“We need to work on our spacing and basic skills coming into the business end ... we want to time our run to produce the perfect game at the right time.”
HSOB honoured a great servant of the blue and whites since 2012 – game-day captain and flanker Boyle, playing in his 100th Premier Grade match.
Boyle, the son of Carla and ex-HSOB and Poverty Bay first five Danny Boyle (52 games for Poverty Bay, 8 for Wairarapa Bush), made the best ball-and-all tackle of the day 15 minutes into the game, a textbook hit on lock Khian Westrupp.
“This game was special for me because I was born into this club,” he said afterwards. “I’ve been in it, around it my whole life, and it was special to lead the boys, too.
“We’ve got great leaders in the team, so all I tried to do on Saturday was what George Halley [usual captain] and Siosiua Moala [vice-captain] have done all season.
“We have a young, energetic team with a lot of natural talent, and we’re pretty determined.”
YMP openside flanker Te Peehi Fairlie opened the scoring two minutes into the game after seven phases of play.
Centre Mitchell Purvis converted – one of seven conversions he made. First-five Kelvin Smith kicked the eighth.
HSOB right wing Jack Truelock delivered a “magic moment” after 16 minutes, intercepting on halfway and rocketing to the line for the try, which fullback Matt Proffit converted for 7-all.
YMP No 8 Niko Lauti scored a pushover try under the crossbar after 23 minutes, Fairlie completed his double three minutes later and superb passing from halfback Rawiri Broughton and Smith saw right wing Izaiah Fox go over in the 33rd.
YMP ramped it up further. Skudder got a try after a lineout 5m from the left corner and in the last minute of the half, lock Siope Piukana – later named YMP’s Taste One Most Valuable Player – dotted down.
Giant loosehead prop Nehe Papuni broke a 14-minute deadlock when he hulked over in the 54th minute, and reserve centre Taine Aupouri crossed for their eighth and final try in the 63rd.
Left wing Bryan Howard grabbed HSOB a consolation try in the 77th.
YMP’s ninth consecutive maximum-points victory lifted them to 45 points and well on track to add the round 2 honours to their round 1 trophy.
Tapuae had to come back from an early deficit to repel a gutsy effort from fifth-placed Ngatapa.
Not that Tapuae would have been surprised.
When the teams met at Patutahi in round 1, Tapuae’s 32-22 win was hard-earned. This one was no different.
Ngatapa stunned their hosts with an intercept try to left wing Mosese Bulicakau six minutes in.
Tapuae hit back in the 19th through left wing Rema Smith, who won the race to the ball after it was kicked through.
Lock Harawira Kahukura scored in the 28th minute, and Tapuae went into the break with a 12-5 lead.
That became 17-5 when hooker-cum-blindside flanker Sekove Serau scored in the 61st minute.
Ngatapa strongman and reserve hooker Ihaia Kerr went over in the 68th minute and first-five Rian Norton converted – the try earning the Sione Ngatu-coached green and whites a losing bonus points.
Tapuae coach and first five Paoraian Manuel-Harman was in no doubt that Ngatapa adapted superbly to the muddy conditions and stop-start nature of the game, but gave his boys credit for getting the job done.
“The game was messy and tight, so we did what we had to do. We kept our composure and played most of the 80 minutes in their half.”
Enterprise Cars OBM, in third place, had the weekend off after Pirates’ withdrawal from the competition.
There are no Premier or Senior 1 games this weekend. The final games of round 2 are on June 28, followed by semifinals on July 5 and the grand final on July 12.
