HSOB and Ngatapa put to the test tomorrow

A109 Light Utility Helicopter flight with mayor Gisborne City from the air in November 2023.

The premier rugby competition leaders have the bye and everyone else has to get a win while they can.

Kahu Scaffolding Tapuae will take a hard-earned break and the other six teams in Civil Project Solutions Premier Rugby must strike while the iron’s hot.

Last year’s beaten finalists GT Shearing Waikohu are at home on Te Karaka Domain to Enterprise Cars OBM, Earthworks Solutions High School Old Boys host the gritty Larsawn Ngatapa mob on Oval 1 and two-time defending champions East Coast Farm Vets YMP will be out to rebound hard against Kevin Hollis Glass Pirates on Barry Park 1, following Tapuae’s 17-14 win against the Kahu Tamatea-coached YMP team last Saturday.

For HSOB and Ngatapa, a strong showing in tomorrow’s clash is crucial.

HSOB Prems head coach Wayne Ensor believes that his blue and whites need to stay focused on their individual roles and systems for 80 minutes and prepare for a tough opponent.

Their captain and halfback George Halley-Donnelly said: “It’s time for a full-game performance — we’ve been guilty of taking our foot off the throttle at times, though our forwards are controlling the set piece well and the backs are running every chance they get.

“A big effort on defence is needed. The Ngatapa boys will go all game — they don’t run out of puff.”

Jack Twigley, the Ngatapa skipper and lock, also has priorities: “We need to get our attacking structure going. It’s hard to name or talk about a team, as we have a few injury niggles, so we don’t know where everyone will play yet.

“A lot will depend on how our boys are tracking with injury.”

Premier games are  at 2.45pm, with senior 1s  at 1pm.