For most of us a reunion means catching up with mates from yesteryear and having a bit of fun.
It was no different for 2006 Napier Boys' High School head boy Sam Green when he turned out for Napier Pirate Rugby and Sports in the first round of Hawke's Bay's Tui Nash Cup premier club rugby competition on Saturday.
"That was just like a reunion for me," Green remarked after his team's 32-19 win against IMS Payroll Hastings Rugby and Sports at Napier's Park Island.
"There's the likes of Bryn [winger Bryn Uriarau], Michael [halfback Michael Ruru], Marcus [captain and No8 Marcus Donovan] and Matt [frontrower Matt Martin] ... blokes I played with back in my school days," Green explained.
The openside flanker certainly had fun as he proved he will go a long way to helping to compensate for the absence of key 2011 Pirate loosies Dane McCarthy, who is playing in Aussie this season, and Karl Bloxham, who has returned to Otago. Green, 23, had a huge defensive workrate and his 70th minute intercept try gave the hosts the bonus point for four tries and with first five-eighth Aayden Clarke's conversion a comfortable 29-14 lead with 10 minutes remaining.
"I was lucky the ball popped up for me and the cover defence didn't get me," Green said.
He was impressed with his team's performance considering Pirate's lack of pre-season matches and the fact several of the squad were playing for the club's fourth grade cricket side in their final on a neighbouring ground which they lost to NOBM Hobblers. A former Otago Development team member, Green, has a Magpies berth on his list of future goals.
"I need to put on some size first. I had a good game against Tivaini [Hastings captain and No7 Tivaini Fomai] today. I need to keep having games like this too," Green said.
Green, who is still searching for permanent work, joined Ruru and Clarke as the best of the Pirate players. Soft turnovers and a lack of respect for percentage play let the Hastings side down.
Fomai and fellow flanker Fatu Peia were always dangerous on attack and busy on defence. Props Laurent Simutoga and Jason Long were dominant at scrum time and substitute halfback Adam Ross provided plenty of spark.
Napier Tech 69 Clive 8
Hurricanes winger Richard Buckman, who wasn't required for Super 15 duty on Saturday night, scored four tries as defending champions Napier Technical ran riot during this victory at Clive's Farndon Park.
Centre Penikolo Latu, a former Gisborne Boys' High School player who is in the Hawke's Bay Academy, celebrated his debut for Tech with a hat-trick. However Buckman and Latu couldn't pip former professional kickboxer Angus Benson, who played at lock in his premier debut for Tech, from winning the player-of-the-match award.
Blindside flanker Hugh Reed and prop Beau Gibson were other valuable contributors to the Tech pack. As was so often the case last year openside flanker and captain for the day James Tango was a one-man band for Clive.
"We got smoked. But this is going to be a rebuilding season for us," Clive manager Robert Whaitiri said.
Havelock 60 Central 13
Havelock North wingers Shannon Chase and Levi Armstrong both grabbed hattricks during this win at Waipukurau's Central Park.
However their team's victory wasn't as one-sided as the score suggests. Central's forwards and inside backs were more than competitive and Havelock North were in defence mode for 50 per cent of the game.
"We could dominate their forwards but as soon as we turned the ball over Havelock's outside backs played Sevens with us and we didn't have the pace to match them," Central manager Nick Kneesch said.
Former Central prop Brendon Edmonds was prominent in the Havelock pack and fullback Gillies Kaka was just as big a threat on attack as Armstrong and Chase. New Zealand under-20 trialist Rhys Marshall, playing at blindside flanker, and prop Andrew Martin impressed in the host pack
Taradale 15 MAC 5
First season premier players Jonathan Ruru and Leo Ene were among the key architects of this Taradale victory at Flaxmere's Ron Giorgi Park.
The 2011 Napier Boys' High School 1st XV teammates played halfback and centre respectively. They joined captain and blindside flanker Andrew Gardner as the best of the visitors.
"It was a case of early season blues ... our players heads weren't in the game," MAC coach Anthony Morley said.
"There was a lack of commitment and a lack of accuracy. But in saying that we had two tries disallowed," he added before singling out captain and lock Johnny Te Ngaio, prop Dennis Tapusoa and openside flanker Api Sione as the pick of his players.
NOBM 39 Tamatea 16
Promoted Colts player Shaun Skeets produced a player-of-the-match performance for Napier Old Boys Marist as they won this fixture at Bill Mathewson Park, Hastings.
The blindside flanker joined winger Sone Momoisea and loosehead prop Campbell Devine as the best of the visitors.
"The boys switched on from the start and were dominant in the second half. Everyone knows that isn't an easy feat at this venue," NOBM coach Mike Warren Warren explained.