It is just the parts in the middle that need a little bit of fine-tuning.
Matatu fell 46-38 to an unbeaten Chiefs Manawa in the Super Rugby Aupiki game in Hamilton on Saturday.
While the scoreline blew out in patches — Manawa led 34-19 at the break — Matatu remained in the game and fought back in the final 10 minutes to close the gap.
Matatu got first points on the board when Amy du Plessis hit the line, fended off one defender and drew in another to offload the ball to Renee Holmes in the tackle.
She pushed it to winger Cheyenne Robins Reti for Matatu to lead 7-0 early.
Its defence structure was strong, keeping Manawa’s electric backs quiet for most of the first half, until Mereangi Paul scored in the corner.
But Matatu was lethal on attack, when Rosie Kelly scored in the corner and Grace Steinmetz twirled out of two tackles to take off and score under the posts.
Suddenly, Matatu was out to a 19-8 lead.
It looked strong when it had the ball in hand, with Kelly driving the side around the park, but as its defence worked hard, the penalties began to stack up and played into Manawa’s hands.
Hooker Luka Connor, as she does so often, peeled off the back of a maul to score and captain Kennedy Simon dotted down after a steamrolling scrum, and Georgia Daals ran in too.
Matatu had limited ball for the second part of the half and the penalties conceded pushed out — 10 to 4 to Matatu — gifting territory to Manawa.
The visitors tried to run the ball out from their tryline after the first half and it proved to be a risky move.
Manawa turned the ball over, Tynealle Fitzgerald scored and took a 34-19 lead at the break.
Daals scored her second early in the second half but otherwise it was much of an arm-wrestle for most of the third quarter.
Matatu put good pressure on Manawa, stymieing Manawa’s opportunities on attack.
But it was just the finishing touches and failing to push on when needed that let it down.
Manawa showed why its lineout is one of the best in the competition, with Grace Houpapa-Barrett scoring off a pick-and-drive.
Matatu had the best of the final 10 minutes, when Natalie Delamare ran a nice angle to score and hardworking flanker Lucy Jenkins finished off a team try.
Grace Brooker followed it by chasing on a hack forward, put her foot down and ran in a 50m try, with two minutes on the clock.
It was a good fightback from the South Island side, showing plenty of heart and determination as it looks ahead to its semi-final against the Blues.
The Blues beat Hurricanes Poua 31-22 on Saturday, recording their first win of the season.
Super Rugby Aupiki
The scores
Chiefs Manawa 46
Georgia Daals 2, Mereangi Paul, Luka Connor, Kennedy Simon, Grace Houpapa-Barrett tries; Hazel Tubic 4 con, 1 pen
Matatū 38
Cheyenne Robins Reti, Rosie Kelly, Grace Steinmetz, Natalie Delamere, Lucy Jenkins, Grace Brooker tries; Renee Holmes 4 con
Halftime: Chiefs Manawa 34-19.
