Ngatu set to play 200th game for Green Machine

Milestone men: Ngatapa’s Chris Richardson and co-coach Sione Ngatu, above, will celebrate their 100th and 200th premier games respectively for the club when they play OBM at Paddy’s Park, Patutahi, tomorrow. The 37-year-old Ngatu, who made his debut on May 24, 2003, against YMP, holds the record for Poverty Bay matches — 154. Pictures by Paul Rickard

CALL Me Loyal . . . Poverty Bay’s most capped player, Sione Ngatu, will chalk up another magical milestone at Patutahi tomorrow.

The Larsawn Ngatapa player-coach will pull on the green and white jersey for the 200th time in a premier rugby match when he plays against Enterprise Cars OBM.

“It’s an amazing testimony to not only his skill but his durability, loyalty and commitment; he’s a guy who lets his playing do his talking,” said his co-coach David McDonald.

McDonald was co-coach along with the late Robbie Newlands, whose Poverty Bay record of 131 games stood until 2015, when Ngatu passed it on his way to his current 154.

“As everybody knows now, as he’s been here since 2003, Sione is a quiet and humble man who does not like attention drawn to him, or making speeches.

“As far as Sione is concerned, it’s all about the team. Tomorrow won’t be any different. He won’t want any fuss. The team will come first.”

Former All Black captain Ian Kirkpatrick said Ngatu was a player any team would love to have.

“Apart from the odd game here and there, he’s hardly missed a match and can always be relied on to give 100 percent commitment.

“He’s a good ball-carrier and tremendous on defence.”

Ngatapa and Poverty Bay life member Grant Allen is another fan of Ngatu.

“We’re lucky to have Sione at the club,” Allen said.

“He’s a humble man who doesn’t like to talk about himself. He’s a loyal club man, who is well respected by everyone at the club.”

Ironically, one player who was in the Ngatapa team when he made his debut will be in opposition tomorrow — OBM halfback Keith Henderson.

Now classed as one of the “veterans” in an otherwise young team, Henderson made an invaluable contribution against HSOB last Saturday.

Like all good halfbacks, he is a yapper who is always barking at his forwards . . . and how they responded.

OBM player-coach Tom Solomon showed his loyalty to the forward pack who have been fronting up week in, week out — Lance Dickson, Rikki Terekia, Jamie Barnett, Jacob Cook, Juston Allen, Te Otane Ria, Evan Bryant, Ngawhi Manuel — despite adding Jody Allen and Callum McDonald to the squad.

Both came on for the last 40 and put their hands up for starting positions tomorrow.

But with a place in the playoffs up for grabs, Solomon may be tempted to let Allen and McDonald loose from the kick-off.

Ngatapa go into this match third on the table, two points behind YMP and six in front of OBM, assured of a place in the top-four semifinals.

So the pressure is off, which is good, as Ngatapa have been badly hit with a run of injuries.

OBM know that a win will seal their spot in the playoffs.

“They’ll be coming here pretty confident after beating High School Old Boys last week,” McDonald said.

“And from what I’ve heard, their forwards did the damage. We’ll have to front up in that department.”

Just for the record, the Ngatapa squad when Ngatu made his debut in a 29-20 win against the unbeaten and table-topping YMP were: Matt Burt, Grant Allen junior (captain), Matt Evans, James Robertson, Cameron Webster, Dean Brensell, Ben Sherriff, Craig Brownlie, Keith Henderson, Tim Gardner, Mosese Paunga, Andrew Powdrell, Jared McClutchie, Blake Charteris, PK Morgan, Jimmy Kururangi, Scott Waddell, Sam Bain, Kris Clapham, Mosese Paunga, Stu Helm and Sione Ngatu.