Demo derby

Poverty Bay winger Andrew Tauatevalu scoots away to score during last year’s 58-18 Queen’s Birthday derby victory over Ngati Porou East Coast at Tolaga Bay. The Coast will host the fixture again this year. Pictures by Paul Rickard

Andrew Tauatevalu was the hat-trick star of a Poverty Bay side who maintained their dominance over Ngati Porou East Coast with a 58-18 rout in the annual Queen’s Birthday derby at Tolaga Bay on Saturday.

But the long-striding High School Old Boys winger had to settle for sharing the man-of-the-match honours after a magnificent display from Wairoa Athletic’s Jesse Kapene in his Bay debut.

No.8 Kapene, who scored the eighth of his side’s nine tries, set the scene for a superb performance with a strong carry in the opening minutes. He never looked back, knocking players over in the tackle and never being far from the ball-carrier.

On this performance, Kapene is a strong contender for a place in the Bay side for their Ranfurly Shield challenge against Taranaki on July 28.

“I wasn’t thinking about making the Bay team at the start of the year,” the 26-year-old former Tapuae rugby league player said. “I was just enjoying being back in the Bay comp playing footy with my mates.

“It would be great to play in a Shield game but I’m not getting carried away. A lot of good players are in the squad and they’d all love to play. And this was just one game.”

Maybe so, but Kapene was the talk of not just Bay supporters but those supporting the Sky Blues.

More importantly, Bay coach Mana Otai was impressed.

“Jesse did well, especially for his first game, and against the Coast in Tolaga,” Otai said.

“We always knew it would be an emotional game for players on both sides but the atmosphere was great. I loved it. It was tight until the last 20 minutes.”

It was also a first-up win for Bay skipper and hooker Tamanui Hill.

Perhaps a surprise choice to lead the side after only recently recovering from a knee construction and not having played many minutes for HSOB, Hill led from the front. Like Kapene and flankers Willis Tamatea (blindside) and Stefan Destounis (openside), he was never far from the action.

Tamatea had his best game in a red jersey. He, Kapene, hooker Jody Tuhaka and lock Jacob Cook played 80 minutes against a Coast pack who were up for the challenge.

Coast captain Paddy Allen (blindside flanker), lock Adaam Ross, loosehead prop Hakarangi Tichborne and No.8 Perrin Manuel would not have looked out of place in the Bay team.

The difference was the pace of the backs.

In fullback Ethine Reeves, wingers Tauatevalu and Oka Sanerivi, first five-eighth Kelvin Smith and centre Te Peehi Fairlie, the Bay had speed to burn.

As the Coast tired in the last 20 minutes, the Bay backs carved holes in the defence.

Second-five Jess Fleming and halfbacks Mario Counsell and his replacement, Hamuera Baker, also made valuable contributions.

While the Coast backs could not match their opposites for speed, halfback Sam Parkes and midfielders TK Moeke and Verdon Bartlett did not deserve to be on the end of a 40-point loss.

“We started the game strongly, making odd yards through the middle,” Coast co-coach Wayne Ensor said.

“TK was into everything, Adaam (Ross) and Rikki Kernohan were controlling the lineouts and Parkesy was delivering good ball. But we’ve had limited time together as a team and I think you could see that in the last 15 minutes.”

Poverty Bay 58 (A Tauatevalu 3, K Smith 2, E Reeves, Te Peehi Fairlie, Jesse Kapene, Cameron Rowden tries; Reeves 3 con, pen, Smith con, Tauatevalu con).

NGATI POROU EAST COAST 18 (TK Moeke, S Lasenby tries; S Parkes con, 2 pen).

HT: 22-13.