Sweet inspiration from Te K faithful

Pictured here is Waikohu prop Jarryd Broughton. Every time the big man got the ball the crowd would go wild! Waikohu won this game against Ngatapa 33-19 at Te Karaka.

Rugby Park is the home of Poverty Bay rugby and a fitting venue for Saturday’s premier grade top-of-the-table clash between Waikohu and YMP.

But Te Karaka Domain is the place to be for exciting rugby and an atmosphere that is second to none.

Every time coach Jason Tuapawa’s unbeaten GT Shearing Waikohu premier side play at home the ground is filled with supporters who leave visiting teams in no doubt who they support.

Last Saturday’s game against Larsawn Ngatapa attracted a crowd of around 400, mostly Te Karaka faithful, who encouraged their favourites from first whistle to last.

Sprinkled in among them was the Ngatapa faithful and some HSOB supporters.

“They’re a good all-round team,” said one HSOB fan while a green and white supporter said: They playing a different type of rugby to all the other teams”.

With HSOB having a bye, some of the old students’ followers took the opportunity to check out the form team of the competition — a side with similarities to the Magical Magpies — the YMP team who won three successive Shield titles from 1991 to ’93.

Like those Jimmy Whaitiri-coached YMP sides, Waikohu have a forward pack small in stature but big on heart and skill . . . and a willingness to put their bodies on the line for each other every time they run on to the pitch.

When the ball is eventually sent out to the backs, from No.9 to No.15 they know how to carve up defences.

The 33-19 win against Ngatapa, though, was set up by the forwards, who welcomed back skipper and hooker Geoff Pari, playing his first game after suffering a deep gash in his right leg in the early stages of the first round.

The injury kept him from staking a claim for a place in the Poverty Bay team for their Queen’s Birthday clash with Ngati Porou East Coast.

Pari showed on Saturday he will be pushing for a place in the Bay team to play Taranaki in a Ranfurly Shield challenge on July 28.

“It would be great to think I could make it,” said Pari. “But my main focus is on getting back to full fitness and cementing my place in this team (Waikohu).

“JT (coach Jason Tuapawa) laid it on the line that everyone is fighting for a place in the starting 15 going into the playoffs. The competition for places is fierce.

“I’m just glad to be back in time to have a good crack, with some big games coming up, starting with YMP.”

Pari had to settle for one Most Valuable Player point, behind second five Jesse Fleming (3) and prop tearaway Toru Noanoa (2) at the weekend.

Tuapawa was “reasonably happy with the win against Ngatapa”.

“The plan was to take them on up the middle, but maybe we overdid it a bit,” Tuapawa said.

“We could have let the ball get out to the backs earlier than we did.

“We’ll sit down and have a talk about it in training this week and work out a game plan for this weekend.”

Waikohu won their first-round clash with YMP 36-22 at Te Karaka after trailing 22-12 with 12 minutes to play.