Town to play country

Poverty Bay winger Andrew Tauatevalu scoots away to score during last year’s 58-18 Queen’s Birthday derby victory over Ngati Porou East Coast at Tolaga Bay. The Coast will host the fixture again this year. Pictures by Paul Rickard

Town against Country fixtures will be slotted into Poverty Bay’s rugby calendar this year — the first match just before the Heartland rep squad is named.

Poverty Bay Rugby Football Union chief executive Josh Willoughby said players were excited about the concept and clubs backed a two-round regular season for the six sides in the top grade, freeing up space for two Town-versus-Country games.

The first of those games is on May 4, two days before the Heartland squad is revealed, and the second is on June 22.

New Poverty Bay Heartland coach Tom Cairns said the games would be a chance for him to see “good players up against similar opposition”.

“It’s a little bit different and it allows players to perform at the next level,” he said.

“We’ll see some of the players put under pressure. It should be good rugby.”

A feature of this year’s club competition is the return of GMC, who are combining with Pirates to field sides in both the premier grade and Senior One division.

GMC last played in Senior One in 2013 and in the premier grade in 2011. Pirates had a year out last season.

“It’s great, from our point of view, not just to have Pirates coming back but GMC as well,” Willoughby said.

The clubs had not formally merged and initially planned to field one side together but then had enough players at practice sessions to enter a second team, he said.

Tiny White Day — Poverty Bay club rugby’s kick-off — is on March 30.

Waikohu are looking to defend their Lee Bros Shield title in the premier grade, lining up against last year’s beaten finalists YMP, as well as Ngatapa, OBM, High School Old Boys and Pirates-GMC.

The Senior One division has grown from eight teams to 11.

No Wairoa team will play in the premier grade this year, with Wairoa Athletic, as well as Tapuae, dropping down to the Senior One division.

The Country team will be drawn from Ngatapa, YMP and Waikohu, while the Town team will come from Pirates-GMC, HSOB and OBM.

The club competition draw is expected to be confirmed next week.

Willoughby also announced the Poverty Bay union had agreed to “gift” the hosting rights for one of its games against Ngati Porou East Coast to the Coast.

The traditional Queen’s Birthday fixture between the neighbouring unions will be hosted by NPEC.

Their Heartland competition game on October 5 will be in Gisborne.

Willoughby said the gifting of a home game to NPEC was in recognition of the 20-year anniversary of their National Provincial Championship third-division win.

Ngati Porou East Coast won back-to-back NPC Division 3 titles in 1999 and 2000.

The East Coast union is also looking ahead to its centenary in 2021.

NPEC chief executive Cushla Tangaere-Manuel said the union appreciated Poverty Bay’s gesture.

NPEC had the two Poverty Bay fixtures at home last year and Poverty Bay had them the year before that.

If they continued to split hosting duties, Tangaere-Manuel expected NPEC would be able to host a Poverty Bay match in her union’s centenary year.

Eight teams will contest the club competition on the East Coast.

NPEC is New Zealand’s smallest union for player numbers and population base.

“With the amount of travel and for a union our size, we’re very proud to have all eight teams confirmed,” Tangaere-Manuel said.

The 16-week competition starts on March 30.

Uawa defeated Tokararangi in last year’s final to claim the Rangiora Keelan Memorial Shield.

The union also plans to run a six-week women’s sevens club competition this year.

Teams for 2019Poverty Bay premier grade: High School Old Boys (HSOB), Pirates-GMC, OBM, YMP, Ngatapa, Waikohu.

Poverty Bay Senior One teams: Horouta, HSOB, Mahia, Nuhaka, OBM, Ngatapa, Pirates-GMC, Tapuae, Waikohu, Wairoa Athletic, YMP.

Ngati Porou East Coast clubs: Waiapu, Uawa, Tokomaru Bay United, Hicks Bay, Tihirau Victory Club (TVC), Tokararangi, Hikurangi, Ruatoria City.