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2010 Arrowtown Premier Match Reports
Arrowtown Bulls vs. Clyde-Earnscleugh Clyde 19th June 2010
An early kickoff was scheduled for this round eleven clash to allow players and supporters to head to Dunedin for the All Black-Wales rugby test match in Dunedin later that evening.
Arrowtown travelled to Clyde looking to build on last week’s massive effort and to take on a side that had started the season with a roar only to see it fizzle out slightly over the last month. A tough battle was expected, but with the perfect conditions on hand Arrowtown was hoping to play with a bit of width and use its pace out wide.
The game started at a hectic pace, and it wasn’t long before Arrowtown had scored the first try when its Fijian winger Jone Nayaloga made good use of an overlap to score out wide. The conversion attempt was unsuccessful.
With both teams trying to give the ball some width mistakes were occurring and at times some ugly passages of play were produced, meaning the game was a stop-start affair. And it was due a Clyde-Earnscleugh mistake that Arrowtown secured its second five-pointer when Nayaloga found himself on the end of the chain before a chip and chase saw him dot down for his second try after 20 minutes. Again the conversion was unsuccessful, but the visiting Arrowtown side had found itself 10-nil ahead.
Arrowtown struck again not long after, this time through halfback Nick Dunn when the other Fijian in the side Isireli Nayaloga made a break before offloading in the tackle to send the halfback over handy to the posts. The conversion from Reece Winter this time went over, and a 17-nil lead had been established.
Clyde enjoyed its best passage of play in the ten minutes leading up to halftime, and it was eventually rewarded when halfback Jai Baxter noticed an overlap on the blindside before selling a dummy and running in to score. The conversion attempt missed, and when the halftime whistle blew not long after Arrowtown was ahead by 17-5.
The second half was both teams chance their arm again, and just like the first half the mistake level was fairly high, and along with some unnecessary niggle, neither side could get any momentum going.
Arrowtown knew it had to score first if it was to stamp its authority on the game, and that it did when captain Aidan Winter dotted down after a concerted build up. With the conversion attempt successful, the lead pushed out to 24-5, and Arrowtown had picked up a much needed bonus point.
This seemed to open up the floodgates for Arrowtown, as it began to string phases together and gain ascendancy at set piece. Within the next 20 minutes it had managed to run in three more tries, and wrapped the game up in the process.
First five-eighth Reece Winter scored after a weak defensive line was exposed, before replacement winger (and club stalwart) Simon Spark scored a popular try. Second five-eighth Nathan Jolly too beat some average defence to score the side’s last try, and with all three tries converted the scoreline ballooned out to 45-5.
The home side managed a controversial try on the final whistle to gain a bit of respectability, but in hindsight the final 45-12 scoreline was a reflection of the game. Arrowtown had too much firepower up front, while its backs relished quick ball and proved to be too clever for its opposition.
All-in-all, a definite improvement on the first round encounter between the sides when Arrowtown struggled to a 19-5 win. Bring on Maniototo next week!
Arrowtown 45 (Jone Nayaloga 2, Nick Dunn, Aidan Winter, Reece Winter, Simon Spark, Nathan Jolly tries; Reece Winter 5 conversions)
Clyde-Earnscleugh 12 (Jai Baxter, Dylan Teneti tries; Ian Chisholm conversion)
Halftime: 17-7
Arrowtown Bulls vs. Wakatipu Queenstown 12th June 2010
The round ten clash between the local rivals was due to be a classic, tight affair, especially after both sides had disappointing losses the week before and the previous clash between the two resulted in an 8-all draw.
A large crowd was on hand to witness the ‘Battle of the Basin’, and with ground conditions wet and muddy underfoot there weren’t expected to be a lot of tries scored.
The intensity from the outset was that worthy of a real test match, as both sides took to each other in ferocious fashion and refused to take a backward step.
The first scoring play came about 15 minutes into the game, when a set play saw Arrowtown fullback Daniel Eyles hit the line at pace before chipping over the Wakatipu fullback’s head and winning the race to the ball to dot down wide out. The conversion attempt was unsuccessful but the visitors had silenced the crowd with a thrilling try, which was to draw praise from spectators during after the game.
A lot of the play in the remainder of the first half was played around the halfway line, but the three chances Wakatipu had to score points all failed to eventuate when its goal kicker missed two relatively easy penalty goals and Arrowtown’s Jone Nayaloga made a try-saving tackle on Steven Dent in the corner to stem an impressive attack. All three misses would prove to be costly as the game progressed.
Wakatipu made all the early running in the second spell, but some resolute defence along with silly errors prevented any points from being scored.
That was until number eight Ben Blakely charged through an attempted tackle to dot down next to the posts, and when the conversion attempt went over the crowd began to find its voice with the home side ahead 7-5, and with the best part of 20 minutes remaining.
This, however, sparked Arrowtown back into life and it enjoyed possession for the next wee while, ultimately resulting in captain and flanker Aidan Winter diving over in the corner after a concerted build up. The conversion attempt was unsuccessful, but suddenly Arrowtown had found its feet again, and its supporters were rallying behind its troops as the final 15 minutes approached.
The remainder of the game saw some ruthless, uncompromising defence from Arrowtown which helped keep it in the game as Wakatipu threw everything it had into the visitors. Phase after phase was snuffed out, and when a turnover saw Arrowtown relieve pressure, the game was as good as gone for the home side.
The final whistle blew with Arrowtown on attack, and a famous 10-7 win had been recorded by the Bulls. Its win had been built in its extremely impressive defensive effort, of which was commended by a large number of supporters after the game. Despite having barely 25% possession throughout the game, Arrowtown took its chances when they were on offer, and defended like its lives depended on it when it didn’t have the ball.
All 22 players used contributed to the win, and after last weekend’s loss it was a massive boost to the side heading forward.
Arrowtown 10 (Daniel Eyles, Aidan Winter tries)
Wakatipu 7 (Ben Blakely try; Todd Schmidt conversion)
Halftime: 5-nil
Arrowtown Bulls vs. Upper Clutha Jack Reid Park, Arrowtown 5th June 2010
Week nine saw Arrowtown at home to Upper Clutha, who travelled over the Crown Range to try and snatch the White Horse Cup off the home side, as well as secure some much needed competition points.
A healthy contingent of supporters from both sides saw the match kick off in cold, yet fine, conditions, and it was apparent early on that the visiting side meant business.
Some punishing defence and conservative play helped Upper Clutha get itself into the game, and it proved to put Arrowtown off its game and searching for early answers.
However, a clever turnover at a ruck saw the home side pounce, and after the ball had gone swiftly along the backline left winger Daniel Eyles showed good pace to finish off a thrilling move which spanned the best part of 60m. The conversion attempt was astray, but Arrowtown had opened up a 5-0 lead, which was without doubt against the run of play.
This didn’t seem to faze Upper Clutha though, and they continued to get back to the basics which saw it dominate the early stages of the game.
Its kick-and-chase game was working wonders, as it was more often than not finding open pasture and Arrowtown was struggling to clear the ball with any real purpose. It was in this manner that Upper Clutha levelled the scores when fullback Shaun Macaskill pounced on a loose pass after a kick had been fumbled. The conversion attempt was unsuccessful, and the halftime whistle blew not long after with the scores locked at 5-all.
Arrowtown knew that the longer it kept Upper Clutha in the game the tougher it would be to put away, so it was crucial that the home side scored first to relieve the pressure.
Unfortunately, that isn’t how things panned out, and with the game becoming a tense affair for a majority of the second spell, neither side could break the other. Silly errors, combined with a strong defence wall from Upper Clutha meant that Arrowtown couldn’t get anything going and as a result wasn’t looking anywhere like the champion side of the past two years.
With about ten minutes remaining in the game, Upper Clutha received a penalty about 25m out from the Arrowtown line, and directly in front. The option to take the shot at goal proved to be a no-brainer and up stepped try-scorer Macaskill to send the ball through the uprights to give his side an 8-5 lead.
As the game began drawing to a close, the Upper Clutha fans could sense something special was about to happen, and its players continued to play accordingly when it defused any Arrowtown attack that was thrown at it. The last few moments must have seemed like an eternity for the visiting side, but it was all worth it when referee Roger Hill blew fulltime, and the Upper Clutha players, along with coaching staff and supporters, embraced each other to celebrate a famous victory.
Upper Clutha fully deserved its win as it simply wanted it more than Arrowtown. Its defence, particularly in midfield, was punishing and its game plan was simple yet very effective. Arrowtown never had any answers, and despite scoring first it never really looked like adding more points during the game.
The loss ended Arrowtown’s White Horse Cup-defence run at 12, a magnificent achievement all the same, but it was more than gracious in handing over the coveted cup to a much more committed Upper Clutha side.
Upper Clutha 8 (Shaun Macaskill try, penalty goal)
Arrowtown 5 (Daniel Eyles try)
Halftime: 5-all
Arrowtown Bulls vs. Matakanui-Combined Omakau 29th May 2010
Arrowtown travelled to Omakau to take on second-from-bottom Matakanui-Combined in the first game of the second round, and a tough battle was expected.
Conditions were extremely chilly for the match, and the field was in reasonable nick considering the rain (and snow) that had peppered the area for the few days prior.
Both sides took a while to get going, despite the referee allowing the game to flow. Arrowtown was looking to play the corners before getting its impressive forward pack in the game, while Matakanui-Combined seemed to be intent on aimless kicking, and relying on pressuring defence to put the Bulls on the back-foot.
A lot of penalties went unnoticed by the referee, meaning the rucks in particular became a lottery and neither side could gain dominance in that area.
Once things loosened up a bit it was Arrowtown who benefited first when the backs combined to put one of its two Fijian recruits, winger Jone Nayaloga, over in the game’s first scoring play. The conversion attempt was unsuccessful, but the visitors had drawn first blood and was starting to warm to its task.
This spurred the side into action, and not long before halftime its score was doubled when good go-forward ball saw the outside backs put Nayaloga over for his second. Just to rub it in further, he managed to beat five defenders in the in-goal alone before scoring under the posts. But after a stern word from a few of his team-mates, it’s fair to say he won’t be trying that again! The conversion attempt from Reece Winter was successful, and when the halftime whistle blew not long after Arrowtown had established a hard-fought, but well deserved 12-nil lead.
The second half began much like the first, with the home side fixed on kicking most of its ball away, and Arrowtown trying to keep its forwards in the game as much as possible.
Conditions began to worsen as the game progressed, and this made ball handling rather difficult. The Arrowtown side wasn’t functioning as well as they had in the first half, mainly due to a lack of patience and poor decision-making, but also due to the opposition’s defence being very strong and making things difficult at the breakdown.
Eventually, after a fairly long build-up, Arrowtown scored its third try when flanker Daniel Dodds picked the ball up from a ruck and dived over unopposed. The conversion attempt from wide out was successful from Winter, and a 19-nil lead had been established.
As much as Arrowtown pushed for a fourth-try bonus point, it wasn’t to be as poor execution at crucial times cost it more points and the game ended with no further troubling of the scorers.
Arrowtown was happy to get away with the four points, and was more than happy to hold the home side to nil. Matakanui-Combined has always been a tough nut to crack, especially on its home patch, so any win against it is a good win.
Until next time...
Arrowtown 19 (Jone Nayaloga 2, Daniel Dodds tries; Reece Winter 2 conversions) Matakanui-Combined 0
Halftime: 12-nil
Arrowtown Bulls vs. Cromwell Jack Reid Park, Arrowtown 22nd May 2010
After playing its last two games away from home, Arrowtown was happy to be back at Jack Reid Park for its round seven clash with Cromwell, which also doubled as White Horse Cup challenge number twelve for the home side.
The game kicked off in bright sunshine, with a reasonable crowd on hand to witness what was sure to be a tightly contested affair.
Well, that’s not exactly how the match started, with the home side, playing down hill in the first half, come out with a hiss and a roar and within ten minutes found itself up 6-nil thanks to two Reece Winter penalty goals.
The home forward pack was dominating proceedings, and Cromwell was finding it hard to halt the rampage, and after a concerted build-up captain Aidan Winter found open pasture and charged over for the game’s opening try. The conversion was unsuccessful, but after no more than 20 minutes Arrowtown had opened up an 11-nil lead.
Cromwell was pressured into making basic errors, as its forward pack struggled at it set pieces and its backline was finding it difficult to cross the advantage due to the home side’s rushing defensive pattern.
A turnover at lineout time so the ball fed to Arrowtown prop Hori Elers, who charged over handy to the posts to extend the lead out further, and with the conversion attempt successful, all of a sudden the scoreboard read 18-nil in favour of the home side.
But it wasn’t finished there. A successful penalty goal shortly before halftime pushed the score out to 21-nil, and when the whistle blew for a change of ends, Cromwell must have been wondering what had hit it and how on earth it could resurrect things in the second spell.
The early exchanges of the second half was played in Arrowtown territory as Cromwell attempted to plug the corners and get some kind of roll-on going. However, its lineout was having all sorts of problems and its scrum wasn’t overly effective, meaning the chance of getting points were minimal. Reece Winter kicked his fourth penalty goal against the run of play to push the score out to 24-nil, and it was evident that Cromwell had to be the next team to score if it was to have any chance.
And it did exactly that when a break out wide was followed by a chip and chase, eventually leading to a dubious try to Cromwell’s impressive flanker Quintin Hayes. The conversion attempt was unsuccessful, but it had done what it hoped to do and that was hit back immediately.
The visitors began to grow in confidence during the following stages of the game, but some committed defence as well as costly errors at crucial times proved to be its downfall.
Once Arrowtown got back into the red zone it stringed together the phases, and after a blindside play number eight Ben Chisholm crashed over wide out. It proved to be the last scoring play of the game, and despite Arrowtown chasing a fourth try and bonus-point, it was held out with some staunch late-game defence from Cromwell.
With the final score of 29-5, the victorious Arrowtown side celebrated its 12th successive White Horse Cup challenge. It is proving to become a real force at Jack Reid Park, and with its strong contingent of loyal supporters it will be hoping its form continues throughout the rest of 2010.
Arrowtown 29 (Aidan Winter, Hori Elers, Ben Chisholm tries; Reece Winter conversion, 4 penalty goals)
Cromwell 5 (Quintin Hayes try)
Halftime: 21-nil
Round 6 Arrowtown Bulls vs. Alexandra Molyneux Park, Alexandra 15th May 2010
Arrowtown made the trek to Alexandra and was hoping to maintain its unbeaten record against a side that were yet to win a game after five weeks of the competition.
A few injuries and unavailabilities allowed the Bulls to give other members of the squad a run, as well as making some positional changes, which in the long run would prove to be beneficial to the side.
The game kicked off in perfect conditions, and Arrowtown was quick to stamp its authority on the match, and in a blistering opening 12-minute period had picked up three tries to prop Hori Elers, centre Reece Winter, and winger Daniel Eyles. All three were converted by Winter and a 21-nil lead had been established in dominating fashion.
The home side was shell-shocked, as were its fans, and it looked as though a cricket score would be on the cards unless it could get its game sorted, and in a hurry.
Arrowtown, however, had other ideas and it was intent on putting its foot on the throat, and although the game meandered somewhat for the remainder of the first half, the visiting side still managed to grab another three tries, with Winter grabbing his second, and number eight Ben Chisholm and second five-eighth Drew Carmody also crashing over. With two of the tries converted, the half time whistle eventually blew with Arrowtown holding a commanding 40-nil lead.
The second half began in almost the same way as the first, with Arrowtown taking control and Alexandra struggling to get anything going.
Carmody touched down for his second try soon after the restart, before livewire flanker Daniel Dodds followed suit, and suddenly a 52-nil lead had been forged out.
The game began to lose structure, as players become fatigued and silly errors started creeping in.
Coach Blair Wilce seen it as a perfect opportunity to give other members of the squad a run and to quicken the game up, and as a result made a number of substitutions, and the side lost none of its momentum.
Alexandra then enjoyed its best period of the match, and found itself camped in Arrowtown territory for the best part of ten minutes, and it was rewarded with a try to second five-eighth David Nicholson after he run a good line to score beside the posts. The conversion was successful, and at last the home supporters had something to cheer about.
However, this only seemed to spark the Arrowtown side back into life, and before the game was out it managed three more tries, with Winter and Carmody both claiming their third, and halfback Todd Adolph also dotting down.
With the final score at 69-7, Arrowtown can take satisfaction in that it maintained its standards for a majority of the match and was able to construct some very well-worked team tries.
The opposition may not have been of much quality, but the points were still scored and it was the good ‘run around’ the team needed after some closely fought games in the weeks leading up.
Arrowtown 69 (Reece Winter 3, Drew Carmody 3, Hori Elers, Daniel Eyles, Ben Chisholm, Daniel Dodds, Todd Adolph tries; Winter 7 conversions)
Alexandra 7 (David Nicholson try; Pete Johnston conversion)
Halftime: 40-nil
Round 5 - Arrowtown Bulls vs. Maniototo 8th May 2010, Gimmerburn
The only two unbeaten sides in the competition did battle at Gimmerburn in what were perfect conditions for rugby, and a tight match was expected, especially up front.
The visiting Arrowtown side - despite conceding an early three points through a Charlie Hore penalty - started with a hiss and a roar and found itself camped in Maniototo territory for the opening half hour, and unbelievably had scored three tries in this time to race out to a 15-3 lead.
The visitors were playing percentage rugby, firstly getting field position, then backing it up by keeping its forwards involved and running the opposition from side to side in attempts to tire them out.
Blindside flanker Daniel Dodds began proceedings when he capitalised on a Reece Winter turnover and showed great pace to scamper 50m to touch down in the left-hand corner.
Left winger Daniel Eyles was the next to benefit when a number of phases resulted in an overlap on the blindside, and he dotted down wide out. Both forwards and backs were working in tandem, and frequently breaking the advantage line to give the side great go-forward.
A similar build-up to the previous try resulted in powerful number eight Ben Chisholm scoring the third try, after he swatted off a couple of tackles on his way to the line. At this stage Arrowtown had its tails well and truly up, as the home side had no answer to the efficient play and itself was forced into uncharacteristic mistakes.
However, rugby is a funny game, and when most people would have thought Arrowtown would continue the way it was going and ultimately put the ‘foot on the throat’. But this Maniototo side aren’t a class act for no reason, and they slowly worked themselves into the game, mainly through star first five-eighth Charlie Hore.
It was Hore who scored the next points, when he beat some weak defence to score under the posts just before halftime. His conversion put his side behind by just 10-15 when the whistle went for change of ends.
The second forty began the complete opposite to the first, with Maniototo this time finding itself parked in Arrowtown territory, but due to some basic errors and scrambling defence the score remained the same for the best part of 20 minutes.
Arrowtown was finding the going tough, and struggled to get out of its own half. It was a completely different side to that which played so well in the first 30 minutes, as it was kicking aimlessly and getting isolated at the breakdown. It played right into Maniototo’s hands, and eventually the pressure told as fullback Thomas Huddleston beat some average defence to score wide out to lock up the scores. The conversion attempt was unsuccessful, and despite its best efforts to win the game, Maniototo couldn’t breach the Arrowtown line.
The game eventually ended in a 15-all stalemate - Arrowtown’s second draw of the season – and one the side was quick to admit ‘got away’. It dominated enough of the game to be able to win it, but in saying that its scrappy defence in the second half prevented it from losing the game also.
It was an entertaining game, with both sides willing to attack when given the opportunity, but neither side will be too happy with its first-up tackling which was average at times.
The result meant both teams remained unbeaten, however, Maniototo hold a three point lead to top the standings after five rounds.
Arrowtown 15 (Daniel Dodds, Daniel Eyles, Ben Chisholm tries)
Maniototo 15 (Charlie Hore, Thomas Huddleston tries; Hore conversion, penalty goal)
Halftime: 15-10
Round 4 - Arrowtown Bulls vs. Clyde Earnscleugh 1st May 2010, Jack Reid Park, Arrowtown
The battle of two unbeaten sides saw the White Horse Cup on the line for the third time this year with the Arrowtown Bulls hosting this year’s surprise package, Clyde-Earnscleugh.
With three of its starting loose forwards out for various reasons, it was a test of Arrowtown’s depth, with the visiting side expected to use its powerful forward pack to its advantage.
The game began in true White Horse Cup fashion with both sides looking for field position and then attempting to get its set pieces into play. It was evident in the early exchanges that the referee wouldn’t tolerate any over-zealous play, and a number of penalties were awarded as he made his impression on the match.
Arrowtown had a number of early try-scoring chances but a lack of support and patience at crucial times let it down. However, with the number of penalties increasing during the first half, Arrowtown started accumulating points in sets of three, and it went to the break with a 9-0 lead after what was an otherwise dour first half.
The second half started the same way the first ended, with Arrowtown on attack, and another successful penalty goal pushed the score out to 12-0.
With the game ebbing and flowing for the next 20 minutes, it became a battle of the toughest as neither side gave an inch and play became a lot more structured.
Clyde-Earnscleugh were rewarded with some impressive forward play, and after hammering at the Arrowtown line for what seemed like an eternity its captain and number eight Corey Crosbie charged over the line to put the challenger’s back in it. The unsuccessful conversion attempt left Arrowtown ahead 12-5, with about 15 minutes remaining.
This seemed to spark the home side into life, and it found itself camped in Clyde-Earnscleugh territory for the next wee while, before first five-eighth Reece Winter jinked through a couple of tackles to score out wide. The conversion was successful, and with no further scoring in the game the spoils went to Arrowtown, who recorded a 19-5 victory.
The game was extremely hard-fought and was a true White Horse Cup challenge. Credit must go to Clyde-Earnscleugh who battled gallantly throughout the contest, but would admit that its ill-discipline cost it any real chance of victory.
The result saw Arrowtown defend the White Horse Cup for the 11th time, a creditable achievement to date.
Arrowtown 19 (Reece Winter try, conversion, 4 penalty goals)
Clyde-Earnscleugh 5 (Corey Crosbie try)
Halftime: 9-0
Round Three - Wakatipu at Home - Draw 8-8 (White Horse Cup Defense)
Round Two - Upper Clutha Away - Won 34-0
John Morrison secures the ball with a well timed jump
John Cooney attacks the line against Upper Clutha
Round One - Matakanui Combined at Home - Won 24-7 (White Horse Cup Defense)