Pressure applied throughout game

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

Ngatapa had a strong showing at Paddy's Park, Patutahi, against Pirates on Saturday, winning 42-12.

They opened the scoring in the second minute and kept the pressure on through the full 80, conceding only two tries in response to their thunderous effort.

Ngatapa head coach Stephen Hickey said the team played really well together and had long stretches of “good structured play”.

He said the scoreline didn't reflect how competitive the game was. Pirates fought hard and with a lot of effort.

“It was a good positive game; both teams turned up to play,” he said.

Pirates head coach Willie Waitoa said he could see massive improvements in his side.

The nature of the competition meant they were still playing to make the semifinals.

“It was a tough game for us but there's good team cohesion and we're starting to build.”

He said a lack of people at training had stifled the ability for them to work out their kinks, and their scrum had been suffering as a result.

At 40, he had plans to give up playing and concentrate on coaching, but on Saturday he had to put on a strip and play half a game to make up the numbers.