Wairoa Athletic the team to beat

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

The quest for the Lew Patterson Cup will tax eight great clubs to the limit.

Reigning champions Charteris Choppers Wairoa Athletic have 10 competition points a fortnight into Civil Project Solutions Senior 1 rugby. They had a 32-10 home win against East Coast Farm Vets YMP Bumbles at Bayleys Athletic Park on Saturday.

Also unbeaten are Week 1 leaders Roseland Tavern Tapuae and new entrants Uawa, of Tolaga Bay. They both have nine points.

Uawa beat Ngatapa Harvest Matawhero Transport 29-21 on Paddy’s Park 1 and Tapuae were 17-7 victors over the Nuhaka V8s (5pts) at Nuhaka Domain.

OBM have five points and joined the winners’ circle with a 41-12 win against Horouta, outscoring all other teams at the weekend with seven tries on their home ground, the Oval No.1.

Ngatapa, YMP and Horouta have yet to register competition points.

MVP (most valuable player awards) went to: loosehead prop and hooker Isaiah Kiwara for OBM, and openside flanker Weihana Delamere for Horouta; first five-eighth Ceizar Fasso for Tapuae, and fetcher Hickson Raroa for Nuhaka; fullback Tupai Matenga for Ngatapa, and No.8 Mahuta Moran for Uawa; No.7 Ollie Rhodes for Wairoa Athletic, and reserve blindside flanker Daelyn Taumata for YMP.

Fine weather and the excellent state of all four grounds was conducive to good running rugby, as was the refereeing  of Matt Smith (Athletic-YMP), Aaron Brown (Ngatapa-Uawa), late call-up Tom Crosby (OBM-Horouta) and Wairoa-based Lenny Ferris (Nuhaka-Tapuae), who impressed good judges with his consistent application of the laws.

That Crosby, the new president of Poverty Bay Rugby, took up the whistle for what was a hard-fought contest having last week been an assistant referee, speaks volumes for the service that the union’s volunteers perform as and when required.

Wairoa Athletic were in fine form at the weekend. They led 22-10 at the break and even at this stage it looks as if only a great power will beat them.

None of this detracts from the application shown by the Tony Barbarich-coached Bumbles. Their first-half tries to fullback Lee Nepe and hooker Keanu Barbarich gave the visitors heart and hope. They played without reserves — or complaint — and were competitive in all areas.

Lock Brandon Poutu and No.6 Legend Winiata won lineout ball against much bigger opposition — they battled in front of and behind 6ft 10in Athletic titan Adriaan Brits.

That the home team could breach YMP’s defence only once in the second half is a good sign and a compliment to the Bumbles.

Wairoa fullback Fletcher Mildon was in superb form. He scored the second and fifth of his team’s five tries.

OBM coach Clint Pirihi praised the match-effort of Kiwara and scrum-anchor Costio Olive, among others, in his side’s 41-12 win against Horouta.

“It took our forwards a while to get in the game, but in saying that certain individuals — such as Gabe Te Kani — were outstanding.”

Te Kani, his co-captain and halfback Blake Crosby, and goal-kicking fullback Reeftahn Brown-Terekia all made strong contributions.

Horouta assistant coach Renata Maraki was delighted with Te Waka’s gutsy showing. They held OBM— on OBM home turf — to a 12-0 halftime lead, and after the break scored tries from robust pick-and-go play up front through lock Josh Matete and fetcher Delamere.

With head coach Richie Matenga starting at loosehead prop for Horouta, Maraki’s capacity to deputise does a reinvested club great good. OBM scored seven tries to two and deserved their 29-point margin of victory, but — as Maraki says — Horouta are improving by the week on the back of the platform laid by their industrious pack.

Ngatapa versus Uawa was a physical but clean affair, the mutual respect these clubs and their supporters share never more evident than during a moment of silence observed for Uawa stalwart Brian Mitchell, who with his wife Dolly ran the Uawa Foodmarket for 26 years.

Grandson and namesake Brian Mitchell scored a try on the left wing off the bench before moving to fullback. Meanwhile, the power and technique at close quarters of tighthead prop Semisi Akana were behind his double.

Loosehead prop John Mathias played 70 minutes in his farewell game for Uawa and was replaced by another excellent, durable competitor in Gordon Hinaki.

Ngatapa countered the visitors’ sizeable forwards with great tries to tighthead prop Codey Ellis, centre Johnny Millar and openside flanker Ben Robertson, plus a top display of goal-kicking from fullback Tupai Matenga.

Matenga converted all three of the home team’s tries in front of some 300 spectators at Patutahi. Uawa led 17-14 at the break in a brilliant contest.

Ngati Porou East Coast club champions in 2021 and Rangiora Keelan Memorial Shield winners in 2018 and ’19, Uawa are this year well-led by fullback Mohi Bartlett.

Tapuae have bumps, bruises and reason to smile following their 10-point win against The Star at Nuhaka Domain.

There was rugby passion aplenty on show, with Nuhaka loosehead prop Zane Taylor’s try, converted by No.7 Waka Edwards, giving the V8s a 7-5 halftime lead. Tapuae blindside flanker JJ Solomon scored before the break in an armwrestle for fans of close contests to relish.

Veteran Tapuae rake Wayne Hema acknowledged Nuhaka’s prowess at the scrum. But he also pointed to the difference made by his team’s skilful, speedy backs. Te Kapua Rewi-Munro came off the bench, slotted into centre and scored 10 minutes after the resumption. In the 75th minute, left wing Riko Tupou scored the match-winning try, and a conversion from fullback Kyoni-Tyrese Te Amo-Poki made it 17-7.

At season’s end, Nuhaka may look back on the clash with Tapuae and rate it as one of their toughest.

Nuhaka captain and second-five Russel Love saw improvement in many areas notwithstanding — Edwards’ play at the lineout, the forwards’ work in pods and the enterprise of fullback Treigh Akuhata-Christie. Often teams search for positives after a loss but Nuhaka truly played well at home. Tapuae held their nerve and took three of the few chances on offer.

Charteris Choppers Wairoa Athletic 32 (Fletcher Mildon 2, Lennox Rogers, BJ Stewart, George Twigley, tries; Twigley penalty, Mildon 2 conversions) YMP Bumbles 10 (Lee Nepe, Keanu Barbarich, tries). Halftime: 22-10.

Ngatapa Harvest Matawhero Transport 21 (Codey Ellis, Johnny Millar, Ben Robertson, tries; Tupai Matenga 3 con) Uawa 29 (Semisi Akana 2, Paddy Blackman Jnr, Kereama Leach, Brian Mitchell, tries; Josh Dearden 2 con). HT: 14-17 (Uawa).

Nuhaka V8s 7 (Zane Taylor try; Waka Edwards con) Roseland Tavern Tapuae 17 (JJ Solomon, Te Kapua Rewi-Munro, Riko Tupou, tries; Kyoni-Tyrese Te Amo-Poki con). HT: 7-5 (Nuhaka).

OBM 41 (Kavaia Dremoka, Inosa Qativi, Josh Charles, Reeftahn Brown-Terekia, Puhi Tau, Isaiah Oglivy, Semisi Maumau, tries; Brown-Terekia 3 con) Horouta 12 (Josh Matete, Weihana Delamere, tries; Matt Marino con). HT: 12-0 (OBM).