Day of drama

OVER FOR THE TRY: Enterprise Cars OBM prop Lance Dickson crashes over for a try in a premier club rugby game against East Coast Farm Vets YMP at Rugby Park on Saturday. YMP, however, proved too strong, running out 50-16 winners in a match marred by a brawl on the stroke of halftime. Picture by Paul Rickard

A dramatic Saturday of Poverty Bay club rugby featured a brawl, an emotional local derby and the end of premier club rugby leaders Waikohu’s 10-match unbeaten run.

Poverty Bay Rugby Football Union officials are to look at a recording of the YMP-OBM game at Rugby Park before making any comment on a brawl that took place as the first half ended.

The incident occurred after East Coast Farm Vets YMP players took exception to a late tackle by Enterprise Cars OBM blindside flanker Jacob Cook on first five-eighth Brian Whaitiri-White.

Referee Royce Maynard awarded YMP a penalty just inside their half, close to the touchline.

Whaitiri-White kicked the ball into touch to end the first half but was hit late by OBM blindside flanker Jacob Cook . . . and it was all on as players from both teams rushed in, some throwing punches, others trying to pull players away.

There was too much going on — players everywhere getting involved — for Maynard and his touchies to take action but when things settled, Cook was sent to the sinbin.

YMP went on to resoundingly win 50-16 and cement second place on the table heading into the last games of the round before the top-four playoffs.

PBRFU official Henry Lamont said that union representatives would today watch a recording of the game and no comment would be made until they had done that.

The YMP-OBM game had already been delayed for an hour due to an injury to OBM senior 1 player Benji McCann in the curtain-raiser.

McCann suffered a dislocated collarbone just before halftime. Concerned officials did not want to move him while they waited for an ambulance. Such was the delay that the premier game did not kick off until 3.40pm — 55 minutes late.

The Tapuae-Athletic derby in Wairoa was shrouded by tragedy following the deaths of Tapuae player Fabian Cook, 33, and Freedom Morunga, 21, in a crash on Friday night.

“We wanted to honour them, show our respect and aroha for both the Cook and Morunga whanau,” said Tapuae captain hooker Wayne Hema, whose side went down 12-10.

Meanwhile, at Te Karaka, competition leaders GT Shearing Waikohu were given a reality check as they fell 39-30 to reigning champions Earthwork Solutions HSOB.

HSOB are out of the top-four running but their win earned them the Challenge Cup, which they can lock away in the trophy cabinet for the summer if they win their final game against Athletic this Saturday.

Despite the loss, Waikohu cannot be caught at the top of the table. Their last game is against OBM this Saturday, which could be a dress rehearsal for the knockout semifinals.

YMP (second on the table) and Larsawn Ngatapa (third) complete the top four.