HIKURANGI rule Ngati Porou East Coast club rugby defeated Uawa 18-16 in the grand final at Tolaga Bay on Saturday.
CELEBRATION: The boot of captain and first five-eighth Kris Palmer proved the difference on the scoreboard as the men of the “maunga” (mountain) came out on top of the men of the “awa” (river) in a match that mixed classic Coast forward play with plenty of modern-day running rugby. Among those celebrating Hikurangi’s victory are coach Koro Ngarimu (back rown, third from right) and captain Palmer (front, third from right). The order of the Poverty Bay premier club rugby top four was confirmed on Saturday. Woodbank HSOB will face Larsawn Ngatapa in one semifinal this weekend, and Farmvets YMP meet Enterprise Cars OBM in the other. Picture by Paul Rickard