- To good....
The 2006 victory was based around a great set piece performance from the often under-rated Ponsonby forwards and a superb Man of the Match display from Auckland left winger David Smith.
His sublime speed off the mark left Waitemata's respected defence in tatters and Smith is bound to be a household name by the end of the Air New Zealand Cup.
But it was Waitemata who started the stronger of the two teams, as their impressive pack ripped into some old fashioned rolling mauls.
They shocked Ponsonby with two well taken tries to lead 12-3 after 32 minutes.
The first came after they were rewarded for not kicking for goal from three consecutive handy penalties when burly tighthead prop Liva Saena crashed over by the posts.
Three minutes later dynamic halfback Nonu Sua-Ausane slipped down the blindside and passed to supporting prop Fred Itunu, who drew the defence for promising lock Mike Von Dincklage to score a fine try.
Ponsonby as expected came back strongly with their superior backline working a smart move to put Brett Williams over. He converted his own try to close the gap to 12-10 before the flying Smith made the first of his decisive moves.
From the kick off Ponsonby shifted the ball to Smith who had the vastly experienced David Nafoa up quickly on defence and no room to move in.
But with his trademark hip swivel and startling pace he left Nafoa clutching thin air and roared 40 metres down the touchline. He then beat fullback Tila Toailoa with an audacious side step the watching BG Williams would have been proud of, and as the cover came across he passed infield for halfback Chad Tuoro to score under the bar.
Williams converted for a 17-12 halftime lead and after he got the second half underway with a penalty Ponsonby took control with three brilliant tries.
Smith scored the first with a splendid finish after Tuoro, (having a blinder against his old club), and right wing Roimata Hansell-Pune opened up the Waitemata defence.
Ponsonby captain Benson Stanley then brought back memories of his famous uncle Joe Stanley with a classic outside swerve, dummy and sprint to the line before Smith had the last laugh by sprinting 80 metres to dive over for a spectacular finale.
Victorious coach Grant Keenan was not surprised by Waitemata's early aggression.
"We knew they would throw everything at us for the first 20 minutes as their whole game is based around their forward pack and their midfield," he said.
"We knew if we could weather it we would be okay - which we didn't really do - but there was that stage before halftime when we scored those two tries and took control.
"The most pleasing thing today was we won the game today with tries as last year was won with penalty kicks. We wanted to go wide and we executed that well."
Keenan was also pleased the way his pack fronted up to the challenge.
"We were quite pleased they wanted to take us on up front as we believe we have a very good and big tight five, who really focus on scrums, lineouts and the collision area. They were awesome."
He reserved his last comments for David Smith's performance.
"He is a freak. He is such a good rugby player and is such a good guy. The great thing about him is he wants to be part of this team. When I spoke to him after I knew he was available he couldn't wait to play and he sure has a big future."
His sublime speed off the mark left Waitemata's respected defence in tatters and Smith is bound to be a household name by the end of the Air New Zealand Cup.
But it was Waitemata who started the stronger of the two teams, as their impressive pack ripped into some old fashioned rolling mauls.
They shocked Ponsonby with two well taken tries to lead 12-3 after 32 minutes.
The first came after they were rewarded for not kicking for goal from three consecutive handy penalties when burly tighthead prop Liva Saena crashed over by the posts.
Three minutes later dynamic halfback Nonu Sua-Ausane slipped down the blindside and passed to supporting prop Fred Itunu, who drew the defence for promising lock Mike Von Dincklage to score a fine try.
Ponsonby as expected came back strongly with their superior backline working a smart move to put Brett Williams over. He converted his own try to close the gap to 12-10 before the flying Smith made the first of his decisive moves.
From the kick off Ponsonby shifted the ball to Smith who had the vastly experienced David Nafoa up quickly on defence and no room to move in.
But with his trademark hip swivel and startling pace he left Nafoa clutching thin air and roared 40 metres down the touchline. He then beat fullback Tila Toailoa with an audacious side step the watching BG Williams would have been proud of, and as the cover came across he passed infield for halfback Chad Tuoro to score under the bar.
Williams converted for a 17-12 halftime lead and after he got the second half underway with a penalty Ponsonby took control with three brilliant tries.
Smith scored the first with a splendid finish after Tuoro, (having a blinder against his old club), and right wing Roimata Hansell-Pune opened up the Waitemata defence.
Ponsonby captain Benson Stanley then brought back memories of his famous uncle Joe Stanley with a classic outside swerve, dummy and sprint to the line before Smith had the last laugh by sprinting 80 metres to dive over for a spectacular finale.
Victorious coach Grant Keenan was not surprised by Waitemata's early aggression.
"We knew they would throw everything at us for the first 20 minutes as their whole game is based around their forward pack and their midfield," he said.
"We knew if we could weather it we would be okay - which we didn't really do - but there was that stage before halftime when we scored those two tries and took control.
"The most pleasing thing today was we won the game today with tries as last year was won with penalty kicks. We wanted to go wide and we executed that well."
Keenan was also pleased the way his pack fronted up to the challenge.
"We were quite pleased they wanted to take us on up front as we believe we have a very good and big tight five, who really focus on scrums, lineouts and the collision area. They were awesome."
He reserved his last comments for David Smith's performance.
"He is a freak. He is such a good rugby player and is such a good guy. The great thing about him is he wants to be part of this team. When I spoke to him after I knew he was available he couldn't wait to play and he sure has a big future."
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