Bryant explodes against Wellington

BY PETER LAMPP

Frankie Bryant has played 64 games for Manawatu since 2002, but none better than his dynamite display in the Turbos 36-24 defeat of Wellington on Saturday.

Wellington couldn't prevent his 96kg breaking the line, least of all former All Black Rodney So'oialo.

And yet a shoulder injury had come close to ending Bryant's season this year.

Then came a knee injury after only 10 minutes against Southland and Saturday was his first start since then.

When Grant Polson departed with his knee injury, 28-year-old Bryant also got to do the after-match interviews after assuming the captaincy, as the third-in-line skipper with Nick Crosswell still sidelined.

"The body has had a fair bit of time off," Bryant said.

"It was good to get a good win; we had to do something.

"This one was up there, to knock over Wellington.

"We have got our self belief back. It had taken a dent over the last couple of weeks."

A sixth loss might have shanghaied the Turbos season. The win has galvanised it.

Lock Fraser Stone had a huge game.

He wasn't in the Turbos frame until this year, signing with a Perth club and then paying out to break the contract when Dave Rennie called.

Stone has come on massively, as has fellow lock Mike FitzGerald and there was no need to use spare lock Reece Robinson on Saturday. FitzGerald said the Turbos learnt from the loss to Canterbury, how to close games out.

They've also learnt how to tackle.

There was a new discipline about the Turbos, retaining huge amounts of ball through pick-and gos.

The forwards rumbled the slow stuff up, the cold steel, and busy halfback Aaron Smith set the backs away with the quick ruck ball.

Wellington infringed continually at the breakdown.

So'oialo was the worst and should have been binned instead of Scott Fuglistaller.

They rushed in from the side and repeatedly used the dangerous grapple tackle in the cleanout.

Ref Vinny Munro caned them, but should have been far harsher.

The quick ball gave Bryant and Hadleigh Parkes, far better at centre as was Shannon Paku on the wing, latitude to take on the shaky Wellington line. One Parkes bust brought his try after poor So'oialo couldn't hang on to the big Ohingaiti lad, who also punted prodigiously. It might have ended up at four tries each, but Manawatu ruled the possession stakes.

They had to make only 106 tackles, missed 16 and flanker Callum Gibbins made 20 alone.

Much of their ball was in their own 22 into the westerly but they held on to it rather than kicking it to Wellington's runners at the back.

Gibbins and Doug Tietjens were strong as usual on the ground even if Manawatu turned over ball at times in the first half. But Manawatu's line speed was exemplary, up in Wellington faces, and the spills came thick and fast, only second-five Shaun Treeby excelling.

Manawatu's back-of-the-lineout drills were off, the scrum just hung on and they let in soft tries, but otherwise the defence was excellent.

No8 Hamish Gosling, hooker Rob Foreman and replacement prop Shane Kingsland were full of vim around the field.

Things fell for Manawatu for a change; they led 26-12 after an hour.

Julian Savea's dreadful dropsy at the back late in the game was crucial and going to Golden Oldies scrums when the Turbos lost Polson and Karl Haitana (cramp) negated Wellington's big scrum.

It also helped to have Isaac Thompson belting over goal-kicks and although he had a couple of kicks charged down, Wellington's kicking was more shoddy.

Manawatu were exhausted at the end, but they held out against a Wellington side whose reputations took a great hit.

- © Fairfax NZ News