Whitewash win to Athletic

To beat Wairoa Athletic at home is  a tough assignment.

Poverty Bay Senior 1 club rugby champions Tapuae found that out in a 36-0 loss to Charteris Choppers Wairoa Athletic in a local derby on the opening Saturday of the 2024 competition.

The Alex Little-led side scored six tries, with No.8 Jordan McFarlane bagging a hat-trick.

“It wasn’t until 10 minutes before the break that we found our rhythm. Before that, we played Tapuae’s game,” Little said. “We took a lot of work-ons away from the weekend. In the second half, we found our shape and built phases — played as a team, not individuals — and that’s what was best to see.”

Powerhouse McFarlane opened the scoring in a stop-start first half 14 minutes into the match, off the back of a scrum. First-five George Twigley landed the first of his three conversions on the day for 7-0 — the score at the break.

McFarlane made it a double six minutes after the resumption, which Twigley converted, and hooker Aaron Ioane scored next for 19-0.

McFarlane’s last try was a pile-driving effort following a penalty awarded five metres from Tapuae’s line  and scrum anchor Daniel Knubley’s try in the 71st minute.

Reserve rake Will Taylor dotted down under the posts with three minutes left to play and Twigley’s conversion completed the scoring.

Jud Kaimoana, whose commitments to study have forced him to hand the reins as Tapuae Senior 1 head coach over to his former assistant Chayce Rurehe, praised the effort their side made in what was a baptism of fire.

“Our main purpose is to act as a feeder team to Paoraian Manuel-Harman’s crew in the Premier grade and support them.

Tapuae won the Lew Patterson Cup as Senior 1 champions last year but this is almost an entirely new team — a mixture of young and old, with some players new to rugby.

“Our youngest player at the weekend, lock Ihaka Ngarangione, played well,” Kaimoana said.

“We’ve been together for just two weeks and having defended for most of the game, fitness and fatigue told on us in the final 20 minutes. “

“Up The Star” is a call to arms and a rousing cheer. And “Up the Star” rang around Nūhaka Domain like a flourish of trumpets as home team the Nūhaka V8s laid on nine tries for the navy blue faithful.

The Rongomai Wairau-Hickson Raroa-coached V8s began their Senior 1 campaign with a 57-15 win over a feisty Harvest Matawhero Transport Ngātapa mob.

Tapuae blindside flanker Tahuwaka Edwards and left-wing Ilisoni Duruwaqa scored doubles and there was one try each to No.8 Aoterangi Cotter, second-five Blayze-Waiari Taylor, captain/halfback Russel Love, hooker Nathaniel Solomon and loosehead prop Zane Wairau.

Edwards potted four conversions and Taylor two.

The hosts led 31-5 at the break.

Ngatapa No.8 Jak Rowe scored the green and whites’ first try. Props Charlie McMinn and Patriah Kaliopasi went over in the second half.

It was fast, open, hard rugby from the get-go with first-five Kauri Smith in sublime form.

Ngatapa head coach Guy Allan said: “A lot of our boys have work commitments and so we had our first full team the previous Thursday.

“Nūhaka have a fast, attacking style, and made the most of their opportunities with our boys playing well, too.

“From us, there was some huge defence and we scored some excellent tries. The coaching staff and management saw a lot that our boys can build on.

“It was an excellent day. Credit to Nūhaka.”

Whether on the rugby field or the basketball court, Dom Wilson is a very good sportsman who doesn’t give much away. But even the laid-back Wilson, captain and forward for YMP Bumbles, would have been thrilled with his crew’s 24-20 comeback win against Horouta Te Waka at Barry Park.

Horouta dominated the first half for a 20-0 lead.

Blindside flanker Mike Kora scored in the ninth minute and fetcher Charlie Kepa in the 21st. Centre Henry Kepa kicked a penalty goal 25 minutes in and Te Waka were awarded a penalty try at the half-hour mark.

Barring a miracle, the game ought to have been over as a contest.

But a minor miracle is what followed.

Second-five Mataiata Moeke (43rd minute), right-wing Rapana Ngaau (49th), left-wing Davante Babbington (64th) and goal-kicking centre Christy Stuart (68th minute) scored tries in a comeback win for the ages.

Stuart converted Ngaau’s try and his own as YMP scored 24 unanswered point in the second half.

Horouta assistant coach Renata Maraki said: “In the first half we played some good rugby, connected well between forwards and backs and put YMP under a lot of pressure through our set-plays.

“The second half was different, but we offer no excuses. We need to be more disciplined.”