Countdown to the semifinals

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It’s semifinals time for East Coast senior rugby. To quote Hikurangi stalwart Doone Harrison: “And then there were four”. Yes, four teams have prevailed in the seven-club battle for semifinal places in the close-fought and compelling 2016 Ngati Porou East Coast senior rugby competition.

Uawa have been clinical in their approach to this year’s preliminary round, dropping only one game. Even a visually challenged person could drive a transporter carrying a D8 between their 46 competition points and the 33 points of second-equal TVC and Hikurangi, with Tokararangi fourth on 32 points.

But those points are history now. The two semifinals start on level playing fields, with games well worth watching at Tolaga Bay and Ruatoria on Saturday. Expect quality Coast rugby with excellent defence from all teams, strong ball-carrying from big forwards, effective loosies, and wingers getting a run following penetrating back movements.

Uawa v TokararangiUawa will host Tokararangi at Tolaga Bay Domain.

Uawa co-coach Peter Crawford said: “It will be a grudge match — we narrowly lost to Toka in the semis last year, and then they went on to win the competition. They haven’t had the best of years, but we respect their team resilience and skills. We’ve been training well with a big squad — every week it’s hard to work out our starting 15. So we’re looking forward to Saturday.”

Toka came back hard at the end of the preliminary round, after a period of disruption due to player unavailability.

Morgan Wirepa jnr took over the coaching role from Morgan Waitoa this year, although the old master still plots and directs from the sideline at every Toka game. Wirepa has an effective squad and is himself a skilled, canny forward who spends a fair amount of time out with the backs. He infects his team with his enjoyment of the game.

“We’re all ready to go on Saturday with no injuries,” he told The Gisborne Herald.

Expect a hard-fought game: Toka are determined to keep the Rangiora Keelan Trophy and Uawa will go all out to bring it south to cap off a spectacular season.

TVC v HikurangiThe game between second-equal teams TVC and Hikurangi will be played at Ruatoria, even though TVC have the better points differential. This is because the Ngati Porou East Coast rule on clubs with equal competition points favours the team who won the last time the clubs met.

On paper, Hikurangi look strong. They have five members of the East Coast squad who played Poverty Bay at Queen’s Birthday Weekend, compared with two for TVC, and they have a useful mix of youth and experience in the forwards. Those veterans have earned their places — lock Horace Lewis is Hiku’s equal top try-scorer this year, along with captain and first five-eighth Kris Palmer, and front-rower Pat McLean, with 100-plus games for Hiku, is not far behind.

But rugby is not played on paper. Indeed, it looks like there will be slushy conditions under foot with rain easing to showers on Saturday. This will suit the driving play of the TVC forward pack, although player-coach Whetu Haerewa says their talented backs prefer a dry track.

There will be a fierce contest between two very good backlines: TVC have the ability to deal with Hiku’s reinvigorated line-up. After having to pull out of the 2015 season, TVC hit this season like a Sherman tank, racking up high scores in early games. They had a lull in midseason but are now back in top form. Recently they had a narrow loss to Hiku, and will want to avenge that with an 80-minute onslaught.

Haerewa has kept a consistent squad, and his starting 15 will be the same as the line-up who forced Ruatoria City out of the top four last weekend.