We are bunch of players that may well be past our prime, whether its because we cant train twice a week anymore or basically just got wider, we still endeavour to play a high standard of structured rugby and earn a great big bucket full of beer afterwards.
We train, slowly, on a Thursday evening at 1830hrs then into the club for a feed and a few beers.
Solid scrum and fast break by Nick Lyons, good ruck and spun wide fast for Kurtis Shuker to find the space to score.
Great box kick, Sam Walter with the D follow up, Lou Mercer with the turn over, Joel Fraser with the clear out, Nick Miller with the guidance and crafty shield, options everywhere from Jarrod Miller and front row, Christian Beaumont with the look both ways and picking the best option, Luke Reiche with the great hands and dummy, Nick Lyons with the support and kick and Luke again with immaculate hands.
Please note these have been completed post game, post game beers and post game injuries....... therefore the claims will be exaggerated, the spelling horrendous and grammar criminal.
So we wont dwell on this too much - but this year we made the Championship Final. After an unbeaten run of 7 games heading into the final third of the year we finished 3rd in the comp following a fantastic victory over last years Winners, Te Khauwhata.
We had our Semi Final away at Drury, a team that had beaten us 27 - 12 (I think) during the regular season. But as was our upward trend, we came away from their ground with a hard fought victory.
We faced Puni in the final, again, another side that had beaten us during the year. It was a spectacular occasion played at the Navigation Homes Stadium with a crowd over 2000 in attendance. Extra spice was added by the Puni side being made up with around 8 former Waiuku players.
WHAT A SPECTACLE - with Waiuku 15-12 up after the hooter had gone a dubious penalty for not releasing was given and the game ended 15-15 after the final whistle. Two halves of 10 minutes were played, with no way of separating the sides. Eight straight penalties however against Waiuku slowly ground us down and Puni went in for a great try under the posts in Golden Point.
What an epic end to the year that's left us all salivating for more!
28 - 17
W
The wait was finally over and on a stunning Auckland Autumn day the first Waiuku Championship side arrived with a full complement of former premier players, new recruits to the club and old hands making a return.
Little did they know that they would arrive as individuals but leave as a Pack. The unfortunate prey for the day were
28 - 17
W
The wait was finally over and on a stunning Auckland Autumn day the first Waiuku Championship side arrived with a full complement of former premier players, new recruits to the club and old hands making a return.
Little did they know that they would arrive as individuals but leave as a Pack. The unfortunate prey for the day were Manuwera. Buoyed on by a gallant and loyal; band of Waiuku supporters the side, know as the Werewolves, started fast and the organisation of Coach Tom Hadley could easily be seen in the first 10 minutes as The Werewolves moved through the gears to implement a blitz defence superbly lead by Lou Mercer backed up by set piece dominance. The early pressure started to grind down the home side as first, Waiuku missed a shot at three points before Captain Craig Peebles, playing at 8, found a gap on the inside of the Manuwera defence and registered the first ever try for the Waiuku Werwewolves Championship side.
With the nerves blown away Waiuku lost a little structure and got sucked into playing more like there visitors and after a quick turn over Manuwera hit back with a typically swiftly spun wide try, which was to set the tone for their offensive strategy throughout the game. The 20 minutes before half time degenerated into a ding dong battle of hard running, pressure relieving clearance kicks in an ever shifting wind and tiring defences. The latter finally leading to a gaping hole once again for Peebles to go under near the posts following a pick up from the scrum after a solid platform was set by the hard working Jarrod Miller.
Manuwera however didn’t let their heads go down and in typical style spun the ball wide and with a 3 man overlap, despite the valiant efforts of Christian Beaumont to in the cover defence went over for 5 more points of their own.
HALF TIME Waiuku 13 – 10
Manuwera At this stage of the game both sides were starting to feel the pace of a frantic encounter on a fast track. However it was Waiuku that used the break to their advantage and with Steven Busher punching holes from 12, Terry Dolan making yards at ruck time and Joel Fraser, the Player of the Match, ensuring quick ruck ball the go forward for Waiuku was always going to weigh down the ‘Wera side. Following another Peebles break to within a yard, Player/Coach Tom Hadley snuck over through a congested ruck next to the Manuwera posts to make it 19 points to 19-10. Once again however Manuwera showed great determination to force there way back into the game and using big midfield runners eventually battered down the door after missed tackles in midfield allowed their 12 to dot down under the Waiuku posts. Game on – 19 – 17.
Then it was time for the Waiuku back three to come into the game The superb trio of Ashurst, Grey and Lyons had dealt with the fast paced Manuwera attack all day and finally got their reward going forward as Grey dashed down the sideline to cross in the far corner as Waiuku’s superior fitness came to the fore. The conversion was missed, but the Werewolves had their tales up.
At 25 – 17 and the clock winding down, the Waiuku side knew that a historic victory was within their grasp. A final onslaught from Manuwera was ended by some ferocious up front tackling which manifested itself in ‘Wera being marched back to under their own posts where a final penalty on the stroke of the whistle ended the game. The first ever game for the Waiuku Championship side had ended and a team was born.
FINAL SCORE Waiuku 27 – 17 Manuwera
Tries: Peebles x 2 Hadley x 1 Grey x 1
52 - 15
L
No match reports when playing Reserve Grade sides.
39 - 21
W
The first home game of the Season for Waiuku and the weather Gods put on a show. With streaming sunshine and an autumn chill in the air the Waiuku Werewolves looked forward to welcoming Te Kohanga to Rugby Park.
The side from south of the river were coming off a hard fought win at Drury and had their tails up from the first minu
39 - 21
W
The first home game of the Season for Waiuku and the weather Gods put on a show. With streaming sunshine and an autumn chill in the air the Waiuku Werewolves looked forward to welcoming Te Kohanga to Rugby Park.
The side from south of the river were coming off a hard fought win at Drury and had their tails up from the first minute reminding the Waiuku side that it wasn't going to be easy as they chased top spot in the league.
However against the run of play a fast break down the far left took Ethan James in for a score, this however only seemed to spark the spirited TE Kohanga side I to life and through, what would become a reoccurring theme, great forward muscle they made their way into the Waiuku 22' and as the pressure built drew a penalty that was abley slotted for 3.
Despite continuing to have the better of the game and scoring one more 3 pointer a try from Steven Buscher and Morne Steyn pushed Waiuku out to a decent lead. But, just before the break TK hit back only for Nick Lyons to dive over from close range. This was a ding dong battle which at 40 minutes could go either way. Half Time Waiuku 22 - 13 TE Kohanga
It was clear from both camps at half time as the respective coaches bemoaned poor decision making with the hope of a more structured second half.
It didnt happen...
Both sides, the red and green of Waiuku and the black and white of Te Kohanga resumed their slugfest upfront but as the legs got tired line breaks became more prevalent.
This only suited Waiuku more who began to pull away with tries from Nick Lyons x 2 and Sam Walter x 2. Only two late tries for TK made the score respectable as the referee blew what was a scrappy hard fought battle.
FINAL SCORE Waiuku 39 - 21 Te Kohanga
18- 21
L
No match reports when playing Reserve Grade sides.
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