"We didn't have 15 players on the field. That's what killed us."
Disconsolate words from East Coast captain Rua Tipoki after his team's 30-10 defeat by Wanganui in the Meads Cup final, in Wanganui on Saturday.
Tipoki, also the team's assistant coach, was speaking from very close to the action.
He was yellow-carded for a punch in the 61st minute when East Coast trailed by two points.
Eight minutes later, player-coach Ngarimu Simpkins was similarly penalised for an altercation with Wanganui prop Shaun McDonough.
While both were off, Wanganui crossed through Simon Dibben and added another at the end with captain and second five-eighth Steelie Koro strolling through a non-existent defence from a team that had run out of puff.
Wanganui goalkicker Mark Davis also added six consecutive penalties and a conversion to take advantage of East Coast's consistent indiscretions.
East Coast's points came from a runaway intercept try from right wing Tom Teaeki from a Davis pass.
Davis had an up-and-down game, but he finished the Heartland season as the competition's leading points-scorer with 129 points and Wanganui coach Jason Caskey complimented him for not going into his shell after a couple of mistakes.
"I'm happy and relieved, and proud of the way they stuck to the task," first-season head coach Caskey said.
He had previously been assistant coach in the side's two previous Meads Cup wins - and also in its three finals losses.
"We made mistakes but it came from East Coast pressure. They should be proud of the way they played.
"Coast played to their strengths and they were outstanding in that first half. They cut our flow down and we couldn't get anything going."
But East Coast never threatened the Wanganui line apart from Teaeki's intercept try, and the home defence was outstanding.
It became a matter of Wanganui applying the pressure, kicking the goals and then scoring the tries when East Coast ran out of players and puff.
All told, the visiting side was shown three yellow cards, with lock Willie Waitoa also getting one after 36 minutes.
Tipoki said the plan "was to just go out and play rugby and not leave anything in the tank".
He complimented his players on their drastic improvement from their winless season in 2010.
"It's been a team effort. It's taken the players to get us to where we are. We are proud to play the role we did."
At Alpine Energy Stadium, in Timaru, South Canterbury could do little to hold off a dominant Poverty Bay, which continued its great form to win the Lochore Cup Final 49-22.
All Black greats Sir Colin Meads and Sir Brian Lochore were at the finals to present the respective cups that carry their names to the winning teams.
Heartland duty continues for some players, with the Heartland XV squad to play a one-off match against New Zealand Marist in Pukekohe this Saturday.
- By David Ogilvie, The Wanganui Chronicle
Meads Cup final
Wanganui 30: Steelie Koro, Simon Dibben tries; Mark Davis 6 pen, con
East Coast 10: Tom Teaeki try; Clayton Kiwara pen, con.
Halftime: 9-7
