RUGBY
Ngati Porou East Coast versus Horowhenua-Kapiti is like a big juicy steak for rugby fans.
These historic unions’ 41st clash — at Levin Domain tomorrow — could be the most rugged of Week 3 in the Bunnings Warehouse Heartland Championship.
In their two losses so far, the Coast pushed North Otago (39-31) hard at Oamaru and then gave Thames Valley (35-19) a shake-up at Ruatoria. In the first two weeks of the eight-game season, they’ve given notice they mean business.
To head coach Hosea Gear, the success of this third mission hinges on his crew playing away as they’ve trained at home.
“We want the energy we had in Game 1,” is Gear’s call, and his side’s response to that will be critical
Jorian Tangaere, who scored The Coast’s try against Hawke’s Bay in the Ranfurly Shield challenge at Napier on July 24, will start at hooker in Game 3 for the wily Peter Mirrielees. Tokararangi titan Riki Waitoa takes the place of Richard Green in the second-row; Waitoa’s club teammate, No.10 Rapata Haerewa, is to make his first start for the Coast at Heartland level. The man Haerewa has come in for, Te Rangi Fraser, will move to fullback and All Black sevens representative Ngarohi McGarvey-Black will debut for the Sky Blues on the left wing.
McGarvey-Black, 25, feels honoured to have been invited to play for the Sky Blues. The Olympic silver medallist and NZ Rugby Players’ Association Player of the Year 2020 said: “I’m excited to be a part of this team. Knowing the history behind it, to put on the jersey for the first time — it’s a privilege to get the opportunity to do that.”
McGarvey-Black will start for Teina Potae, while Fraser’s move to fullback necessitates Hamuera Moana joining Potae as one of The Coast’s two reserve backs.
Capped 10 times for the Wellington Lions, the 1.93-metre, 126-kilogram prop Morgan Poi, a construction site supervisor, will play his fourth game (and first since 2017) for NPEC, off the bench.
Another giant, scrum-anchor Myles Lardelli-Muir Tawa, lock Green, Uawa’s Jack Richardson and hard-hitting Tanetoa Parata are the Sky Blues’ other reserve forwards.
NPEC captain No.8 Hone Haerewa leads a side whose skills, support play and fitness speak of a professional approach to rugby.
“This week we’ve looked at capitalising on our improvement at set-piece and fixing minor one-percenters,” Haerewa said.
“There’s always some way to get better, so we focus on that and what we can bring as individuals to the game.
“We go through our processes. Tomorrow we’ll flick the switch and bring that excitement.”
Fraser and halfback Sam Parkes’s running game, quite aside from their generalship of their outsides, created breaches in the defence of both North Otago and Thames Valley. They have the muscle to lay a good platform up front.
Should the poise and continued good discipline match everything else the Coast have put value on, Game 3 will be one for NPEC fans to remember.
But it won’t be easy going in Levin.
Leading the home team will be the longest-serving captain active in the Heartland Championship, lock and six-year skipper Ryan Shelford. Described by his Horowhenua head coach of six years Chris Wilton as “a great leader of men”, Shelford tomorrow plays his 94th game for Horowhenua-Kapiti.
Wilton said: “The Coast are a very good and dangerous side. It’ll be a hard game. ’Nua-East Coast games are always fast, and even when we win, it’s never easy. We have to be good in our core roles and, make no mistake, the task ahead of us is a big one.”
Horowhenua-Kapiti began their Heartland campaign with a 28-21 win against West Coast in Greymouth, and last week beat the Old Golds of North Otago 25-17 in Oamuru.
One of four unbeaten teams heading into Week 3, Horowhenua have nine competition points and are placed fourth (to Mid-Canterbury, on differential); NPEC are in ninth spot, with one point. Horowhenua-Kapiti have won 23 games to the Sky Blues’ 16, with one draw, since The ’Nua won Game 1 at Levin, 11-3, on June 23, 1951.
Horowhenua won the last meeting 46-8 at Ruatoria in 2018 and the last game played at Levin 52-3 the year before that but canny coaches such as Wilton, and good rugby men like Shelford know that current form is more relevant than ancient history.
’Nua have guns to fire. Manawatu loan player hooker Bryn Gordon, of Old Boys-Marist, blindside flanker Kolonio Koto (on debut) and NZ touch representative first-five Ash Robinson-Bartlett of the Tamatea Club in Hawke’s Bay, a loan player, are starters to watch out for. Off the bench — in tighthead prop Scott Cameron (2017 Heartland Player of the Year) and Wellington-based Poneke halfback and origin player Connor Strang — they have reinforcements who can help control and steer a game.
This match, originally scheduled to be held in Otaki, is one the Sky Blues can win if they are consistently strong at kick-off, restart, scrum and lineout. The ’Nua can play power-rugby but are also capable of scoring good tries.
Watch this space.
The referee at Levin Domain will be accountant Fraser Hannon, 26, of Otago, a first-year member of the national panel, in his third first-class appointment. Hannon’s assistant referees are former Poverty Bay whistle-blower Sam Thompson (AR1) and Mike McNamara (AR2), both of Horowhenua-Kapiti.
Jody Tuhaka, Jorian Tangaere, Perrin Manuel, Gabe Te Kani, Riki Waitoa, Tanira Tamanui-Nepia, William Bolingford, Hone Haerewa (captain), Sam Parkes, Rapata Haerewa, Ngarohi Black, Te Manu Herewini, Tawhao Stewart, Te Wehi Wright, Te Rangi Fraser. Reserves: Morgan Poi, Myles Lardelli-Muir Tawa, Richard Green, Jack Richardson, Tanetoa Parata, Hamuera Moana, Teina Potae.
James Gilland, Bryn Gordon, David McErlean, Ryan Shelford (c), Daniel Smith, Kolonio Koto, Aaron Lahmert, Benedict Grant, Jack Tatu-Robertsson, Ash Robinson-Bartlett, Lennix Tovo, Leon Ellison, Tautau Kapea, Himiona Henare, Hamish Buick. Reserves: Robin Pratt, Scott Cameron, Simon Butler, Conor Strang, Thomas Barnsley, Connor Paki, Malua Iakopo.