Hicks Bay storm back to beat Uawa

KEY PLAYER: Hicks Bay captain Frank Taiapa, here in action against Tokomaru Bay United, was prominent against Uawa on Saturday. File picture by Doone Harrison

HICKS Bay beat Uawa 18-14 in a torrid East Coast club rugby game that had two players sin-binned in the closing stages at Wharekahika on Saturday.

Uawa led 14-11 with eight minutes to go, when two of their players were sin-binned. They had led from the time the first points were scored, 17 minutes in.

The first try came after a great build-up from the Uawa forwards, especially Laman Davies, Moana Nuku, Dan Knubley, Bradley Sidney, Rikki Kernohan and Pati Lemapu. They created the space for captain and fullback BJ Sidney to scythe through the defence and score. Sebastian Raroa kicked the conversion.

The game was played at a fast pace. Possession and territory see-sawed in the first half but Uawa had the better of the territory in the second.

No quarter was asked or given. Just when Uawa supporters thought their team were in control, Hicks Bay would come storming back.

Hicks Bay’s captain fantastic Frank Taiapa, player of the day Norman Hooper, Anton King and Aaron Reedy led the Bay on defence and tagged effectively with Jack Hovell, Joshua King and Warren Henderson on attack.

Distributors at the back for the Bay, Brady Heu and Ryan Buchanan, were a class act.

Uawa inside backs Raroa, Jordan Patrick and Jesse Rye had to work hard to contain Bay backs Phoenix Brown, Te Whetu Waitoa and fleet-footed Manahi Brooking.

Brooking kept Hicks Bay in the game with two first-half penalties and at halftime Uawa led 7-6.

Minutes into the second half, in a wraparound move with Harley Phillips, halfback and Uawa player of the day Te Ahu Baker crashed over in the tackle to score. Raroa kicked the conversion.

Hicks Bay struck back with first five-eighth Ryan Buchanan’s try, unconverted.

Phillips, Matt Jefferd, Puri Hauiti and their pack responded and put the Hicks Bay scrum under intense pressure. But with an infringement and error rate steadily rising, they failed to drive home the advantage. The loss of Pardoe and Baker to the bin hit them hard.

Hicks Bay sensed victory and in a tense last few minutes they disrupted an Uawa lineout and on the stroke of fulltime got a tight head and drove forward for replacement Israel Brown to crash over handy to the posts. Brooking added the extras and the whole of the valley of Wharekahika erupted in celebration.

Hicks Bay coach Rawiri Hoerara was delighted that his side ended their season with a win and that they showed courage right to the end.

Uawa coach Peter Crawford congratulated Hicks Bay on their win.

He said he was happy with Uawa’s set-piece play and thought this was one of the best defensive efforts from the Uawa backline.