Team:
Sanalio Taunauta, Thomas Dickson, Shelby Loomans, Aaron Preest, Patrick O’Sullivan, James Parton, Travis Williamson, Sam Bowley, Zach Cathcart, Shanan Tomuri, Jerome Nonoa, Caleb Loomans, Herewini Barlow, Chey Riki Hamana, Regan Osborne.
Reserves:
Bailey Oliedam, Taylor Hayes, Kalani Beattie, Trent Collingwood, Nicholas McCurran, Kip Fawcett, Logan Allen
The 2013 NZ Harlequins U17 season got underway this year against the NZ Area Schools at Waikato Stadium. This game is normally the last game played for the Harlequins so it was always going to be a close game due to the lack of time together for both teams. Both teams tested each other early on but play was a little scrappy until all players settled into the game. Once the nerves settled, the Area Schools put plenty of pressure on the Harlequins line having three or four attempts to break through, but the Harlequin team held strong and begun to fight back with a few good kicks up field. There was some very good work from the tight five before the backs got into the act with some strong running in midfield and out wide. The Harlequins ended up five meters out from the Area Schools line after a good run down the right hand side of the field.
They kept the pressure on but couldn’t get over the line. The Area Schools worked their way back towards half way before giving away a penalty around the ten metre mark. Fullback Regan Osborne stepped up and took his first kick of the season but missed. Both teams battled hard for the next 5 minutes before the Area Schools got a penalty on the Harlequins 10 metre mark 18 minutes into the first half. They also missed. The ball was turned over too many times by the Harlequins and the Area Schools looked to make them pay. In the 22nd minute the Area Schools were found offside and the Harlequins were awarded a penalty. Up stepped Regan Osborne again and this time made no mistake slotting the kick. The Harlequins then began to string together a few attacking sequences but this was not to last long as the Area Schools managed to turn the ball over and made their way back up field. From some sloppy Harlequins play the Area Schools were awarded a penalty but they couldn’t convert.
The Area Schools seemed to have the better of the Harlequins, as they looked after the ball well using both sides of the field and when needed, kept it tight around the ruck, using some of the big boys up front to do the grunt work. When they sent it wide they ran straight and hard using good lines to find plenty of holes in the Harlequins defense. This had the Harlequin boys on the back foot and when the Area Schools went wide again from broken play they managed to cross the Harlequins line in the 34th minute for a very good try. They failed to convert and were up 5-3 heading into half time.
Coaches Deane Gage and Eru Brodie made one change at half time replacing Thomas Dickson with Hooker Bailey Oliedam. The second half did not start well for the Harlequin boys and they were made to pay 2 minutes into the second half when the Areas Schools linked well and scored another try off a Harlequins mistake. The try was successfully converted and the score started to build 12-3. From the kick off both teams managed to settle into some sort of flow making the odd break here and there. Both teams were good on defence and at last the crowd got to see some free flowing rugby. As the pressure began to build on both sides to perform, mistakes started to enter into the Harlequins game again.
It wasn’t until the 42nd minute that the Harlequins were award another penalty. Up stepped Logan Allen from fullback after replacing an injured Regan Osborne. He kicked to make it 6-12. The coaches then went to the bench giving all replacement players a chance to show their skills and most did not disappoint. In the last 10 minutes of the game both teams took each other on and battled for the ball finishing off the game in style. All though the Harlequins did not come away with the win it was a good opportunity for the coaches to see how the boys played as a team and will help to set some goals for next week’s match.
