Semi Final v Linwood Keas

And with the sound of the final whistle, the Halswell Hornets Premiers have booked a spot in their third successive CRL Premier Grand Final! Not only did the Hornets beat Linwood for the first time in 2013, but they gave themselves a week off before the Grand Final on 11 August. It was an intensely physical and fast-paced encounter, particularly in the first twenty minutes. The Hornets withstood the early onslaught, took the lead, and never looked back as they did a job on the Keas before a massive crowd at Papanui Domain. The Hornets maintained a comfortable lead after the first 15 minutes that saw them through the fixture, even though the Keas staged a slight comeback in the dying stages.

The first 15 minutes of the game was a battle of epic proportions, in what was likely the fastest and most physical game of the season, the two sides traded plenty of punches. It was Linwood who broke the deadlock as Leon Boyd dived over from close range after the Keas held the Hornets back on their line. However, it wouldn’t take long before the Hornets bounced back as a lateral shift saw the ball in the hands of Sam Kelso, who put Rowan Swain away. The Hornets then put on another three tries, with Kelso dotting down and Will Tafua bagging a double. After shifting in from the wing to second-row, Tafua has been a force to be reckoned with in the Hornets pack. First he busted through tackles to cross the line, before grabbing his second with a spectacular leap above the head of Linwood fullback Shane Bowden. Linwood managed to reduce the margin to ten on the stroke of half-time, the Hornets taking a commanding 22-12 lead into the break.

The Hornets did not rest on their laurels after half time, weathering the Linwood storm, before putting on another two tries with Aaron Endacott crossing out wide and Nick Phillips benefitting from some more Jaye Pukepuke offloading. But it was the great ball movement by the Hornets that saw Linwood’s demise, their massive side unable to keep up with the fast-paced game. And while the Keas hit back with two late tries to Shane Bowden and Alex Todd, the 20 point lead was far out of reach by that late stage. It was a former-Kea that would have the final say in the game, with Hornets’ full-back Erwin Sauni slicing over in the last play. With Toi Sepuloni adding the conversion, the final whistle sounded and the Hornets had played themselves into yet another CRL Premier Grand Final.

The Linwood Keas will return to Papanui Domain to play the Hornby Panthers, the two longest-serving Club sides vying for the other spot in the Premier Grand Final. The Keas have the opportunity to make it a double Halswell-Linwood Grand Final if their Premier Reserves also beat the Aranui Eagles. The top-placed Linwood Reserves, were beaten in a stirling second half effort by the Halswell Hornets Reserves. Down by 18 points not long after the break, the Hornets Reserves turned on the fireworks to put away the Keas Reserves 38-28. This will see the Hornets Reserves lining up in their fourth successive Grand Final, looking for their fourth Competition win on the trot. It is great for the Halswell RFLC to see both its Premiers and Reserves sides in their Grand Finals for three year straight, rewarding all of the hard work that all members put into the Club. Keep an eye out for the Grand Final draw in a weeks’ time so you know where to be to see the Hornets steep up another notch for their Grand Finals.

Go the mighty Hornets!!!

Halswell Hornets 38 – Tries: Will Tafua (2), Erwin Sauni, Sam Kelso, Rowan Swain, Nick Phillips, Aaron Endacott; Goals: Toi Sepuloni (2), Sam Kelso (2), Daniel Ball.

Linwood Keas 24 – Tries: Leon Boyd, Shane Bowden, Mark Walsh, Alex Todd; Goals: Leon Boyd (4).