bit of a stop/start game as well and it was pretty tough to get into any rhythm. It was just good to play for Southern Districts again. I love playing for them, I was a junior here and it’s a good feeling pulling on the colours again.”

Gordon head coach John Briggs:

“We can always score a try when we apply a bit of pressure, we’ve just got to stop them at the other end. That’s a trust thing and it’s about believing in the bloke inside and outside of you. We’re getting there, we were certainly in that game for a long way and in some ways unlucky to lose it but when you’re an emerging team or a team that’s going through a rebuilding process, that’s what happens.”

“Forty points is forty points and you don’t like that but you’ve got to take into account that they had six or seven Super Rugby players and we had none. The big thing is that they got to come off today with their heads up.”

Southern Districts head coach Steve Talbot:

“It was like a game of basketball going backwards and forwards and thankfully, it went our way at the end. Our urgency to defend isn’t enough so if teams have got into our twenty-two in the last few weeks, they’ve been scoring tries or points of some description.

“I think we’re lacking some leadership in the group, there probably isn’t that dominant figure you need in either the forwards or the backs at the moment. We’ve got some really good young players and some players who have Super Rugby experience that aren’t leaders but when they come back, that’s what we’re asking them to be. They’re learning and they’re getting better each week but you either have those qualities or you don’t.”

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