Rugby: Clifton crowned champions of Taranaki premier club rugby

Grant Hassall

Photo by Taranaki Rugby

Clifton’s perfect season received the perfect conclusion when the side claimed the Taranaki men’s rugby premiership at Stadium Taranaki on Saturday.

After winning all 15 previous games, albeit wobbling through the last three, Clifton were the more decisive side as they brought down Coastal 40-24 in the final of the CMK-sponsored event.

Even though the differential of 16 inflated the domination of the victors – two tries in the last 11 minutes settling the issue – Clifton always held the upper hand and were more threatening.

Coastal did well, though, to get back into the contest after slumping to a 14-0 deficit inside the opening 10 minutes. Across the 80 minutes, territory and possession were relatively even. Coastal received 15 penalties from referee Bill Johnston, compared to Clifton’s three, but they were undone by a scratchy lineout and too many missed tackles.

That was in part understandable. Kini Naholo, while quiet for the majority of the game, unleashed three memorable runs, two of which he scored from. Super rugby players struggle to contain Naholo and one had to feel for the Coastal players, who aside from those occasions, limited his space well.

Playing into the wind, Clifton’s opening tries went to Paul Faoagali and Korbin Skelton, with Juan Tantrum converting both. But Coastal didn’t buy into the inevitability. Following a quick penalty from Logan Crowley, Beau Pari scored. With Jackson Sinclair’s conversion, it was game on. The punch, counter-punch theme was to continue for the next 55 minutes, creating a tenseness which didn’t alter the mindset of the two teams to move the ball.

Former Auckland No 9, Chris Vunipola, gave the momentum back to Clifton at the 29-minute mark when he bolted clear from a short lineout from 40 metres, leaving Crowley in his wake, to take it to 21-7.

But the gritty Jackson Sinclair got one back for Coastal, bumping off Vunipola, right on the halftime break. The belief of the Coastal side took a lift three minutes into the second spell, when Sinclair’s brother, Jerram, fended off Naholo to score. The margin was down to four.

Coastal stormed back onto attack. It broke down and Naholo was set free, running 75m score. That gave Clifton some breathing space, but by now the Coastal scrum had gained the ascendency.

A further surge from them at the three-quarter mark saw Jackson Sinclair score a converted try. The margin was again four. It was anyone’s match.

However, Clifton dominated the next stanza, with Coastal unable to exit their own half. And with 11 minutes remaining, they cleverly found space for Naholo down the left flank to claim his second. Lineout supremo Liam Chapman then put the result beyond doubt with the try of his lifetime, a 40m effort.

Appropriately, Tantrum, the leading points scorer for the season, who skilfully converted five of the six tries, ended the final by kicking the ball dead.

Clifton’s 27-year drought was over and so they become the 133rd Taranaki champions.

In the other finals, New Plymouth Old Boys’ made it a three-peat in division one, holding off United 25-19.

Patea, in division two, completed an unbeaten season ousting Toko 45-24 in the decider to make it back-to-back titles. A try in injury time increased the margin in Southern’s 26-12 victory in the women’s final over Stratford-Eltham.

Tukapa claimed the remaining two titles, beating Kaponga 38-32 in division three and it took the colts championship 28-25 from NPOB. It was the blue-and-whites third successive victory and came after Rory Gilmour successfully placed a late penalty.