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ACT loses its
clean record
at the death
From ALWYN NIX
in Wellington
The ACT Rugby Union team
lost its unbeaten NZ tour re
cord in the last minute of the
tour when they lost to
Hawkes Bay 37-31 at Athletic
Park Wellington yesterday.
Fly-half Adam Friend had the
ACT ahead 31-30 when he landed
his fifth straight kick, a penalty
goal, but Hawkes Bay made the
most of a last-minute tap penalty
and scored a converted try.
Both teams scored four tries
but the ACT came back from 20-7
behind at half-time after running
into the strong wind.
"When 'Friendy' got that penal
ty, I thought we would lift
enough but events went against
us in those last minutes," coach
Geoff Stokes said.
. ACT No 8 Michael Harrison
scored in Jhe first half while
wingers David Grimmond and
Andrew Williams, and replace
ment centre Nick Scrivener
crossed for tries in the second
forty. Friend kicked perfectly,
converting all four tries and his
one attempt at penalty goal.
Hawkes Bay's tries came from
flanker Jeff Karika who scored
twice, once in each half, prop
Alec Tuhi and the 79th-minute
match clincher from winger Tony
Maidens. Bay full-back Mike Ken
worthy converted all four of his
team's tries and kicked three pen
alty goals from four attempts.
ACT selectors went for a young
combination for the final match
of the tour and they struggled in
to the wind in the first half.
"Nick Scrivener played well
when he went on and Marco iCa
puto] had a good game but it was
a big ask for the young guys. The
dressing room is like a morgue, it
really hurt them to lose and
that's not a bad thing," Stokes
said.
ACT centre Liam O'Connor had
a top-class game and, next to
Hawkes Bay winger Roger
Handle, was one of the best backs
on the field. "Liam deserves a pat
on the back - he's done a great
job on the tour," Stokes said.
Two Hawkes Bay penalty goals
by Kenworthy in the first five
minutes set the ACT on its heels
but when Harrison crashed in
powerfully for a try off a 5m
scrum at the ninth minute the
ACT led 7-6.
Karika was Hawkes Bay's man
of the match and he crossed from
close range for his first try at 14
minutes and then Tuhi took a
short pass on the try line just
four minutes later to take
Hawkes Bay out to 20-7.
The next 20 minutes before
half-time was a non-event as the
Argentine referee, Santiago Bor
sani, got in on the act and discov
ered numerous infringements
from both teams. Kenworthy got
his third penalty goal three min
utes into the second half before
the ACT took some control.
Grimmond swept in for a try
on the left when half-back Paul
Brown took a quick tap penalty
and five minutes later Scrivener
scored after he caught an over
head basketball pass from O'Con
nor as O'Connor careered into
the Hawkes Bay 22m area.
Hawkes Bay still led 23-21 but
the ACT was closing in before
Karika slowed the ACT charge
momentarily with his second try
at the 64-minute mark (30-21).
Friend looped back to the short
side from an ACT scrum on the
Hawkes Bay 22m line and gave
Williams a stroll to the try line
(30-28).
Friend then potted a long-range
penalty goal downwind eight min
utes from the end that put the
ACT ahead 31-30 but Maiden's
last minute slicing run from the
wing to the goal posts snatched
the win for Hawkes Bay.
"I was very disappointed - ob
viously the good win against Wel
lington took the sting out of us
and we clearly had trouble lifting
for a hard game today; Hawkes
Bay were good they controlled
the ball and they didn't make the
mistakes Wellington did," Stokes
said.
Line-outs favoured Hawkes Bay
11-8, penalties went to the ACT
19-15 as did the scrums 12-7 but
Hawkes Bay took the only scrum
against the head.
In the late match at Athletic
Park, Wellington destroyed Rosa
rio 118-17 and in the process took
the Roadfreighters Trophy for
scoring the most tries in the
quadrangular tournament.
? ACT CAPTAIN Matthew O'Con
nor is "recovering quickly", ac
cording to ACT medical staff.
His condition will be reviewed
this week to determine whether
he will play against Randwick on
Saturday.
ACT prop Geoff "Ogre" Adam celebrates scoring a try. Photo by Dean McNicoll More than 350 girls took part in the Commonwealth Bank Active Girls Triathlon on Friday. The event was part of an Australia-wide program to get young women to have a go at different sports. Winners were: U14: Amanda O'Connor, U16: Kate Thew U18- Sharyn O'Connor Open: Emma Sweetapple. Teams: U14: Amanda Russell, Allison Rearson, Ingrid Borlina; U16: Melanie Lloyd, Rebecca Ellis, Emma Walter; U18: Stephanie Goodrake, Elsie Gratton, Celia Walker. ' Photo by Colleen Petch Help
ACT prop Geoff "Ogre" Adam celebrates scoring a try. Photo by Dean McNicoll
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