Hikurangi feast on tries

TANETOA PARATA: Scored six tries for Hikurangi against Tawhiti. Picture by Doone Harrison

FOR one team, it’s the end of the season; for another, it’s their favourite time of year.

Waiapu go to Whakarua Park this Saturday for the last game of the round-robin. Lying in wait will be competition leaders Hikurangi, who in Week 17 led Tawhiti 65-0 at halftime and 113-5 by fulltime, scoring 19 tries in the process.

Right-winger Tanetoa Parata scored six tries, fullback Kris Palmer got a hat-trick, and second five-eighth David Manuel, left-winger Kahu Ward and No.8 Kareti Palmer scored two each. First-five Te Kaiwi Parata, centre Karauria Keelan, openside flanker Jesse Tuala and lock and captain Te Rangi Matanuku Parata scored a try each.

Kris Palmer kicked seven conversions and Tanetoa Parata kicked two. Kareti Palmer and reserve Putahi Morice also kicked conversions.

Veteran Tawhiti prop and captain Reg McClutchie — who played one game for the club as a 14-year-old at fullback against Uawa at Hatea-a-Rangi Domain during Tawhiti’s original run — scored the second-half try, in the 75th minute, that brought the crowd to their feet.

Sixteen-year-old Zyon Collins had no sooner got off the bus home from Gisborne — having played in the East Coast under-18s’ win against Lytton High School — than he was playing first-five for Dad’s team, Tawhiti. Zyon’s father, Tarquin Collins, is the coach.

McClutchie said he was proud of the team.

“Tawhiti means everything to us,” McClutchie said.

“It didn’t matter what the score was — we just wanted a try. It didn’t matter who scored it, as long as we got one.”

Hikurangi have been very well served by coaches Doone Harrison and Monty Manuel.

Harrison, who played for “The Maunga” between 1993 and 2012, acknowledged Tawhiti’s match-effort with feeling.

“Some seasons you have a lot of players around, the next they’ve all moved out of town. It’s always a numbers game on the Coast, a continuous wave of ups and downs.

“In our case, our team’s been together for six months now.

“Going into this game, we’d actually prepared for and practised playing wet-weather rugby all week, but on Saturday it was fine, so we ended up throwing the ball around instead.

“Still, that was a super hearty effort from Tawhiti. I was really impressed by Tahu Walker and Moana-Jay Kenworthy. They’re both great young players.”