This Saturday at 2.45pm at Barry Park, referee Matt Smith will control the Poverty Bay title decider between YMP, unbeaten in all 10 of their games this season, and Tapuae, who had a perfect record in 2024.
Up State Highway 35, the curtain will fall on men’s club rugby at 2.30pm at Whangaparāoa with 2024 champions Waiapu looking to lasso the seemingly unstoppable TVC and halt their winning streak at eight games.
TVC ended Ūawa’s season 37-24 in the 1 v 4 semifinal at Whangaparāoa last Saturday, while Waiapu beat Tokararangi 41-24 in the 2 v 3 semi at Wharekahika.
“We trained last Friday, prepared well for the game, spent time connecting with each other that night and on Saturday morning, a thing we’d not been able to do until the second-to-last weekend of club rugby,” Waiapu player-coach Perrin Manuel said.
“It was the first time all season we’d had every squad member available, so that was cool and different to last year.
“But that’s the challenge for Coast clubs – to maintain competitive teams year in, year out. TVC is at the forefront of that effort to be continuously consistent whilst still injecting youth into teams.
“We’ve emulated that by injecting youth into our side, and now we’re lucky enough to be able to have a shot at defending our title.”
Manuel scored a hat-trick of tries last Saturday, and No 8 Will Bolingford crossed for a double.
No less a factor in his side’s success is YMP skipper and hooker Shayde Skudder.
During Skudder’s tenure as captain, YMP have gone from the toughest of grand final losses in 2019 (65-5 loss to OBM) to titles in 2022 and 2023.
They also helped make history last year as participants in the first Poverty Bay Premier club showpiece in 55 seasons to be held outside Gisborne.
Tapuae won 10 straight last year to claim the Lee Bros Shield in 2024 and are in sight of retaining the crown after a hard-fought slog against HSOB last weekend.
HSOB coach Wayne Ensor was naturally disappointed but also upbeat at what he described as “a great effort” by his team.
“I’m really proud of our boys for the good club season they had. We made a few too many errors on Saturday, but we’re a young side and will continue to grow.”
Tapuae played intelligent rugby to a plan in coming out on top on Saturday. They used the boot to gain good field position and kept it tight.
Second-five Denz To’o opened the scoring 16 minutes in, and first five and coach Paoraian Manuel-Harman converted for 7-0. After 28 minutes, openside flanker Keanu Taumata scored the home side’s second try, which Manuel-Harman converted for 14-0 at halftime.
The visitors got on the board in the 57th minute. Following a series of pick-and-go drives, reserve blindside flanker Viliami Kavai, off a top pass from fullback Matthew Proffit, scored, and Proffit converted.
In contrast to the mire at Lambton Square, superb Barry Park conditions for running rugby inspired the Willie Brown-coached YMP to post five tries, including two to centre Taine Aupouri.
The semifinal ended memorably with OBM hooker Lance Dickson, in his 156th Premier outing, converting centre Jokatama Cewa’s five-pointer from a tap-and-go penalty on fulltime.
“Despite the score, I thought it was a close game across the park,” OBM captain and lock Jordan Kingi said. “We didn’t execute out wide when we needed to. We made too many errors, and YMP executed when they spun the ball.”
Two years ago, YMP beat Waikohu 15-0 on Barry Park to secure their 10th title. On Saturday, Poverty Bay rugby’s oldest active club will look to take back the Lee Bro Shield, first presented in 1947.
Tapuae, after last year rejecting the idea that a team must first lose a grand final to win one, have two in a row in their sights.
Saturday also features the Lew Patterson Cup Senior 1 final between Nuhaka V8s and Charteris Choppers Wairoa Athletic at Nūhaka Domain – a repeat of 2024. Athletic won that final 23-22. Nūhaka won’t have forgotten.
Scoreboard
Te Pae Hākari Poverty Bay men’s club rugby
Premier Grade semifinals
East Coast Farm Vets YMP 35 (Taine Aupouri 2, Nashwen Mouton, Te Peehi Fairlie, Anthony Karauria tries; Mitchell Purvis 4 con, Kelvin Smith con) Enterprise Cars OBM 7 (Jokatama Cewa; Lance Dickson con). HT: YMP 28 OBM 7.
Kahu Scaffolding Tapuae 14 (Denz To’o, Keanu Taumata tries; Paoraian Manuel-Harman 2 con) Earthwork Solutions High School Old Boys 7 (Viliami Kavai try; Matthew Proffit con). HT: Tapuae 14 HSOB 0.
Senior 1 semifinals
Mahia RFC 18 (Clint Taumata-Albert, Dre Marsh tries; Wiremu Erkell 2 pen, con) Charteris Choppers Wairoa-Athletic 21 (Will Taylor, Sid Drinkrow tries; Moss Doran 3 pen, con). HT: 12-all. FT: 15-all. ET: 18-all.
Nuhaka V8s 25 (Russel Love, Hesty Ika, Dukey Burton, Neeks Smith tries; Sefton Solomon pen, Kristen Munro con) Tamatea R&M YMP Bumbles 5 (Rapana Ngaau). HT: Nuhaka 10 Bumbles 0.
Player of the Day awards: Pauro Erkell (Mahia), Ollie Ritchie (Wairoa-Athletic), Hickson Raroa (Nuhaka), Kaine Kerekere (Bumbles).
Heke-o-Te-Rangi Blackbee Contractors Ngati Porou East Coast men’s club competition
Semifinals
Tihirau Victory Club 37 (Manahi Brooking, Renata Kasper, Te Kahu Kiel, Treymaine Butler tries; Kiel pen, 4 con, Benny Haerewa 2 pen) Ūawa 24 (Puri Hauiti, Makaia Allen, BJ Sidney tries; Carlos Kemp pen, 3 con). HT: TVC 17 Ūawa 17.
Tokararangi 24 (Piripi Reid, Pamona Samupo, Kairos McClutchie, Watarawi Ngata tries; Rapata Haerewa 2 con) Waiapu 41 (Perrin Manuel 3, Willie Bolingford 2, Awanui Koia tries; Mahue Mauheni pen, 4 con). HT: Tokararangi 19 Waiapu 24.
Player of the Day Awards: Renata Kasper (TVC), Te Atapo Kirikiri (Uawa), Whetu Waitoa (Tokararangi).
Enterprise Cars NPEC women’s club rugby
Round 9
Tikirau Victory Club 61 (Dane-a Kopa 5, Whaiora Kopa 2, Alizay Grant 2, Chayne Riki, Jocelyn Franklin tries; Dane-a Kopa 2 con, Alizay Grant con) Hikurangi Mountain Maidens 22 (Jayson Keelan, Zoelle Heeney, Taneal Heeney, Katerina Ngarimu tries; Ashanti Thompson-Collins con). HT: TVC 34 Mountain Maidens 12.
Ruatōria City Honey Bees 33 (Harmony Mangu, Bronya McMenamin, Kayless Boyce, Rena-Deane Goldsmith, Tuihana Mason tries; Goldsmith 3 con, Boyce con) Tokararangi 22 (Amy Brooking, Chakakhan Edmonds, Liza Luke, Materoa Waitoa tries; Maraea Green con). HT: Honey Bees 28 Tokararangi 0.
