Powerhouse Tighthead Prop Bruce Ikamanu cut loose with a hat-trick of tries as West Barbarians put an undermanned East Bundaberg Pythons to the sword, running out 82-10 victors in their Rugby Bundaberg Elders Insurance Spring Cup Round 8 showdown at Jubilee Park on Saturday.
The winless Pythons could field only 14 players for the game, and while they never stopped trying, Barbarians had a full complement plus eight players on the bench, and they showed no mercy with Hooker Aloisia “Dulo” Sebualala and Blindside Flanker Kefu Ikamanu each bagging doubles, while they had seven other individual try scorers, including flashy Right Winger Folau Kovi Ki Tasimenia Latu, who also kicked six conversions for a personal tally of 17 points.
Barbarians coach Gary Maroney said he was happy with his team’s performance, while admitting it was “more of a training run”.
He said “Dulo” was their Player of the Match, ahead of Bruce and rugged Second Rower Saul Clough.
With two rounds to go, Barbarians moved to 20 points, but they remain in third place behind two-times defending champions Fraser Coast Mariners, who also outgunned Waves Falcons 65-11 in the early game on the program to move to 29 points, with Turtles Brothers, who had the bye, second on 23, with Falcons on 5 and Pythons 1.
Barbarians will play Mariners this Saturday, before taking on Turtles in the last round when Fraser Coast has the bye.
Barbarians were beaten only 15-7 in their first clash this season on 16th October and Gary believes they can turn the tables on them.
“I think we will hold our own in the forward pack, we need to just shut their backline down to be competitive against Mariners,” Gary said.
On Saturday, Mariners bounced back from their first loss of the season, against Turtles seven days earlier, to also have a field day against a brave but outclassed Falcons 65-11 with their electrifying Fly-half Filipe Koroibola the orchestrator once again, notching 25 points with three tries and five conversions in a signature high-class all-round performance.
CRICKET
Bundaberg stars Brendan Handley, Arden Lankowski and Nathan Van Eekeren were each chosen in the South Queensland Country Open team after more outstanding performances for the Wide Bay team which placed third of four at the Schaeffer Shield in Maryborough on the weekend.
Saturday’s games were reduced from 50-over to T20 affairs as play was unable to commence until the afternoon following the heavy rain of the previous days, with Wide Bay managing just 5-126 against Gold Coast with Bundaberg duo Brendan Handley (54 not out) and Callum Stitt (54) the main contributors.
The Coast then staged a calculated run chase to achieve a 7-wicket victory in the last over.
In the clash of the two win-less sides on Sunday, South East Queensland were bowled out by Wide Bay for only 100 in 37.4 overs, with Nathan Van Eekeren wreaking havoc with 6-28, and Arden Lankowski and Ashley Sippel claiming two wickets each.
Wide Bay then raced to a 6-wicket victory in 20.5 overs with Brendan leading them home with a classy unbeaten half-century.
All Bundaberg Cricket fixtures were cancelled for the weekend due to water-logged pitches, but the School Sport Queensland 12 years Boys Championships got under way on Sunday, with six matches, with that carnival continuing through to Thursday.
All Coral Coast/Hervey Bay Softball fixtures were also abandoned due to the very wet playing field.
Here are the scores:
CRICKET SOUTH QUEENSLAND COUNTRY SCHAEFFER SHIELD
Saturday: GOLD COAST 3-127 (Joshua Nelson 50no, Clay Beams 32, D Siede 26) d WIDE BAY 5-126 (Brendan Handley 54no, Callum Stitt 54, Jonathon Baldock 2-25, P Tunnicliffe 2-25).
Sunday: WIDE BAY 4-104 (Brendan Handley 51no) d SOUTH EAST QUEENSLAND 100 (Dean Granzien 37, Nathan Van Eekeren 6-28, Ashley Sippel 2-9, Arden Lankowski 2-15).
RUGBY BUNDABERG ELDERS INSURANCE SPRING CUP
Round 8:
FRASER COAST MARINERS 65 (Filipe Koroibola 3, Jeremiah Pati, Ryan Davy, Thomas D’Emilio, Jasper Brigden tries; Names of 4 try scorers withheld; Filipe Koroibola 5 conversions) d WAVES FALCONS 11 (Tom Dexter try; Tommy Akers 2 penalties).
WEST BARBARIANS 82 (Bruce Ikamanu 3, Aloisia Sebualala 2, Kefu Ikamanu 2, Folau Kovi Ki Tasimenia Latu, Esala Rasova, Tali Folau Sitani, Pita Halafoou Loketi, Sione Tualau Mateialona, Justyn Porter, Joshua Batten tries; Folau Kovi Ki Tasimenia Latu 6 conversions) d EAST BUNDABERG PYTHONS 10 (Try, Conversion; Jackson Paulson penalty).
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