Ngatapa show grit to wear down Buccaneers

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

Ngatapa can take a lot out of Saturday's game with Pirates.

The green-and-whites had lost their previous match against YMP by 19 points, but at the weekend first five-eighth Ricardo Patricio — arguably the competition's form player — converted five of Larsawn Ngatapa's eight tries and halfback Michael Livingston kicked one conversion.

Civil Project Solutions Premier Rugby's fourth-placed team showed true grit to wear the Buccaneers down.

As the hosts on Oval 2, Kevin Hollis Glass Pirates made a big first-half effort.

Ngatapa led 14-0 at halftime on Saturday.

The score when the teams last met, on May 6, was 14-5 to Ngatapa under lights at Paddy's Park.

Pirates captain and hooker Bernard Nepe won the toss and chose to kick off. Ngatapa skipper fullback Matt Raleigh opted to take an end.

Patricio opened the scoring 17 minutes in, after the hosts — having been awarded a penalty by referee Ben Holt 15 metres on their own side of halfway, five metres off the right touch — failed to find the sideline with a clearing kick.

Ngatapa then kicked the ball into the home team's arms but they turned the ball over.

Ngatapa captain and fullback Matt Raleigh picked the ball up from a ruck 17m off the right touch at halfway, cut down the blindside and ultimately Patricio was the benefactor, converting his own try for 7-0.

Ngatapa's second and last first-half try came from a scrum set five metres off the left touch, 11m into Pirates territory. Ngatapa won the scrum, Patricio put up a chip-kick and Poverty Bay Heartland tighthead prop-cum-centre James Higgins sliced through to take the ball on the second bounce and dot down under the bar.

With Patricio's conversion, the score then and at halftime was 14-0.

In the 45th minute — from a five-metre scrum, just to the left of the posts — Ngatapa No.8 James Hughes-Lock scored two metres to the right of them, and 14-0 became 21-0: Patricio converted the Hughes-Lock try.

There followed tries to left wing Manaia Ngata (51st minute), unconverted for 26-0, Patricio (58m, unconverted for 31-0), hooker Nick Cave (60m, converted, 38-0), debutant Sunia Tawakecokocoko (62m, converted by halfback Michael Livingston, 45-0) and Raleigh (81st minute, converted 52-0).

Ngatapa head coach Heith Hawea said: “We scored some nice tries and made a solid defensive effort. We're happy with the result — yet we can't afford to become complacent. Our attrition rate is high but, with the help of our Senior 1 team under Kohi Waihi, we're managing that.”

Pirates captain Nepe applauded the determination and hard tackling of No.8 Kauri Waitoa.

Lock Kyah Hollis also had an excellent game up front. His all-round value is on the rise and he has great potential as a lineout forward.

“The main positive for us was to field a team that never gave up in 80-plus minutes.”