Wellington Bs win Hurricanes Development title
Updated Sunday: The Wellington Bs defeated Manawatu B 42-15 in Palmerston North on Friday night in the final of the Hurricanes Region Development competition.
The Bs scored five tries, to Anthony Bradshaw, Rob Fruean, Tivaini Fomai, Marika Kau and captain Eugene Smith. Leon Ellison kicked 17 points, including four conversions and three penalties.
The outstanding play of Wellington’s forwards playing into the wind and a 50-metre runaway try to halfback Anthony Bradshaw nursing a painful broken rib were the features of the first half that saw Wellington take a 10-3 lead at halftime.
Battling away into the gusty wind, Bradshaw’s brilliant individual runway try came moments after he had gone down clutching his ribs after being driven into in a tackle and was just about to be substituted from the field. But the play swung his way and he suddenly himself in space and tore through the hole and ran half the length of the field for a converted try under the posts, before being escorted off the field to waiting medical attention.
With the elements now in their favour, Wellington played a territorial game in the second half, the forwards continued to maintain their edge over their Manawatu counterparts and the opportunities opened up.
A break by Ellison led to a Marika Kau in the left hand corner and Ellison converted to extend the lead to 17-3.
But Manawatu remained in touch and came back with a breakout try against the run of play and then kicked their second penalty of the game to close to 17-15.
Wellington pulled away with their third try to Fomai, and then pulled clear with a great captain’s try to Smith who burrowed over from close range from a ruck to clinch the win.
Fruean sealed victory with a slick solo try, beating three defenders in a ghosting run up the sideline from a counterattack started on Wellington’s side of halfway.
The Bs ended their Hurricanes Development Competition campaign with a six win - one loss record, their loss coming against this same team three weeks ago (20-24).
Their competition results were: 44-8 v Manawatu B, 37-22 v Hawke's Bay B, 22-20 v Taranaki B, 20-24 v Manawatu B, 17-14 v Hawke's Bay B, 37-11 v Taranaki B, 42-15 v Manawatu B (final).
The Wellington Bs meet Canterbury B this Saturday at 2.30pm at Porirua Park in their final game of the season.
Canterbury are the defending national B champions from 2008, having beaten Wellington in the former competition’s semi-final at Westpac Stadium last year.