Win or lose ‘It’s that simple’

Ngāti Porou East Coast first five Te Rangi Fraser tries to bust through the King Country defence during a Heartland match at Whakarua Park, Ruatōria. They are up against Thames Valley tomorrow in Waihi.Picture by Paul Rickard

The must-win game of the Ngāti Porou East Coast Kaupoi Sky Blues’ season is upon them.

NPEC travel to Rugby Park, Waihi, to play the Thames Valley Swamp Foxes at 2pm tomorrow.

The fourth-placed Coast — like Thames Valley and Whanganui — have won five out of seven games with only this round-robin match to play in the 12-team Heartland Championship.

NPEC have 25 competition points; second-placed Thames Valley and third-placed Whanganui both have 27. Lochore Cup holders the Coast have as their goal a Meads Cup semifinal berth.

A bonus-point win — four tries in a victory — would be the surest way for the Kahu Tamatea-coached Sky Blues to seal the deal in that regard, although the Swamp Foxes have an excellent record against the Coast.

Since the Sky Blues beat the Gold, Red and Black 5-3 at Tolaga Bay on August 11, 1931, the record has come to read 29 wins for the Valley, 14 for the Coast, with four draws. The Coast’s last win in this fixture was 53-38 on September 29, 2012. The Valley won the last game played by the teams at Enterprise Cars Whakarua Park, Ruatoria, 35-19 on September 25, 2021.

Thames Valley head coach and former captain David Harrison regards his squad as a great group. He knows they can bounce back from their agonising 34-33 loss to the McKeown Petroleum North Otago Old Golds at Centennial Park at Ōamaru last Saturday.

Blindside flanker Cameron Dromgool and second five-eighth Sam McCahon will lead the way for the home team.

Legendary Sky Blues winger Verdon Bartlett’s 100th cap and the 29-11 win against the Ssangyong King Country Rams now belong to history. The Coast will now concentrate on the details and game-plan needed to earn a home semifinal next weekend.

They have a forward pack that can plough through doughty opponents and the on-field leadership of tall loosehead prop Hakarangi Tichborne, try-scoring rakes Joseph Royal and Jorian Tangaere, captain and halfback Sam Parkes, first-five Te Rangi Fraser and a host of others who have grown this season.

They are one game away from the big time — again.

Tamatea said: “Ball retention and building pressure over phases of play will be a priority for us.

“If we win tomorrow, we’ll be playing in the Meads Cup next Saturday. If we lose, we’ll be playing in the Lochore Cup. It’s that simple.”

The referee will be Andy Morton, formerly of Manchester in the UK but now from Bay of Plenty. He is a 31-year-old physical education teacher at Tauranga Boys’ College. The assistant referees are both from Thames Valley — Nico Fox (AR1) and Stu Watts (AR2).

NGĀTI POROU EAST COAST: starting 15: Hakarangi Tichborne, Joseph Royal, Perrin Manuel, Richard Green, Hoani Te Moana, Faifili Levave, Will Bolingford, Mitchell Crosswell (vc), Sam Parkes (c), Te Rangi Fraser, Tevita Nabura, Tutere Waenga, Apirana Pewhairangi, Pamona Samupo, Renata Roberts-Te Nana. Reserves, 16-23: Jorian Tangaere, Jody Tuhaka, Semisi Akana, Rico Te Kani, Jack Richardson, Josh Dearden, Taane Paki, Te Aho Morice.

THAMES VALLEY SWAMP FOXES: Brooklin Toia, Liam Gilheany-Black, Moses Mafi, Tim Erceg, Mosese Halahuni, Cameron Dromgool (cc), Tayne Tupaea, Savelio Ropati, Leroy Neals, Hendrix Beaxley, Fletcher Morgan, Sam McCahon (cc), Harry Lafituanai, Coel Kerr, Calum Wood. Reserves: Shontayne Dare, Nigel Williams, Jahvani Lolesi, Guto Davies, Richard Rosewarne, Jake O’Connor, Patrick Faapale, Taimua Junior Malielegaoi.