Under-18 team finish their programme with win

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

They were just getting started.

The Fulton Hogan Poverty Bay under-18 rugby team finished their five-game season with a 24-7 win against East Coast at Rugby Park last Saturday.

Lock Sione Kinuia, blindside flanker Wiremu King-Taufa and No.8 Billy Priestley scored tries, with first five-eighth Austin Brown kicking one penalty and three conversions.

Brown is an astute player and was a key member of the side.

Bay coach Jamie Hutana said the team’s most valuable player (MVP) was lock Ofa Tauatevalu for his work-rate and defence, while captain and prop Joe Mason was good value as a second-year man.

“Joe is a quality player and I’m sure, if he keeps working, that the fruits of higher representative selection will come his way,” Hutana said.

“I congratulate all the boys in the team for their efforts. There’s a lot of skill and talent in this team.”

East Coast first-five Tepene Meihana was the visitors’ MVP, while tighthead prop Mark-James Tuapawa and loosehead Anton King carried the ball strongly.

The Coast scored an excellent try through William Martin. Co-captain and hooker Liam Townsend converted it.

Coast coach Morgan Wirepa junior said his side improved game by game and grew as individuals and as a team.

“I’m very happy with the performance against Poverty Bay, in what was a strong end to the season,” he said.

“The score did not reflect the way the Coast boys played or the quality of their match-effort.”

Tuapawa and openside flanker Chase Sheridan turned out in the New Zealand Area Schools’ 32-24 loss to the Canterbury u18 development side on Wednesday, while today the Area Schools team were to play North Canterbury at Southbrook Park in Rangiora.

The Turanga u20 Maori team will play a Turanga Pasifika side as the curtain-raiser for Leaderbrand Poverty Bay in next Saturday’s Mitre 10 Heartland Championship game against King Country at Rugby Park.