Tihirau Victory Club lives up to name

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

The rugby club named for glory triumphed on Saturday.

Tihirau Victory Club — founded following World War 2 — came from behind to defeat Ruatoria City 25-11 at Whakarua Park.

TVC rose to the occasion, but it wasn't all one-way traffic.

City lock Nathaniel Fox kicked two penalty goals — the first, in the sixth minute, and the second, 12 minutes in — for 6-0.

Fifteen minutes in, TVC left wing William Ford scored the first of his two tries. Then centre Tutere Waenga went over in the left corner for the first try in his hat-trick to give TVC a 10-6 lead at the break.

In the 48th minute, Ford completed his double for 15-6; TVC had landed no conversions.

City blindside flanker Tuterangi Ngarimu scored in the 56th minute to get his team within four points of the slick TVC crowd (15-11) but Waenga's second and third tries — in the 60th and the 72nd minutes — put paid to the contest.

With eight minutes to play, City would have needed to score twice to draw level. That is a big ask, but for the visitors to have missed all five conversion attempts is a concern.

Ford and Waenga were superb, but it is rare at any level to find a 15-a-side winning scorecard with a hat-trick and a double but no goals.

Just as influential for TVC was their MVP (most valuable player), hooker Te Whetumarama Tukaki.

Halfback Bless Perese-Elliott, a former Rotorua Boys' High School first 15 player, was excellent value for TVC on debut and has been named in NPEC head coach Hosea Gear's Sky Blue squad for the Queen's Birthday Weekend clash with Poverty Bay.

No.8 Tanetoa Parata and first five-eighth Keenan Kaiwai shared the MVP Award for Ruatoria City. Kaiwai was solid, while the fearsome Parata — as usual — made TVC pay in bruises and sweat for every metre they made, never mind point they scored.