The battle of the No.9s — Ngāti Porou East Coast halfback Sam Parkes. Pictures by Paul Rickard
Ruatōria will be rugby central tomorrow when Ngāti Porou East Coast host Poverty Bay in a Heartland Championship Week 5 derby with more than just competition points on the line.
What is shaping up to be another classic duel between the scarlet of Poverty Bay and the sky blue of the Coast will see the PJ Sayers Cup and the Bill Osborne Taonga up for contention.
The PJ Sayers Cup goes on the line when the teams meet on Coast soil. Poverty Bay are the holders after a
46-12 win in the Queen’s Birthday Weekend clash last year. The Bill Osborne is the Ranfurly Shield of the Heartland Championship. The Coast took it off Poverty Bay 12-10 in Gisborne on September 10 last year and have held on to it since.
Enterprise Cars Whakarua Park is hosting a derby tripleheader tomorrow, culminating in the Civil Project Solutions Poverty Bay Wekas taking on Ngāti Porou East Coast Kaupoi at 2pm.
The action starts on the main ground at 11.30am, with Tūranga Wāhine facing Ngāti Porou Hamoterangi in Week 4 of the inaugural North Island Women’s Heartland Championship.
On field 2, Tūranga Wāhine under-18s take on their Ngāti Porou East Coast Wāhine counterparts at 12.30pm.
Poverty Bay Wekas, sitting eighth on the Heartland table have fallen frustratingly short in their last three matches and are looking to turn their season around against a Kaupoi side who have won three on the trot to be placed third.
“We’ve had three losses now (to Thames Valley, Wairarapa Bush and Mid Canterbury) and we were within striking distance in all three,” said Poverty Bay head coach Miah Nikora, whose side have picked up losing bonus points in each of those. “We know we are there or thereabouts. Those three games were definitely winnable.”
Nikora said there was not much to change within their structures but they needed to be more accurate and clinical.
“We turned over a lot of ball in the last two weekends in particular. We know that when we are at our best we can build phases, build continuity and have our forwards build that platform for our backs to be able to express themselves.”
Poverty Bay go into tomorrow’s match without the services of co-captain and 70-game veteran Kelvin Smith, who was injured in last weekend’s 23-20 loss to Mid Cantebury.
Hooker Shayde Skudder will lead the side with halfback Ra Broughton vice-captain.
Former New Zealand age group, Taranaki, Wellington and Tasman first-class player Nikora has a lot of respect for the Coast and is well aware of the danger they pose.
“They have a lot of flair and some classy players in the likes of Te Rangi Fraser (first-five), Tevita Nabura (winger), Renata Roberts-Te Nana (fullback), Sam Parkes captain and halfback) . . . just to name a few,” Nikora said.
“They are key players who are influential in their team . . . that’s something Kahu (NPEC head coach Kahu Tamatea) had when he used to play . . . a lot of flair and you can see that flavour within the Coast team. But they are also doing the basics really well at the same time.”
Tamatea, who played for the Bay (82 games) and the Coast (9), said this contest was about more than the silverware and points.
“You can’t go past this local derby. It brings so much more than any other Heartland game — whānau versus whānau, mate versus mate and bragging rights for the rest of the year.”
Tamatea, in his debut season coaching at Heartland level, said it had been rewarding to see the players taking in his teachings and thriving from it.
“The most rewarding thing has been the buy-in from everyone in the squad which has meant we have plenty of depth.
“For us, we just need to focus on what we can control — basic skill levels, building phases, backing our systems and enjoying the occasion.
“Don’t let Poverty Bay’s results fool anyone. They’re a very good team. It’s only been some small moments in the second halves that have seen results fall out of their grasp.”