Tapuae opened the scoring in the fifth minute with the first of two tries to powerhouse second five Filimone Drua, converted by first five Kyoni Te Amo.
Manuel’s try, from a lineout drive, followed in the 11th minute and Te Amo’s conversion made it 14-0.
HSOB’s Most Valuable Player Cohen Loffler, at centre, put the home team on the scoreboard with a penalty kick, then scored under the crossbar after running on to a perfectly weighted chip kick by second five Braedyn Grant in the 31st minute. Loffler converted for 14-10.
HSOB hit the front (15-14) three minutes later – right wing Josai Bosaka Tikicidre muscling his way over after a set move from a lineout.
A quick tap kick 5m from the HSOB line resulted in Drua’s second try and Te Amo’s conversion put Tapuae 21-15 ahead at the break.
A Loffler penalty four minutes after the resumption closed the deficit to 21-18 and three minutes later, fullback Matt Proffit intercepted halfback Kingi Te Amo’s clearing pass and dashed nearly 80m to score near the posts.
Loffler converted to put HSOB 25-21 in front.
The scoring was completed with a converted try in the 65th minute after a helter-skelter sequence of play ... left wing Bryan Howard sidestepping two players superbly to finish off.
There was nothing easy about HSOB’s fifth win. The artful left foot of Grant and the instinctive play and quickness of Loffler were features of the game, as was the hard running of the Tapuae backs, who took a lot of stopping.
Larsawn Ngātapa claimed their first competition point in a 20-18 loss to East Coast Farm Vets YMP at Paddy’s Park, Pātutahi.
Ngātapa have yet to win a game but by finishing within seven points of the defending champions, who beat them 66-5 in round 1 in April, they picked up a losing bonus point.
Before the game, a moment of silence was observed for Reverend John Pomana and Ngātapa “Original” Noel Green.
Pomana was a minister of the Ringatu faith, healthcare kaiawhina, 2018 Tairawhiti Man of the Year Awards nominee and a former YMP player with family ties to YMP and Ngātapa.
Green, who excelled on the wing, was a great all-round sportsman who had family connections to Ngatapa and Waikohu.
Ngātapa stunned the defending champions with the first try after three minutes, hooker Ben Johnson scoring after a forward drive infield from a lineout at the 22.
YMP responded 13 minutes in with a try to centre Izaiah Fox set up by second five Mitchell Purvis’s grubber kick towards the corner.
A minute later they scored again. From a lineout at Ngātapa’s end, YMP put the drive on and tighthead prop Nehe Papuni surged across for 10-5.
Ngātapa first five Jake Holmes scored the fourth try of the match in the 19th minute. Following several phases, Holmes chipped through and got to the loose ball first in the corner.
Four minutes after that, Ngātapa second five Tsugunosuke Hirai employed the same tactics to lay on a try for blindside flanker come left-wing Jack Hamilton, and the home team went to the break 15-10 up.
The second half featured more tough rugby, with both sides producing half-breaks aplenty.
In the 64th minute, a Holmes penalty kick after referee Ben Holt marched YMP back 10m from where he ruled the original offence put them 18-10 ahead.
YMP surged back in the 71st. No 8 Khian Westrupp came off the back of a scrum 5m from Ngātapa’s line to score a tremendous try and first five Silas Brown’s conversion made it a one-point ball game.
In injury time, what had been a fierce battle ended with a climactic penalty attempt after Ngātapa were pinged at a ruck. Brown kicked the goal from centrefield 25m out to snatch a 20-18 win for his side.
YMP head coach Willie Brown described it as “a grind”, while Westrupp – usually a man of action rather than words – said “Ngātapa came ready to play. They were strong at the breakdown. We were lucky to win that game.”
HSOB lead the standings after the first game of round 2 with 23 points, YMP are on 15, Tapuae 10 and Ngātapa one.
