Top 4 Report: Southland GHS

I really enjoyed the Southland GHS team in this Top 4 and I think that they should have been there and showed that they also belonged. The team as a whole was complete with players that knew how to play rugby, knew the situation that they were in and knew that if they could play to their strengths they could win that first game. There were a lot of players in this team that I thought were very very good players and could do something with the next step in women’s rugby.

So Southlands first game was against Hamilton GHS, and the scoreline was not something that Southland thought would turn out the way it did, because it was huge. This is what I put the 51-12 hiding down too and it’s something we all say and hear “Get your head in the game”. Some of those girls looked like they were so happy to be there that they were still getting over “Being so Happy to be there”. Now let me tell you because I was there at the game on the sideline in the wind and Southland were shaken out of this game within the first 15 mins and here is why. Hamilton GHS had the wind blowing in their faces and so running was really the only option. Hamilton’s had 3 massive runs in the first 7-10 mins and they all went for about 20-30 meters each. Hamilton GHS ran it 50m, phase, phase, phase turnover. Southland kick down field and ANOTHER 20-30 meters run, phase, phase, phase turnover kick down field, ANOTHER 20 run. So after these 3 runs Hamilton score, then score again, Southland get one back, then Hamilton again with 2 more tries. ABRA KADABRA!! 51-12 win to Hamilton GHS they go through to the Finals.

This is what bothered me about Southland GHS, they were pretty much the same team Hamilton GHS was in skill, talent, abilities and played the same way. Southland did not have bigger Props but their Props were big enough to have the same effect Rebecca Paseta and Simone Caughey were not undersized Props that couldn’t handle Hamilton, they were capable. They had 4 very good leaders in this team Emma and Jessica Dermody in the forwards and Amy Du Plessis and Sipa Saili in the backs and Southland had the best kicker there at the Top 4 Center Lauren Christie who kicked one from the side line and two into the wind, so they had their weapons to win these games. I say if they played Hamilto GHS again that score wont be the same and the fight for Hamilton GHS would a 70 min thing. This forward pack was very fast around the field and they had very good technique, but it took them so long to make a path clear for the ball to come that Sipa was made to fire out a pass that wasn’t ready and so the back line was

having to work extra hard to get back in line cause the forwards were getting pushed off their ball. Southland had no Mongrel in that forward pack in that first game and it hurt them. Once the team realized that “Oh shoot this is the Top 4” the game was gone and I think they were lucky to get 12 points.

The “Happy” game against Southern Cross and happy cause they won but there was fight in the game which I wasn’t really expecting to see. This game was exactly what I was thinking would happen because Southland GHS showed up ready to stand up and put everything into it. The backs ran so smoothly, very good timing and ran the ball hard too, playing at speed. 2nd 5/8 Brooke Churstain and Center Lauren Christie had very good games and took it to the Southern Cross midfield who were also a very strong pairing and so it was a cool match up to watch. I really liked Jaidene Marshall at Lock and also Bree Thomas at Open side they took care of the ball and did their roles and supported very well. There was one bad thing I didn’t like though and I was surprised who was making it too but it was by 1st 5/8 and Captain Amy Du Plessis who I think coughed up two tries they should have got if she passed it out to Aaliyah Talamahina or Ella Fry. Amy tried to take the ball in on her own instead of giving it out to the player on their own. That was bad but those are the things that we need to do to see our mistakes and then learn from it, they got the points in the end but why make it harder for yourself that’s what I think.

Very impressed with the team and the very high skill set of the players that came up and I think Southland GHS is a growing rugby program that needs more attention.