Defending champions Wanganui and North Otago kick-started their title defences in contrasting fashion when the Heartland rugby championship began yesterday.
Meads Cup champions Wanganui grafted out a 13-6 pool A win at home over South Canterbury, while Lochore Cup winners North Otago ran riot in pool B, downing a hapless East Coast 116-3 at Ruatoria.
Wanganui led 10-3 at the break, after Sam Scown scored the game's only try from a TK Moeke break. South Canterbury relied on a solid forward effort and the boot of Christchurch Jason Merrett at first five-eighth, but Wanganui never really looked threatened playing into the wind in the second spell.
In contrast, North Otago racked up the highest points scored in the history of the championship after leading 53-3 at halftime against East Coast.
It was also a record high for the South Island team in a first-class match, as skipper and second five Luke Herdman bagged five tries and
first five Ben Patston scored 21 points, from nine conversions and a penalty.
In other pool B matches, beaten Meads Cup finalists Mid Canterbury came undone 25-20 to
Poverty Bay in Ashburton while Wairarapa-Bush picked up valuable away points with their 23-16 win over Buller at Westport.
At Te Kuiti, King Country had to battle back from a 0-12 halftime deficit in their pool A match against Horowhenua-Kapiti to secure a 17-12 win.
King Country fought back in the second spell, with two good tries to centre James Hemara. The reliable boot of first five-eighth Tana Vili also came to the fore with two conversions and a valuable penalty.
In the remaining pool A match at Paeroa, Thames Valley fullback and captain David Harrison led the way with a 21-point haul comprising a try, two conversions and four penalties as the home team eased away to a 36-18 win.
Collated scores of first round Heartland Championship rugby matches yesterday:
Pool A
Wanganui 13 (Sam Scown try, Mark Davis 2 pen, con)
South Canterubry 6 (Jason Merrett 2 pen).
Halftime: 10-3.
King Country 17 (James Hemara 2 tries; Tana Vili 2 con,
pen)
Horowhenua-Kapiti 12 (Gary Phelps, Josh Hamilton tries;
Hamilton con).
Halftime: 0-12.
Thames Valley 36 (Sam Ward, David Harrison, Alan McLean,
Barton Thompson tries; Harrison 2 con, 4 pen)
West Coast 18 (Tom Gilmore, Maleli Mudu tries; Willie Brown
con, Luke Hughes 2 pen).
Halftime: 14-7.
Pool B
Wairarapa-Bush 23 (Sam Mitchell try; Jeremy Te Huia 6
pen)
Buller 16 (Joseph Bradley try, Andrew Stephens 3 pen,
con).
Halftime: 14-13.
Poverty Bay 25 (tries: Kahu Tameta, John Stewart 2.
Tameta 2 con, 2 pen)
Mid Canterbury 20 (tries: James McLeod, Vesi Luatua. Davey
Maw 2 con, 2 pen).
Halftime: 12-10.
North Otago 116 (Luke Herdman 5, Sione Pangata 3,
Kasanova Soane 2, Hamish McKenzie 2, Dave Simpson, Palanapa Mafi,
Josh Collier, Kilifi Fangupo, Ekeroma Sefo tries; Ben Patston 9
cons, pen; Billy Guyton 5 con)
East Coast 3 (Nathan Langsford pen).
Halftime: 53-3.
