Week 4 review - Mid Canterbury beat West Coast

Mid Canterbury ended West Coast's promising AA Rewards Heartland Championship run with a 23-12 win in Ashburton today.

It was a game in which neither side produced their best, and it ended up being a battle of the boot after Mid Canterbury co-captain James Carr scored the only try of the game 15 minutes into the first half.

Mid Canterbury led 14-6 at halftime and West Coast came out firing in the second half, but failed to capitalise on the possession they had, struggling to make a dent in the strong Mid Canterbury defence.

When they did get their hands on the ball, Mid Canterbury produced some chances but more than once failed to make the most of an overlap out-wide, ending up relying on the boot of first five-eighth Davey Maw to get them home with six penalties.

West Coast charged towards the Mid Canterbury line in the dying seconds, searching to close the gap for a bonus point, but their hands let them down.

Mid Canterbury have now taken West Coast's place as the third-placed team in pool A of the competition.

For Mid Canterbury, Jack Umaga chipped away at the defence all day in the backs, while co-captain Jason Gill was again steady. For the West Coast, Corey Simpson's kicking kept them in the game, while second-five Eroni Uluiborotu showed promise before being sinbinned late in the game.

Result

Mid Canterbury 23 (James Carr try; David Maw 6 pen), West Coast 12 (Corey Simpson 4 pen). Halftime: 14-6.