News

Messam hat-trick helps sink Otago

September 26 2008

Waikato recorded their strongest Air New Zealand Cup win of the season by dispatching Otago 39-10 in Hamilton on Friday, with captain Liam Messam picking up a hat-trick in the process for his victorious team.

Despite carrying a hamstring niggle, Messam was at his dynamic best in inspiring a 28-3 lead at half-time which Otago never looked like overhauling on their way to a fifth consecutive winless result.

Their one try-to-five loss will see the southerners drop from seventh to outside the top eight and on the verge of missing the quarter-finals.

They will need an unlikely victory over competition leaders Wellington in the final round next week to have any play-off chance.

Waikato climb from tenth to inside the quarter-final zone with just their third win but will need victory at home to Taranaki next week in another virtual sudden-death fixture to be safe.

They strolled at will through Otago opponents who missed nineteen first half tackles and who struggled for ways to crack the Waikato blitz defence.

The intensity between the two Super 14 bases dropped in the second half, with both sides bagging a try each.

Otago have now lost all eight visits to Hamilton since 1995 and never looked like changing that statistic after conceding four tries in the last 25 minutes of the first half.

Messam carried four defenders over the line for his first and juggled out wide before storming over for a second.

Scrum-half David Bason snared the third after a bust from impressive centre Jackson Willison before Messam unleashed his magic when picking up a loose ball on the halfway line, busting through the first line of defence and stepping past the cover to score.

Otago's first-half points came via a wobbly 40 metre drop goal to fly-half Daniel Bowden, who also converted their only try, a slick 47th minute score by winger Karne Hesketh.

Waikato restored order when full-back Sosene Anesi took advantage of quick hands to score a try and Callum Bruce ended the scoring with a late penalty, giving him 14 points with the boot.

The scorers:

For Waikato:

Tries: Messam 3, Bason, Anesi

Con: Bruce 4

Pen: Bruce 2

For Otago:

Try: Hesketh

Con: Bowden

Drop-goal: Bowden

Waikato: 15 Sosene Anesi, 14 Tim Mikkelson, 13 Dwayne Sweeney, 12 Jackson Willison, 11 Henry Speight, 10 Callum Bruce, 9 David Bason; 8 Faifili Levave, 7 Tom Harding, 6 Liam Messam (c), 5 Romana Graham, 4 Toby Lynn, 3 Aled de Malmanche, 2 Ole Avei, 1 Hikairo Forbes.

Replacements: 16 Josh Hohneck, 17 Toby Smith, 18 Kent Fife, 19 Matt Blain, 20 Malcolm Barnes, 21 Sam Christie, 22 Savenaca Tokula.

Otago: 15 Ben Smith, 14 Lucky Mulipola, 13 Brett Mather, 12 Dan Snee, 11 Karne Hesketh, 10 Daniel Bowden, 9 Toby Morland; 8 Steven Setephano, 7 Eben Joubert, 6 Craig Newby (c), 5 Tom Donnelly, 4 Ross Kennedy, 3 Ben Nolan, 2 Jason MacDonald, 1 Keith Cameron.

Replacements: 16 Peter Mirrielees, 17 Jed Vercoe , 18 Uili Kolo'ofai, 19 Paul Grant, 20 Sean Romans, 21 Chris Noakes, 22 Andrew Parata.

Referee: Bryce Lawrence

TMO: Kelvin Deaker