Blowout was out of character: King Country never let the Weka settle

Saturday was a tough one for the locals. 

This 2024 season has been the hardest Heartland Championship campaign ever for Civil Project Solutions Poverty Bay Weka. 

On October 12, 2013, the Bay went into their eighth and last game in 12th place, winless, with two competition points. They beat King Country 19-18 in Te Kūiti but finished the season 12th on six competition points. 

In 2015, the Weka beat Ngāti Porou East Coast 60-15 in the season-opener in Ruatōria, but ended up in 11th position. 

The relevance of this history is that while they have yet to win a match, all but one of their losses up to Saturday’s 49-15 defeat by King Country at the Oval had been by 15 points or fewer. 

Those close games — from which the Bay have earned either a bonus point for losing by seven or less or scoring four more more tries — should give them extra motivation to fight hard in their last two games. That and, of course, the unwanted record of losing every Heartland game. 

That’s all head coach Miah Nikora wants: for his team to keep fighting. 

“We’re not happy with where we’re positioned, though it’s not through lack of effort, so we’ll keep working hard to finish the season   strongly,” he said. 

“We defended for long periods in the first half [on Saturday]. King Country threw a lot at us. The boys showed heart to keep them out, but handling errors and turnovers cost us. 

“We conceded two tries just before the break. In the halftime chat, we identified areas needing improvement, yet didn’t act on those in the second half.” 

Rams head coach Aarin Dunster, whose crew are in fifth place on 18 points, said his team “showed heart” in defending their goal-line and were “enjoyable to watch” when they got into space. 

“They showed then that they can play with flair, once the hard work is done. Poverty Bay played well and made it a tough contest.” 

King Country kicked off on a warm day in front of a crowd of 500 and with a strong sea breeze at their backs. 

The visitors took advantage of a Bay turnover in King Country territory to open the scoring five minutes into the 37th game between the unions — King Country having won 32 of those; the Weka four. 

Over three phases, they mounted a sweeping attack and went from 22 to 22, with left wing Latrell Smiler-Ah-Kiong finally tossing a no-look pass the way of giant second five Josevata Malimole, who waded through would-be tacklers to score. 

First five Patrick Hedley converted the first of his side’s six tries for a 7-0 lead. 

Smiler-Ah-Kiong finished off for the Rams’ second try in the 36th minute and Hedley did his duty again for a 14-0 lead. 

Hedley scored the first of a double in the 41st minute and his third conversion put King Country up 21-0 at the break. 

The visitors controlled field position in the early going but despite the score, the Bay’s forwards, on the back of an accurate kicking game, had parity in territory and possession. 

Lock Leka Palusa’s contribution at set piece and in general play was outstanding and it was he who set the tone after the resumption, catching the ball from the restart and making a tremendous surge. 

Three minutes in, the Weka got on the board with a beauty of a try, preceded by excellent defence by left wing Matt Proffit and lock Duran Smith and eventually ending in the ball spilling free while King Country were on attack, right wing Bosca Tikicidre seizing it and sending fullback Paoraian Manuel-Harman on an 80m sprint to the line. 

Manuel-Harman converted to make it 21-7. 

Sensing the Bay might rally, King Country struck back in the 52nd minute when openside flanker Leveson Gower plucked the ball from the grasp of an opponent and hurtled down the sideline to score in the corner. 

Hedley made the tricky conversion for 28-7. 

Manuel-Harman kicked a penalty 57 minutes in for 28-10 but Hedley showed a good turn of pace and a right-foot step to complete his double in the 65th — his fifth conversion from as many attempts making it 35-10. 

Poverty Bay reserve hooker Ngahiwi Manuel scored from a lineout drive in the 73rd minute for 35-15 and King Country had the last two says with tries to reserve first five Hiwawa Kahu and reserve right wing Zacharia Wickham-Darlington, both converted. 

The Bay, 12th on the table on five points, host third-placed Thames Valley (24pts) at the Oval this weekend and finish the season away to Mid Canterbury. 

Final whistle 

Civil Project Solutions Poverty Bay 15 (Paoraian Manuel-Harman, Ngahiwi Manuel tries; Manuel-Harman pen, con) King Country 49 (Patrick Hedley 2, Josevata Malimole, Leveson Gower, Latrell Smiler-Ah-Kiong, Hiwawa Kahu, Zacharia Wickham-Darlington tries; Hedley 6 con, Wickham-Darlington con). HT: Poverty Bay Weka 0 King Country 21.