Here, there and everywhere

Waikohu prop Toru Noanoa proves a hard man to stop for Ngatapa’s Ihaia Kerr and James Maher in a Poverty Bay premier club rugby game at Te Karaka on Saturday. Top-of-the-table Waikohu made it eight consecutive wins, 33-19, in what turned out to be the only premier game that went ahead, as Tapuae and Wairoa Athletic defaulted, although Athletic did get a 14-man team on the field against OBM. There were also two defaulted games in the Ngati Porou East Coast club competition. Poverty Bay Rugby Football Union chief executive Josh Willoughby said it was disappointing but acknowledged the challenges clubs were facing these days. Picture by Paul Rickard

A Jesse Fleming-inspired Waikohu made it eight Poverty Bay premier division wins in a row and maximum points from each, beating Ngatapa 33-19 at Te Karaka on Saturday.

The five-tries-to-three victory ensured GT Shearing Waikohu maintained their five-point lead over YMP, who beat Tapuae by default, with four games remaining to the top-four playoffs.

It also meant the Challenge Cup stayed in Te Karaka at least until the next home challenge against Tapuae in two weeks.

Larsawn Ngatapa had hoped to celebrate prop Campbell Chrisp’s 100th game for the club with a win, and they took a surprise lead after 10 minutes of non-stop Waikohu attack.

Right wing Karl Macpherson launched a counter-attack with a strong run before openside flanker Jacob Samuel offloaded to in-form fullback Cameron Rowden to score under the bar. Centre Pete Livingston converted.

Waikohu — with skipper and hooker Geoff Pari, prop Toru Noanoa and No.8 Ken Houkamau leading the charges — resumed their onslaught and it needed superb play by Samuel to stop Waikohu from scoring.

It followed a kick-and-chase in which three Waikohu players were bearing down on Samuel 10 metres from the tryline.

Samuel slipped in the wet, close to the touchline, as he tried to secure possession but somehow he recovered, scooped up the ball, got to his feet and cleared the danger.

However, with Noanoa swatting away would-be tacklers and the 400-strong crowd going crazy every time the “big fella” — prop Jarryd Broughton — charged at the line, it wasn’t long before Waikohu scored a five-pointer.

Broughton showed tremendous skills with a brilliant pass to left wing Kirwan Ratapu, who did well to break two tackles two metres in from the touchline then passed to blindside flanker James Rutene to score out wide.

With 20 minutes gone, Waikohu had closed it to 7-5.

Four minutes later, they hit the front with a try to first five-eighth Kelvin Smith, who had a stormer.

Openside flanker Tonga Stevens, one of the unsung heroes, pounced on a loose ball following a Ngatapa lineout five metres from their tryline. Stevens passed to Smith, who scored between the posts.

Fullback Ethine Reeves converted to put Waikohu 12-7 up.

Ngatapa were living on scraps, as Waikohu were dominant at the breakdown.

Smith and Rutene then paved the way for Reeves to score a try, which he converted, and Waikohu were ahead 19-7 eight minutes before halftime.

Ngatapa, whose defence had kept them in the game, closed the gap on the stroke of halftime with a try to blindside flanker Anthony Karauria, who normally plays as a midfield back.

With the Waikohu forwards having done their jobs — tiring out the Ngatapa pack with their energy-sapping runs — it was time for the backs to cut loose in the second half.

Try caps man-of-the-match displayWaikohu winger Kirwan Ratapu got the ball rolling with a try eight minutes after the break.

Centre Tawhao Stewart, another who played well, began the move with a break down the left wing before cutting infield and wrongfooting Rowden 10 metres from the tryline.

Rowden managed to catch up but not before Stewart had passed to Ratapu. Reeves added the two points, and from then on it was a matter of how many Waikohu would win by, such was their dominance.

Fleming capped a man-of-the-match performance with a try in the 68th minute.

Houkamau nailed a Ngatapa player with a spot tackle that dislodged the ball. Fleming was first to react, kicking the ball ahead and winning the race.

Ngatapa replacement winger Mark Yanz scored a consolation try.

Samuel, lock Sam McDell, No.8 James Maher, halfback Chris Richardson (until injured) and Chrisp, making a comeback from a hand injury, played well.

Ngatapa coaches Sione Ngatu and David McDonald agreed Waikohu were too good.

WAIKOHU 33 (J Rutene, E Reeves, K Smith, K Ratapu, J Fleming tries; E Reeves 4 con).

NGATAPA 19 (C Rowden, A Karauria, M Yanz tries; P Livingston 2 con).

HT: 19-12 (Waikohu).

East Coast Farm Vets YMP coach Steve Smith could have been forgiven for being annoyed after taking his team to Wairoa to play Roseland Tavern Tapuae, only to be told 15 minutes before kick-off that the home side did not have enough players.Instead, Smith said he and his players felt sorry for Tapuae coach Frank King and the nine players who turned up.

“They were hugely embarrassed and you could see it on their faces; they just couldn’t stop apologising,” Smith said.

“We could have packed up and got back on the bus and headed home straight away. But we had a training run and when we finished Frank (King, Tapuae coach) had put on some kai for us, which our boys appreciated.

“I told Frank that if there was anything we or the union could do to help, that’s what should be done. You don’t kick a team when they’re down.”

Charteris Choppers Wairoa Athletic coach Jimmy Whaitiri was bitterly disappointed . . . “not for myself as much as for the guys who did front up” when he arrived at Campion to play Enterprise Cars OBM with 14 players.

“We’ve got a core group who are always available and we’ve got two guys — Jesse Kapene and Kurt Taylor — who are in the Bay rep team trying to get a place in the Heartland squad.”

OBM play Earthwork Solutions High School Old Boys on Saturday. OBM are fourth, nine points ahead of defending Lee Bros Shield champions HSOB, with four games to go before the top-four playoffs.