It will always be Tiny White Opening Day.
The Civil Project Solutions premier club rugby competition will feature three games at two grounds, as opposed to one venue only. All will kick off at 2.45pm — and the Tiny White medal for the best player of Week 1 is still up to play for, although it won’t be presented tomorrow.
The interest and events around tomorrow’s action will include the Gisborne Glass Pick a Winner between Waikohu and YMP and Poverty Bay Rugby has wiped affiliation fees for the year and entry fees until the semifinals. There will be a player-of-the-match system, he receiving three points, with two points and one point also being handed out on a week-by-week basis with selectors at each ground.
Defending champions Enterprise Cars OBM play Contract Consultants High School Old Boys on ground No.1 at the Oval, Kevin Hollis Glass Pirates are at home to Larsawn Ngatapa on Oval No.2 and GT Shearing Waikohu will host East Coast Farm Vets YMP at Te Karaka Domain.
OBM have a solid front row in Tyrone McMillan, Ethan Brett and Joe Mason. Second-year skipper Jacob Cook grew in stature during the 2019 Heartland campaign for the Bay. In vice-captain and fullback Scott McKinley and “The General”, first-five Jake Holmes, the Lee Brothers Shield holders won’t lack for ideas.
“After a long pre-season, the boys are just keen to get out on the paddock again while remembering to play as a team and stick to our pattern,” said Cook, whose head coach Trevor Crosby described his group as “a work in progress”.
Cook’s locking partner Clinton Tuipulotu, halfback Braedyn Grant and the centre pairing of Keanu Wainohu-Kemp and Michael Fox will all debut tomorrow.
HSOB head coach Danny Boyle knows rugby; refreshingly too though, he keeps the game in perspective.
“In some ways, rugby being something to take these guys’ minds off serious stuff is good for them . . . one of our big goals this year is to have fun,” Boyle said.
“It’s still early days but play-wise, with our experienced players and new faces, we’re tracking well.”
Tighthead prop James Jenkins previously played for a good club in Fielding Old Boys; his fellow “newbie” in the HSOB pack, openside flanker Callum Fawcett, will likewise be a player to watch. Both HSOB and OBM know that if weather is a factor tomorrow, field position and ball-handling will be of critical importance. And when opportunity knocks, those chances have to be taken.
Sometimes one man can make a difference — even if the man in question is unquestionably humble.
Such a man, of boundless enthusiasm, is YMP head coach Brian Leach.
“We can’t wait to get 80 minutes of rugby under our belts and this first game out of the way,” he said. “We had 29 at training last night and they trained well. I’m excited for them and for our club.”
Hooker Shayde Skudder in classic rugby-speak said it all well and without embellishment: “The boys are good to go.”
YMP are a tight, focused unit and their teams have historically long played winning rugby in the wet. Their opposition, Waikohu, will be hard to beat at home.
Hard-as-nails fetcher Adrian Wyrill is a superb forward and the ball-carriers for the hosts, from loosehead prop Toru Noanoa down, all run straight with gusto. It would take a major scrum effort to budge Waikohu off their own ball.
At Te Karaka tomorrow, Damien Macpherson will have the whistle.
A Heartland referee in 2019, he, Keelyn Smith and Royce Maynard will control what could be three immensely physical games.
Maynard said: “As a group, we have our priorities: the focus this weekend is around the tackle area and creating space for teams to play. We’ve discussed the importance of consistency in our interpretation of the rules and the old adage is, that if no one remembers who the ref was after the game, he’s had a successful day at the office.”
Hooker Geoff Pari will again lead Waikohu and player-coach Ra Broughton can see good rugby being played, whatever the conditions.
“The keenness and the quality’s been there at training — we’ve got a backline with guys who’ve played at prems level in Hawke’s Bay (Tane McGuire and Tione Hubbard) and Heartland level. They play with composure and when the boys get their rhythm, they could be hard to stop.”
Pirates proved their courage last Saturday at the Oval against Uawa — and tomorrow they want to go one better. They and their opponents, Ngatapa, were the only Poverty Bay teams to get a run in a week out from the official opening — a fact that stands both teams in good stead.
“We had 30-plus players at Barry Park last night — this week we’ve had 25 Tongan boys come into the mix, so we’ll be able to field a Senior 1 team on June 4 . . . Pirates are proud to be able to do that,” said the Buccaneers’ head coach Willie Waitoa.
“Last weekend we got performances out of individuals but now, we want an even bigger team effort.”
That team effort will necessitate excellent scrummaging from — among at least eight others — their sole tryscorer last Saturday, loosehead prop Jesse Sweeney, hard running from tough captain No.8 Will Bolingford and sharp reading of the game by seasoned halfback Keith Henderson. Rugby is, from top to bottom, a team game but these three players are very capable.
So too, though, are Ngatapa. They are always gritty, they have a hard-earned reputation for playing good basic rugby and the lower the score, the tighter the margin, the harder they work. Should captain and loosehead prop Jason Jones, quality fetcher Lynden Manuel and fullback Matt Raleigh play well, three of their big guns will have fired.
The Ngatapa backs will have to tackle hard around the fringes of the ruck, from Mike Livingston outwards.
Henderson and first-five Jacob Leaf will probe for gaps and are dangerous. They will almost certainly skirt between bigger bodies and test Ngatapa in that phase of play.
Coming off the bench for Ngatapa at some point will be experienced prop in Campbell Chrisp: Tiny White Opening Day may be decided to a large extent by skilful graft in ruck and maul. Players of Chrisp’s type are priceless in tough spots. They are efficient at securing and retaining possession.
Jones has little doubt: “The game will be won up front. We’re pumped.”
Tyrone McMillan, Ethan Brett, Joe Mason, Jacob Cook (c), Clement Tuipulotu, Evan Bryant, Nicolas Carrizo, Rikki Terekia, Braedyn Grant, Jake Holmes, Jale Tiko, Keanu Wainohu-Kemp, Michael Fox, Alin Zaharia, Scott McKinley (vc). Reserves: Blake Beard, Ben Akuhata-Brown, Juston Allen, De-Villa Pirihi-Coutts, Hunter Tangira, David Manuel.
Myles Muir-Tawa, Matekairoa McGuire, James Jenkins, Fletcher Scammell, Viliami Kavai, Zane Boyle, Callum Fawcett, Tamanui Hill (c), William Haenga, Baxter McKay, Tevita Lataipangai, Hayden Stuart, William Hocquard, Sam Middleton, Korey Love. Reserves: Russell Burns, Dion Wilson, Cory Higgins, Scott Tallott, James Warren, Corey Reihana. Referee and assistant referees 1, 2: Royce Maynard, David Stevenson, Hugh Fitzgerald.
Dylan Williams, Shayde Skudder (c), Parekura Brown, Willis Tamatea, Malakai Sii, Shyann Wyllie, Jess Kapene, Niko Lauti, James Ferris, Austin Brown, Louis Devery, Te Peehi Fairlie, Jeremy Ferris, Christy Te Kurapa, Peia Fililava. R: Axel Campbell, Nehe Papuni, Billy Priestley, Hohepa Tamepo, Jayden Milner, Tyreke Casey, Enty Junior Masun.
Toru Noanoa, Geoff Pari (c), Tulsa Kaui, Koopu Lloyd, Sean Ward, James Rutene, Adrian Wyrill, Tristan Rutene, Ra Broughton, Kelvin Smith, Paora Manuel-Harman, Tane McGuire, Ethine Reeves, Punch Noanoa, Tione Hubbard. R: Tapu Dixon, (24) Jarryd Broughton, Isaac Ngatai, TK Tane, Shannon Cameron, Roy Horo . R: Damien Macpherson, Isaac Hughes, Aaron Brown.
Jason Jones (c), Ihaia Kerr, Misi Akana, Sam McDell, Taylor Howatson, Jock Dodgshun, Lynden Manuel, Tom Sanson, Mike Livingston, Tom Mueli, Nashwen Mouton, Pete Livingston, Isaac Thomas, Cameron Rowden, Matt Raleigh. R: Campbell Chrisp, Leon Kerr, Alex Chrisp, Alex Laloni, James Law, Benito Barry, Ricardo Patricio.
Jesse Sweeney, Robert Broughton, Harmony Hauraki-Downes, Jayden Akurangi, Eru Wharerau, Bernard Nepe, Koro Miringaorangi, Willie Bolingford (c), Keith Henderson, Jacob Leaf, Livinai Drakula, Rasari Solomoni, Abbey Wawatai, Dale Hapi, Rico Walters. R: Anthony Kiwara, Wyntah Riki, Nathan Te Whata-McClutchie, Pat Kaliopasi, Paulo Tupou, Junior Akurangi, Alex Maile. R: Keelyn Smith, Matt Smith, Hamish Campbell.