Tapuae, Athletic set benchmark

The green-and-blacks are on the warpath.

Unbeaten Civil Project Solutions Senior 1 men’s club rugby leaders The Roseland Tavern Tapuae Taniwha, who spent three hours travelling 200 kilometres from Wairoa to Gisborne and back for a win by default last Saturday, today face their biggest challenge of the season so far.

Enterprise Cars OBM are famous for their hospitality. Despite their best efforts, the red-white-and-blue couldn’t field a side but did host their guests with aplomb.

For the two-time defending Senior 1 champions and holders of the Lew Patterson Cup, Charteris Choppers Wairoa-Athletic, today’s big game — their second top-of-the-table clash with Tapuae — is no anticlimax but rather a moment of truth.

As hosts, the black-and-white hoops lost to Tapuae 29-10 at Bayleys Athletic Park in the derby match on April 29. Having suffered only that loss and coming off a gutsy 20-15 win at home against the rugged Nuhaka V8s, Athletic have had another fine season to date.

Their Week 7 stoush with The Star was a low-scoring affair under referee Matt Smith. The visitors were nine points up at the break. Athletic first five-eighth George Twigley opened the scoring with a penalty goal 19 minutes into what was a hard slog in the bog.

In the 31st minute, Nuhaka lock Moses Voka scored the opening try (without conversion) for 5-3 to the V8s. Seven minutes out from halftime, fullback-cum-right wing Treigh-John Akuhata-Christie dotted down for the visitors’ second try, and centre Blayze Waiari-Taylor’s conversion made the score 12-3.

Athletic fired the first shot of the second half, with an unconverted try to blindside flanker Tame Goldsack to close it to 12-8.

Taylor landed a penalty for 15-8 to Nuhaka in the 71st minute but the home team’s MVP (most valuable player), reserve tighthead prop Winiata Niania, scored the hosts’ second try, without a conversion, for 13 chasing 15.

And in the 78th minute, Wairoa Athletic first-five George Twigley — always dangerous — scored millimetres in from the right corner for 18-15 . . . 20-15 was the final score with Twigley’s conversion.

Nuhaka fetcher Tahuwaka Edwards won the away team’s MVP award, and their skipper and halfback Russel Love said: “It was a close game that could have gone either way. Although we led for 78 minutes, Athletic played superbly to the conditions and finished strongly.”

Tony Barbarich’s boys played great rugby last weekend. The Barbarich-coached LVD Farm Services YMP Bumbles, fifth on the table with 15 competition points, laid on six tries in their 34-8 win against Harvest Matawhero Transport Ngatapa in Week 7.

YMP’s points came from a double to fullback Tharin Cox-Peratiaki and tries to first-five Reihana Wyllie, lock Wayne Collins, MVP and second-five Tuhakia Stewart and hooker Keanu Barbarich, and two conversions by Waiti Tamatea.

For Ngatapa, halfback Micheal Livingston scored a memorable try, and first-five Tupai Matenga landed a penalty goal. Ngatapa MVP and centre Nathan Kerr had a strong all-round game.

YMP led 19-8 at the break.

Ngatapa coaches Scott Brodie and Alex Chrisp have been delighted to work with a core group who train hard and with purpose week in, week out.

Their message to every player has been that if the effort is genuine, results will follow, and that is their great hope against the Nuhaka V8s on Paddy’s Park 1.

That game and the Bumbles clash with Pango Productions Uawa at Barry Park are scheduled to kick off at 1pm. OBM’s match against Horouta Te Waka at the Oval is scheduled for a 12.45pm start.

Uawa scored 10 tries to Horouta’s two in a 66-15 win at Uawa Domain last Saturday. With close to 200 in attendance, the Big Blue Crew led 33-3 at halftime under first-class referee Damien Macpherson.

Blindside flanker Caleb Rurehe was The Waka’s MVP, second-five Matt Marino kicked a penalty goal and centre Henry Kepa a conversion, while loosehead prop Dave Sweeney and lock Adam Williams scored a try each.

The MVP award for Uawa was shared by loosehead prop Nathaniel Fitzgerald-Pritchard and first-five Josh Dearden.

Civil Project Solutions Senior 1 men’s club rugby 
Week 7 — LVD Farm Services YMP 34 (Tharin Cox-Peratiaki 2, Reihana Wyllie, Tuhakia Stewart, Wayne Collins, Keanu Barbarich tries; Waiti Tamatea 2 con) Harvest Matawhero Transport Ngatapa 8 (Micheal Livingston try; Tupai Matenga pen). HT: 19-8 YMP.
Charteris Choppers Wairoa-Athletic 20 (Tame Goldsack, George Twigley, Winiata Niania tries; Twigley con, pen) Nuhaka V8s 15 (Moses Voka, Treigh Akuhata-Christie tries; Blayze Taylor con, pen). HT: 12-3 Nuhaka V8s.
Pango Productions Uawa 66 (Tanira Nepia 2, Nathaniel Fitzgerald-Pritchard, Paddy Blackman, Chris Torkington, Mako Blackman, Josh Dearden, Kere Waru-Smith, Kere Leach, Allan Tarei tries; Dearden 6 con, Paddy Blackman con, Mohi Bartlett con) Horouta Te Waka 15 (Dave Sweeney, Adam Williams tries; Matt Marino pen, Henry Kepa con). HT: 33-3 Uawa.
Roseland Tavern Tapuae def Enterprise Cars OBM by default
MVPs: Tuhakia Stewart (YMP), Nathan Kerr (Ngatapa), Winiata Niania (Wairoa-Athletic), Tahuwaka Edwards (Nuhaka), Nathaniel Fitzgerald-Pritchard/Josh Dearden (Uawa), Caleb Rurehe (Horouta).