Now for a Ranfurly Shield challenge

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

Premier club champions Waikohu have been rewarded for an outstanding season with seven of their players named in the Poverty Bay Heartland Championship squad to take on Taranaki in a Ranfurly Shield challenge match at New Plymouth on Saturday.

Halfback Hamuera Baker, first five-eighth Kelvin Smith, centre Jesse Fleming, fullback Ethine Reeves and No.8 Ken Houkamau are in the starting line-up while Mario Counsell (halfback)and Tawhao Stewart (winger) are in the reserves.

Baker is the surprise, not for his inclusion, but starting ahead of Counsell who was the first-choice No.9 for Waikohu who beat YMP in 40-26 in the Lee Bros Shield final on Saturday.

YMP have three players in the 23-man squad for the Shield — experienced blindside flanker Willis Tamatea, hooker Shayde Skudder and winger Te Peehi Fairlie.

Skudder was second to Wairoa Athletic and Poverty Bay loose forward Jesse Kapene in the race for the premier division’s Most Valuable Player award, and will be back-up to High School Old Boys rake Tamanui Hill for the Shield game.

A fiery player, who in the past picked up more than his share of yellow cards, Skudder went through the 2018 season without being sinbinned.

He has worked hard on his discipline, without losing his combativeness, to become one of the leaders in the YMP team, along with Willis Tamatea, who will wear the No.6 jersey against Taranaki.

Hill battled back from a major knee reconstruction and captained the Bay side to a win against Ngati Porou East Coast in their annual Queen’s Birthday derby.

Ngatapa have five players in the Shield squad, including loosehead prop Campbell Chrisp, who failed to make the Heartland team last year.

Chrisp spent the summer getting himself ready for the premier competition and before injurying his hand, was a front runner for the MVP award.

Since his return he cemented his place in the representative squad with impressive performances in the green and white jersey.

Chrisp is joined in the Bay squad by his clubmates Sam McDell and Cameron Rowden (fullback), neither of whom have played Heartland rugby.

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