Top-of-the-table clash as Tapuae meet Wairoa

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

This will be the boots-and-all version of a local derby.

Two-time defending champions Charteris Choppers Wairoa-Athletic will host the second-placed Roseland Tavern Tapuae at Bayley’s Athletic Park from 1.30pm tomorrow.

Civil Project Solutions Senior 1 competition leaders Athletic (10 points) v Tapuae is a top-of-the-table clash: both Tapuae and Tolaga Bay-based Uawa have nine points, Nuhaka and OBM have 5 points, Ngatapa Harvest Matawhero Transport, the YMP Bumbles and Horouta have yet to take a point three weeks into the season.

The feeling in the visitor’s engine room — numbers 1 to 3 — is that tomorrow’s colossal jostle will be tight, with a good battle at set-piece and the basics of rugby being the key to victory.

Tapuae, led by big No.8 Gabriel Doull, expects a sizeable reception.

“Tomorrow’s game is going to be intense as it always is,” he said.

“There are a few sore bodies in our team after last week’s clash with Nuhaka but we’ve prepared well and we’re ready to give it to them.”

So too might Uawa expect physicality-plus away versus the Nuhaka V8s at 1pm, OBM and Ngatapa much the same from the Bumbles and Horouta respectively at Barry Park and the Gisborne Oval. Both of those games kick off at 12.45pm.

The referees in charge for Week 3 of CPS Senior 1 Rugby are:

Matt Smith (Wairoa-Athletic-Tapuae), Lenny Ferris (Nuhaka-Uawa), Paul Brown (YMP-OBM) and Terry Reeves (Horouta-Ngatapa).