Hicks Bay bring hard-hat approach

IN ATTACK AND ON DEFENCE: Hikurangi halfback Neihana Ratahi-Brown is surrounded by Hicks Bay defenders as he makes a bid for the goal-line in Ngati Porou East Coast club rugby last year. Hikurangi won the match 27-22. Hicks Bay players are (from left) Eden Nuku, Frank Taiapa (wearing headgear) and No.9 Keith Henderson. Picture by Doone Harrison

They've never been flashy.

Hicks Bay — in construction worker terms — play hard-hat, blue-collar, lunch-bucket-type rugby, knowing what they do well.

Under second-year head coach Aaron King, they will be competitive up front.

Last season, tenacity and courage were big factors in Hicks Bay's winning their first five games.

But for a 29-19 loss at home to Tihirau Victory Club and a 13-try home victory for Uawa over Tokomaru Bay United to clinch the Kath McLean Memorial Trophy, Hicks Bay would have won the first round in 2019.

King, an old school front-rower as honest as the day is long (and who still has his own boots close at hand), is on record as telling his team, “If I need to, I'll come out there!” — though if all goes to plan, that ought not to eventuate.

Hicks Bay are led by forwards captain Frank Taiapa, a veteran capable of covering spots 6 to 8, and fullback Sean Murtagh, whose vision and timing into the line complement the flair of — among others — goal-kicking left wing Leyth Delamere.

Hicks Bay, as with all clubs on the Coast, are a close-knit family affair. On Tuesday and Thursday nights the men, women and emerging players all warm up and practise their simple skill-sets together. They then split up, coming back after the team training to warm down as a unit at their historic ground, Kawakawa mai Tawhiti.

Hicks Bay have the nucleus of last year's strong set of forwards. Aaron Reedy and Josh King are experienced, quality props and No.8 Anton King has a mighty heart. Rarely has a losing team's MVP (most valuable player) been as deserving of such an award as he was, after the 1 v 4 semifinal against Uawa last year.

It is even conceivable that legendary Ngati Porou East Coast centre Tyrone Delamere — capped 73 times over 11 years and a member of Joe McClutchie's third-division-winning Sky Blues of 1999 — might, off the bench, don a Hicks Bay shirt at some stage this season (emphasis here being on “might”).

“We're a mixture of young and experienced players and with playing only one round, each game is twice as important; every game is a must-win game,” Aaron King said.

“We've got to win our own ball at set piece, and be accurate. Our aim is to compete with teams, using our traditional strengths to challenge them.”