Four epic finals for the Bay and Coast

A109 Light Utility Helicopter flight with mayor Gisborne City from the air in November 2023.

The countdown has begun.

Four epic finals will play out this Saturday in Poverty Bay and Ngati Porou East Coast club rugby.

At Rugby Park in Gisborne from 1pm, the Civil Project Solutions Senior 1 final will pit defending champions and Lew Patterson Cup holders Charteris Choppers Wairoa-Athletic against underdogs and hometown heroes the Turanga Pirates.

The defending premier-grade champions and Premier Cup holders as first-round winners, GT Shearing Waikohu, will defend the Lee Brothers Shield against East Coast Farm Vets YMP in the Civil Project Solutions competition grand final at Rugby Park from 3pm.

In Enterprise Cars Ngati Porou East Coast men’s club rugby, unbeaten Tihirau Victory Club are at home — Te Kura Mana Maori o Whangaparaoa, Cape Runaway — to go at it for the Rangiora Keelan Memorial Shield with Pango Productions Waiapu in the final at 2.30pm.

In the NPEC women’s final, Waiapu will take on the Hikurangi Mountain Maidens for the Hamo Te Rangi Cup at George Nepia Memorial Park, Rangitukia, from 12 midday.

True greatness and the potential for greatness will be on show this weekend. Waikohu, with a 10 from 11 record, lost to YMP 38-19 three weeks ago. Waikohu will look to put that right against the team who on July 2 cost them a rare perfect season.

YMP, whose last grand final appearance was a 65-5 loss to Enterprise Cars OBM in the 2019 showpiece, played superbly against the Clint Pirihi-coached OBM in 2 v 3 on Saturday.

Waikohu rumbled home for 10 tries to one against Larsawn Ngatapa in the 1 v 4 semi.

Wairoa Athletic, who beat local rivals Roseland Tavern Tapuae 22-15 in last year’s Lew Patterson Cup final, line up against Anthony Kiwara’s Turanga Pirates, a Senior 1 crew who have shown more improvement in 11 weeks than any such team in recent history.

What of the Coast?

Tihirau Victory Club are unbeaten — and seemingly invincible — with a 7-7 record, including a 31-26 win against fellow finalists Waiapu at Rangitukia on June 4.

The Jackson Reuben-Swinton/Ario Rewi-coached Ruatoria City fell to Waiapu, who will host the women’s final on Saturday.

Doone Harrison’s team, the Hikurangi Mountain Maidens, beat defending champions Tihirau Victory Club 17-10 in extra time — an outstanding TVC unit’s first loss in three and a half seasons.

1 v 4: GT Shearing Waikohu 64 (Geoffrey Pari 2, Mario Counsell, Kupu Lloyd, Tione Hubbard, KC Wilson, Tane McGuire, Jarryd Broughton, Ruan du Plooy, James Rutene, tries; Moses Christie 7 con) Larsawn Ngatapa 5 (Michael Livingston). Halftime: 24-0. 2 v 3: East Coast Farm Vets YMP 22 (Shayde Skudder, Andrew Tauatevalu, Mitchell Purvis, tries; Tauatevalu pen, 2 con) Enterprise Cars OBM 7 (Jale Tiko try; Austin Brown con). HT: 7-5 (OBM).

Premier rugby MVP (most valuable player)awards: Kupu Lloyd (Waikohu), James Hughes-Lock (Ngatapa), Team (YMP), Hemokai Aupouri-Akuhata (OBM).

1 v 4: Charteris Choppers Wairoa Athletic 20 (Alex Little, Sean Taylor, tries; Moss Doran 2 con, 2 pen) Roseland Tavern Tapuae 15 (Gabriel Doull, Wayne Hema, Te Kauri Carroll, tries) at Athletic Park. HT: 15-0 (Athletic).

2 v 3: Turanga Pirates 16 (Setefano Tolu, Nahau Holani, tries; Tyreke Casey 2 pen) Nuhaka V8s 10 (Hickson Raroa try; Blayze Waiari-Taylor con, pen) at the Oval 1. HT: 10-8 (Nuhaka).

Senior 1 MVP awards: Daniel Knubley (Wairoa Athletic), Kyoni Te Amo-Poki (Tapuae), Charlie Kepa (Pirates), Kava Tupe (Nuhaka).

1 v 4: Tihirau Victory Club 20 (Hoani Te Moana, Te Manu Herewini, tries; Ngarangi Haerewa 2 con, 2 pen) Ruatoria City 15 (Neihana Ratahi-Brown, John Brown, tries; Nathaniel Fox con, pen) at Te Kura Mana Maori o Whangaparaoa. HT: 15-0 (TVC).

2 v 3: Pango Productions Uawa 17 (Myles Lardelli-Muir-Tawa, Paddy Allen, tries; Carlos Kemp 2 con, pen) Pango Productions Waiapu 38 (penalty try; Jorian Tangaere, Willie Bolingford, Te Hei Turei, Perrin Manuel, tries; Hamuera Moana-Baker 4 con, pen) at Uawa Domain. HT: 21-10 (Waiapu).

NPEC club rugby MVP awards: Manaia Nyman (TVC), Team (Ruatoria City), Paddy Allen (Uawa), Hamuera Moana-Baker (Waiapu).

Ngati Porou East Coast women’s club rugby semifinal results —

1 v 4: Tihirau Victory Club 10 (Alexis Koopu, Nikau Teddy, tries) Hikurangi 17 (Manaia Beach 2, Taina Keelan-Kylie, tries; Katerina Ngarimu con). HT: 10-5 (Hikurangi). Regulation time: 10-10.

2 v 3: Waiapu 24 (Billi Jo Tangaere, Billie Delamere, Talon August, Cheyenne Ngerengere, tries; Maia Rickard 2 con) Ruatoria City 5 (Ariana Clarke try). HT: 12-5.

NPEC club rugby MVP awards: Danea Kopa (TVC), Team (Hikurangi), Brenna August (Waiapu), Ario Rewi (Ruatoria City).