PENI POWER: Feilding had no answer to Old Boys-Marist No 8 Peniasi Tokacece as Yellows found out at Arena Manawatu on Saturday
The green and whites so dominated Feilding, it was hard to see how the Yellows had rolled Varsity a week previously. OB-Marist has Turbos lock Lisiate Fa'aoso back for his first game in a year and with Reece Robinson, usual lock Chris Long at No 6, and the lofty Peniasi Tokacece at No 8, all on fire, Feilding were shut out of the lineouts and many of the scrums.
Feilding couldn't deck Tokacece and it was astonishing they didn't run amok on the scoreboard. Feilding, with Nick Crosswell out ill, left gaps as wide as the Oroua River on defence, which the green and blacks galloped through but lacked the confidence to finish.
It seemed 50 might be on the cards when OB-Marist led 19-9 into the wind at halftime, and with Brad Carr off with a hamstring strain. OB-Marist had three clearcut try chances before they finally got three tries 10 minutes before the break.
OB-Marist made hard work of scoring just one late try in the second half after a break by Long and prop Sua Leota. But had Feilding taken two shots at goal, they might still have rocked OB-Marist's fragile confidence. Craig Clare showed his class for Feilding until he heard his ankle click and went off as a precaution. Halfback Sean Brown and centre Troy Smith were OB-Marist's best backs.
At Arena Manawatu: Old Boys Marist 27 (Troy Smith, Chris Long, Waisea Qoikata, Johnny Missen, tries; Smith 2 con, pen) Feilding 9 (Brad Carr 2, Craig Clare pens) HT 19-9.