Heartland rugby – Poverty Bay v Mid Canterbury. Niko Lauti with the ball. Photo / Paul Rickard
The Poverty Bay Weka were relieved – not elated – to get the Scarlet and Whites’ first Bunnings Warehouse Heartland Championship win of 2025 here on August 16, 18-8 v Ngāti Porou East Coast.
The mood in the camp before the game against the sixth-placed Copthorne Wairarapa-Bush 1pm tomorrow in Masterton is one of excitement, as the seventh-placed Bay are a chance of a Meads Cup semifinal berth.
Both teams have 23 competition points and four wins: the Bush are ahead on points differential.
The Weka turned the page on opening day of the 19th Heartland Championship – August 16 – when they retained the Anaru “Skip” Paenga Memorial Shield, NPEC having defended the PJ Sayers Cup 28-22 in Ruatōria on King’s Birthday Weekend.
There is a different feeling about the Scarlet and Whites’ prospects of a strong showing in the last game of the round-robin, where Game 8 in last year’s winless season saw a Miah Nikora-coached Bay go down 24 to 47 v 2024 Meads Cup champions the Mid-Canterbury Hammers in Ashburton.
The visitors surprised many by holding their hosts scoreless in the second half from 47-7, and tomorrow in the 44th game between the Bay and Wairarapa-Bush since the Weka won 6-3 at Gisborne’s Rugby Park in 1976, the Red Team will be looking for their 21st win in the fixture.
The Bush have won the last two clashes, 30-24 at Masterton in 2023 and 39-24 on Gisborne Oval 2 last year.
The teams will play for the Jeremy David Memorial Trophy, currently held by the Bush. David played for the Weka in 1997 and the Bush the following season.
David died in Wellington on Christmas Day, 1998.
The Bay have made three changes to the starting 15 that came within four points of unbeaten competition leaders Mid-Canterbury, 43-47, here a week ago: lock Harawira Kahukura is on the reserves bench for Leka Palusa, Braedyn Grant will start at second-five for Anthony Karauria, and left-wing Quaydon Chaffey-Kora goes to the reserves for Matthew Proffit.
Saigeon Carmichael is the hooker-reserve in place of James Grogan and Te-Reimana Gray is in impact player jersey 22.
Only co-captain openside flanker Keanu Taumata remains of the team that fought back from 5 to 24 down v the Bush last year.
For the Bush, only first-five Daryl Pickering, second-five Fiula Tameilau, and right-wing Charles Mataitai – a two-try hero at Gisborne Oval 2 in 2024 – are back in the starting 15 tomorrow.
Standing in for first-year head coach of the Weka Paoraian Manuel-Harman (Weka 1526, 2020-2024) for this make-or-break game is his assistant coach (Weka 1509, 2019-2022), Adrian Wyrill.
Acting as game-day assistant to ex-Taranaki and Manawatu National Provincial Championship forward Wyrill will be Miah Nikora.
“We want to concentrate on ironing out some bad habits that creep in from time to time. Trusting our systems is crucial: when we stick to our structures, we play our best footy, and we know too that the Bush have some big boys who love the contest,” Wyrill said.
“Meeting them head-on and matching that physicality will be a key for us.
“We’re not short on athletes. If we bring that edge, back ourselves, work as a unit, we’ll go a long way towards producing the 80-minute performance that we’ve been chasing all season.”
The Mighty Bush, under first-year head coach Jamie Williams, have made six changes to the starting 15 that lost the Bill Osborne Tāonga, 21-22, to Horowhenua-Kapiti in Levin last Saturday.
Torongo Tekii is in at hooker for Lewis Bush, Alec Odell will go to lock for Cody Cunningham, Cunningham shifts to blindside flanker for Isireli Biumaiwai, and vice-captain Daryl Pickering is to start at halfback for Sam Walton-Sexton. Fiula Tameilau takes the place of Jack Delaney at second-five, who will start at fullback for Gracyn Evans.
Memphis Mura will be a new face on the bench, while Gareth Ward Allen, Sam Gammie and Harry Escenbach will depart the bench for Cunningham, Walton-Sexton and Evans.
This year’s Bush mob was always going to be a strong, competitive side; they beat Wellington Māori 45-24 in the pre-season, in Game 3 of the competition held Mid-Canterbury to 36-33 – after leading 20-17 at halftime – and pipped King Country 22-21 in a thriller three weeks ago.
Wairarapa-Bush captain loosehead prop Tupou Lea’aemanu, like Logan Wakefield and Marist man James Goodger before him – and Poverty Bay’s Keanu Taumata opposite him, leads by example.
The hosts, regardless of the rain and northerlies forecast for tomorrow, can expect maximum involvement from the great Inia Katia of Gladstone, a Bush centurion who is these days at openside flanker, having played in every backline spot since his pre-season debut off the bench at halfback v the Bay at Rugby Park on July 30, 2011 – a 14-13 win to the visitors.
“We try to hold teams down and play an expansive game – break the norm – and we’ve also made defence a focus,” said Williams “I expect high-intensity, physicality and a lot of points to be scored.”
In charge of the Week 8 clash for the Jeremy David Memorial Trophy at Masterton will be Taranaki’s Will Johnston, in his 24th first-class appointment, with local assistant referees AR.1 Alistair Payne and AR.2 Chris Jefferies.
Copthorne Wairarapa-Bush, 1-15: Tupou Lea’aemanu (c), Torongo Tekii, Faka’ onga Lea’aemanu, Malakai Biumaiwai, Alec Odell, Cody Cunningham, Inia Katia, Folau Finau Vaea, Daryl Pickering (vc), Jack Eschenbach, Soli Malatai, Fiula Tameilau, Levi Harmon, Charles Mataitai, Jack Delaney; R, 16-23: Lewis Bush, Stanley Wright jnr, Memphis Mura, Matthew Masoe, Thomas Williams, Sam Walton-Sexton, Willie Mataitai, Gracyn Evans.
Poverty Bay Weka: Toma Laumalili, Ngahiwi Manuel, Iose Brown, Leka Palusa, Niko Lauti, Keanu Taumata (cc), Lennox Shanks, Uini Fetalaiga, Henry Saker, Tayler Adams, Matthew Proffit, Anthony Karauria, Cohen Loffler, Josaia Bosaka, Kyoni Te Amo-Poki; R: Saigeon Carmichael, Sam Hudson, Lance Dickson (cc), Harawira Kahukura, Siosiua Moala, Silas Brown, Te-Reimana Gray, Quaydon Chaffey-Kora.