Bumbles celebrate in style

SENIOR ONE CHAMPIONS: YMP Bumbles celebrate their Senior One title victory.

The YMP Bumbles had won the Senior One division going into Saturday's game, but that didn't hold them back.

Playing as a curtain-raiser to the premier finals, the Bumbles toyed with the Ngatapa team, winning 56-12 in Civil Project Solutions Senior One rugby.

The pandemic-affected season meant Senior One teams would have no finals football, and with YMP winning the top-of-the-table clash against Tapuae 22-15 last weekend they had already sealed the title.

Athletic secured a stable mid-table position but couldn't find wins when it mattered against the top teams.

Ngatapa struggled this season, getting only one win to their name against Pirates, who also mustered only a single victory.

YMP had the goal of going out there and having fun this season, and it paid off with only one loss on their record.

They took that mentality into Saturday, making sure they didn't celebrate their win until after the season was finished.

Ngatapa looked like they might have some fight, scoring the second try of the game to stay even on the scoreboard, but their momentum stalled and YMP kept up the pressure.

YMP were down to 13 men at one stage, due to two players being yellow-carded, one for repeated offsides and the other for a shoulder charge.

They still kept the Ngatapa team under pressure and, to add insult to injury, scored with two men in the sin bin.

The Ngatapa team kept their heads held high, but it was primarily one-way traffic as YMP piled on the points.

A second-half try to Ngatapa was their only real highlight after their hot start.

YMP were faster to the breakdown, winning back a lot of ball with their loose forwards' speed.

They hit the line strong and hard and tackled with venom.

Ngatapa had their moments but were quickly shut down by the covering defence of YMP.

It was a family affair for YMP, with several families having multiple generations on the field.

Player-coach Ron Tamatea said it was an awesome occasion, getting to hoist the Lew Patterson Cup with his sons Kahu, Willis and Genesis.

“Today is all about whanau . . . it's a tribute to all these up-and-coming players and the families who have supported us.”