Bay side well beaten by Marist u23s

HARD WORK: Semisi Tagivetaua was part of a hard-working loose-forward trio for Poverty Bay Tuatara in their game against New Zealand Marist under-23s at the Oval on Saturday. Marist won the game in a canter, 79-21. Picture by Paul Rickard

RUGBY

A CLASSY and fit New Zealand Marist under-23 rugby side have shown players on the fringe of selection for the Poverty Bay senior squad what is needed to step up to the next level.

They had too much firepower for the home team at the Oval on Saturday, putting the Poverty Bay Tuatara away 79-21.

The Tuatara, Poverty Bay’s development side, included players such as Waikohu prop Jarryd Broughton, Pirates-GMC halfback Jacob Leaf, Ngatapa lock Scott Brodie and High School Old Boys lock Fletcher Scammell, and they were captained by YMP first five-eighth Brian Whaitiri-White.

Scammell, the team’s vice-captain, was the Poverty Bay club rugby player of the year and both Leaf and Brodie shone in the first Town against Country fixture, essentially a trial for the rep squad.

Broughton was player of the day for the Tuatara on Saturday.

Both the Poverty Bay senior team and under-20s also had games at the weekend and that put the squeeze on the development team somewhat.

Tuatara coach Dwayne Russell said the Marist team, coached by former All Black prop Steve McDowall, were laden with talent.

One of their players was Ethan Brett, who plays for Poverty Bay club side OBM, and he was mobile and industrious, Russell said.

Brett has also been named in the Hurricanes u20 squad, alongside Ngatapa loose forward Chase Sheridan and Gisborne Boys’ High School lock Ofa Tauatevalu.

The Tuatara team tried to match it with Marist out wide but it soon became clear they were better off keeping the ball in close, Russell said.

They had the edge in the scrums, he said.

Poverty Bay Tuatara were scratching for numbers on the reserves bench, however.

Tulsa Kaui had stints at prop, No.8, second-five and even a dabble at first-five and goal-kicker.

Peter Livingstone, the side’s regular goal-kicker, started at second-five and ended up at fullback.

Russell said the trio of loose forwards — Semisi Tagivetaua, Jacob Samuel and James Rutene — worked hard.

Michael Fox, a former Gisborne Boys’ High School student who plays for Napier Tech in Hawke’s Bay, was handy at centre, he said.

Marist had two tries in the first six minutes but Scammell then scored for the Tuatara and Marist led 12-7.

They pushed that out to 29-7, before Livingstone scored a try that he also converted.

Marist led 54-14 at halftime.

The Tuatara made a better fist of their defensive duties in the second half.

Broughton scored a consolation try with five minutes left to play, converted by Kaui.

The Tuatara will get a boost this week when u20 players become available for their game against the Wairoa sub-union.

That game, starting at 11am on Saturday at Rugby Park, is the curtain-raiser for the Poverty Bay senior team’s pre-season fixture against Hawke’s Bay Saracens.

The Saracens game, starting at 1.30pm, is Poverty Bay’s last match before their Heartland Championship campaign begins on August 24.