Waldrom try keeps Wellington on top
Thu, 07 Aug 2008 12:04
Thanks to a late and decisive try by Thomas Waldrom, Wellington overcame a determined North Harbour side to win their Air New Zealand (NZ) Cup clash 30-27 in Albany on Thursday.
Wellington trailed 10-24 at the interval after some sloppy handling to say the least, before captain Piri Weepu's influence helped inspire the turn-around - the late victory securing the visitor's position at the top of the Air NZ Cup standings.
Showing more respect for the ball after the restart, the Lions slowly but surely took control.
Wellington finally grabbed the lead in the 79th minute when No.8 Thomas Waldrom scored the bonus point try, after a patient buildup.
Weepu - who has been called out to South Africa for All Black duty - lead the way with a personal haul of 15 points.
The hosts' half-time advantage was extended after the hooter when wing Viliame Waqaseduadua pulled off a 75 metre intercept try, just when Wellington looked assured of scoring themselves.
This proved a huge setback for Wellington, who had already conceded two tries to 19-year-old wing Nafi Tuitavake in the 10th and 33rd minutes - the first after a helpful bounce sat up for him and the second after a superb offload from his brother Anthony.
Wellington's cause was not helped by injuries to key players, with flyhalf Daniel Kirkpatrick being forced off the field in the opening minutes due to a shoulder injury.
Fullback Cory Jane did not emerge after the half-time break as he nursed sore ribs, denying the visitors of a major attacking weapon.
Kirkpatrick's early demise saw Weepu shift out one spot, with Alby Mathewson performing the scrumhalf duties.
Weepu was the man of the hour, popping a sharp inside pass to hooker Dane Coles just five minutes into the second half before hooker Coles showed remarkable speed on a 24 metre surge to the try-line.
Wellington began to assert themselves despite Gopperth yielding a flawless kicking display - his second penalty leaving North Harbour leading 27-17 midway through the half.
Weepu then pulled his team to within two points when he shrugged off an attempted tackle by Gopperth after a five metre scrum to score a try, then landing a penalty to make the difference 25-27 with 11 minutes left of play.
Last season's runners up were ultimately rewarded with only one minute left when Waldrom made the decisive score.
The scorers:
For North Harbour:
Tries: Tuitavake 2, Waqaseduadua
Cons: Gopperth 3
Pens: Gopperth 2
For Wellington:
Tries: Naikatini, Coles, Weepu, Waldrom
Cons: Weepu 2
Pens: Weepu 2
Teams:
North Harbour: 15 George Pisi, 14 Vili Waqaseduadua, 13 Anthony
Tuitavake, 12 Mike Harris, 11 Nafi Tuitavake, 10 Jimmy Gopperth (captain), 9 Chris Smylie, 8 Vili Maafu, 7 Robbie Colhoun, 6 Tom Chamberlain, 5 Martin Purdy, 4 Chris Smith, 3 Sam Biddles, 2 James Hinchco, 1 James Afoa.
Replacements: 16 James Parsons, 17 Michael Reid, 18 Richard Mayhew, 19 Malakai Ravulo, 20 Matt France, 21 Josh York, 22 Hayden Abercrombie.
Wellington Lions: 15 Cory Jane, 14 Tu Umaga-Marshall, 13 Tamati Ellison, 12 Michael Hobbs, 11 Hosea Gear, 10 Daniel Kirkpatrick, 9 Piri Weepu (captain), 8 Thomas Waldrom, 7 Serge Lilo, 6 Chris Masoe, 5 Api Naikatini, 4 Jeremy Thrush (vice-captain), 3 John Schwalger, 2 Dane Coles, 1 Jacob Ellison.
Replacements: 16 Ged Robinson, 17 Tim Fairbrother, 18 Chris Middleton, 19 Victor Vito, 20 Alby Mathewson, 21 Tane Tu'ipulotu, 22 Buxton Popoali'i.
Referee: Bryce Lawrence
TMO: Ben Skeen
