VIRGINIA WOOLF/STUFF
James Hawkey landed four of five kicks against Otago B.
The Tasman Griffins have claimed their second South Island Invitational rugby title in three years following a tense 24-22 win over Otago B in Christchurch on Saturday.
The win left them unbeaten for their three-match South Island campaign following previous wins over Canterbury Country and Canterbury Metro, although they ended Saturday's match hard on defence as Otago almost conspired to steal a late victory.
Tasman had led 24-10 during the second half before two tries to Otago quickly had them back in the hunt. But the Griffins' defence held firm over the dying moments to complete a successful series in cold and wet conditions.
Prop Ropati Polamalu and centre Fletcher Matthews scored the Griffins' first half tries, both converted by James Hawkey, to give them a 14-5 lead at the break. Other prop Ethan Reuben scored the Griffins's second half try, with Hawkey adding the conversion and a penalty.
Griffins' head coach Dan Perrin was delighted with the win, despite experiencing some heart-stopping moments at the death.
"They had the breeze in the second half ... but we scored two good tries early in the second half playing into it," Perrin said.
"Then the rain came and game sort of turned into a stop-start affair with a lot of errors and they applied a bit of pressure and scored two good tries as well.
"We were our own worst enemy at times, probably just [with] decision-making and errors. But when we were good, it was pretty good to watch."
Flanker Dan Hytongue was a key figure in Tasman's defensive effort, while No 8 Tone Ng Shiu had another standout performance on attack.
The Griffins' inside backs combination of Andrew Knewstubb and James Hawkey and centre Fletcher Matthews provided plenty of attacking punch once their forwards were able to provide them go-forward ball.
"[Fullback] Sam Chamberlain at the back just put us in the right areas, just a little bit of x-factor there. He provided a couple of nice little touches with the boot and some pretty electric running as well.
"I'm pretty happy actually, we did it the hard way, but it was always going to be like that coming down here."
With the South Island series now over, the Griffins now turn their attention back to the Seddon Shield when they make their second defence of the season against the Tasman Red Devils next Saturday.
Meanwhile, The Tasman Under-19s will also take an unbeaten record with them into next week's Jock Hobbs Memorial National age group tournament in Taupo after a tight 22-17 win over Southland in Christchurch on Saturday.
Tasman's win was their third of the South Island seeding series which also saw them collect wins over Otago and Canterbury to secure a place in the top tier Graham Mourie Cup premiership for the annual Taupo event.
Tasman eventually outscored Southland four tries to three to also finish with a maximum 15 points from their three outings. But despite ending the South Island series without a win, Southland made Tasman work hard for their win after the southerners had entered the contest with big losses to both Canterbury and Otago.
A heavy ground and cold wind also contributed to a difficult day for Tasman who led 10-0 at the break following first half tries to midfielders Jakob Dabinett and Timoci Tavatavanawai.
They'd add another two in the second half to loose forward Teu Sami and finally to reserve second five-eighth Vito Lammers who added plenty of impact off the bench.
Tasman head coach Mike Fraser was satisfied with the win, despite his players having to struggle for much of the contest.
"They put us under pressure and we just didn't adapt very well to it," Fraser said.
"We struggled to get any go-forward. We made a few mistakes and I think the soft ground played into [Southland's] hands a little bit ... the game got quite slow.
"[But] we're happy with the win, we're happy with the outcomes of our last three games to get us into that top tier, so that's great."
Flanker Te Ahiwaru Cirikidaveta was a dominant presence for Tasman, prominent in the lead-up to Dabinett's opening try and featuring with a number of powerful ball carries throughout the match. Hooker Samiuela Moli was also strong with ball in hand, while Tavatavanawai was solid on both attack and defence.
AT A GLANCE
Tasman Griffins 24 (Ropati Polamalu, Fletcher Matthews, Ethan Reuben tries, James Hawkey 3 con, pen) Otago B 22. HT: 14-5.
Tasman Under-19s 22 (Jakob Dabinett, Timoci Tavatavanawai, Teu Sami, Vito Lammers tries, Willy Havili con) Southland Under-19s 17. HT: 10-0.