Hawkes Bay Today
  • Hawke's Bay Today home
  • Latest news
  • Sport
  • Business
  • Opinion
  • Lifestyle
  • Property
  • Video
  • Death notices
  • Classifieds

Subscriptions

  • Herald Premium
  • Viva Premium
  • The Listener
  • BusinessDesk

Sections

  • Latest news
  • On The Up
  • Sport
  • Business
  • Opinion
  • Lifestyle
  • Property
    • All Property
    • Residential property listings
  • Rural
    • All Rural
    • Dairy farming
    • Sheep & beef farming
    • Horticulture
    • Animal health
    • Rural business
    • Rural life
    • Rural technology

Locations

  • Napier
  • Hastings
  • Havelock North
  • Central Hawke's Bay
  • Tararua

Media

  • Video
  • Photo galleries
  • Today's Paper - E-Editions
  • Photo sales
  • Classifieds

Weather

  • Napier
  • Hastings
  • Dannevirke
  • Gisborne

NZME Network

  • Advertise with NZME
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • BusinessDesk
  • Newstalk ZB
  • Sunlive
  • ZM
  • The Hits
  • Coast
  • Radio Hauraki
  • The Alternative Commentary Collective
  • Gold
  • Flava
  • iHeart Radio
  • Hokonui
  • Radio Wanaka
  • iHeartCountry New Zealand
  • Restaurant Hub
  • NZME Events

SubscribeSign In

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Home / Hawkes Bay Today

Rugby: Loosie poised to better brother's feats

Hawkes Bay Today
23 Aug, 2019 06:00 PM4 mins to read

Subscribe to listen

Access to Herald Premium articles require a Premium subscription. Subscribe now to listen.
Already a subscriber?  Sign in here

Listening to articles is free for open-access content—explore other articles or learn more about text-to-speech.
‌
Save

    Share this article

Cooper Flanders is one of four Year 11 players in the Hastings Boys' High School first XV for today's Hurricanes region semifinal. Photo/Warren Buckland

Cooper Flanders is one of four Year 11 players in the Hastings Boys' High School first XV for today's Hurricanes region semifinal. Photo/Warren Buckland

HBHS v St Patrick's Silverstream
Hurricanes semifinal
By Shane Hurndell

It's easy to appreciate the similarities between Havelock North's Flanders and Evans families when it comes to rugby.

That's Cooper Flanders and former All Black Gareth Evans in particular. Both are the youngest of three brothers in their respective families and while Gareth has already proved to be the toughest of his brothers, Cooper is on track to emulate that feat within his family.

We all know the story ... the youngest brother often turns out the toughest and most successful on the back of the hidings he took during numerous games of backyard rugby as a youngster with older siblings. While two-time New Zealand under-20s representative and Magpies loosie Devan Flanders made the Hastings Boys' High School first XV as a Year 12 student, 15-year-old Cooper has made the same first XV as a Year 11 student and is displaying maturity beyond his years.

"Hopefully I can follow a similar path to Devan. But in saying that he needs to work on his speed a bit," Cooper said on the eve of Hastings Boys' High School's Hurricanes region semifinal against Wellington's St Patrick's Silverstream College on home turf today.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

"Devan might have bulked up a bit and lost some speed," Cooper said indicating the brothers are obviously tough on each other and it brings the best out of all of them.

Their older brother, Ethan, played Ross Shield rugby like his brothers but didn't progress to the first XV ranks as he made canoe polo his priority sport. Cooper had two years in the Hastings East Ross Shield team during the 2015 and '16 seasons.

He has also represented the Hawke's Bay under-16s and is one of six members of today's first XV in the Hawke's Bay under-16 side. Considering how well Cooper has done in the No 8 role this season fans may find it hard to believe he played halfback in 2017, second five-eighth last year and first five-eighth at Ross Shield level.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

"I'm enjoying the No 8 position because you're more involved," Cooper said.

"This weekend we have to treat the semifinal like it's just another game. Obviously they will use their big forwards a lot with plenty of pick and goes. So we will just play our game and move them around," Cooper explained.

Like Devan, Cooper, enjoys the surf lifesaving beach-based sports in the summer and represents the Westshore club. However unlike Devan, who won the Mr Waimarama title in 2016, Cooper doesn't chase pageant king titles.

"That's not my scene," he said.

Cooper is also a canoe polo player and is in his school's top team. While he is aiming for a professional rugby career he is planning to become a physio or physical education teacher so he is prepared for life after rugby.

He is confident HBHS can return to the winning path after their 13-5 loss to Hamilton Boys' High School in their Super 8 final loss a fortnight ago.

'The break has enabled us to freshen up. We didn't do much contact work during the first week but we got back into it this week," Cooper said.

He is one of four Year 11 players in today's Hastings team. Blindside flanker Fraser Taurima-Heperi, winger Mefi Tupou and utility Donovan Godinet are the others.

This quartet as well as halfback Phillip King-Panapa and substitute front rower Manahi Goulton are in the Hawke's Bay under-16 squad.

Prop Jeremiah Tuiatua is still on the injured list and outside back Eldius Oli is unavailable with concussion. Outstanding first five-eighth Latrell Ah Kiong will be given until kick-off to shake off a niggly injury.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Should Ah Kiong withdraw captain Jordan Thompson-Dunn will move from second five-eighth to the pivot role, Elijah Mataira will play in the No 12 jersey and Hoera Stephenson will replace Mataira on the subs bench.

The full HBHS team is:
Mercedes Hodge, Joeli Rauca, Andrew Hayward, Jordan Thompson-Dunn, Mefi Tupou, Latrell Ah Kiong, Phillip King-Panapa, Cooper Flanders, Daemon Brough, Fraser Taurima-Heperi, Julian Goerke, Emil Crichton, Mosese Fineanganofo, Jacob Dorward, Tini Nu'u. Substitutes: Forwards, Manahi Goulton, Josh Folau, Connor Wadley, Donovan Godinet, Arama Kite. Backs, Charlie Varcoe, Elijah Mataira.

Save

    Share this article

Latest from Sport

Premium
Hawkes Bay Today

Two CHB wins on finals weekend at McLean Park

Hawkes Bay Today

Club rugby stars announced in Magpies NPC squad

Hawkes Bay Today

Napier City Rovers face crucial match in bid for top-tier football


Sponsored

Solar bat monitors uncover secrets of Auckland’s night sky

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Latest from Sport

Premium
Premium
Two CHB wins on finals weekend at McLean Park
Hawkes Bay Today

Two CHB wins on finals weekend at McLean Park

11 clubs share 14 first and second round trophies in Hawke's Bay club rugby.

15 Jul 06:00 PM
Club rugby stars announced in Magpies NPC squad
Hawkes Bay Today

Club rugby stars announced in Magpies NPC squad

15 Jul 06:00 PM
Napier City Rovers face crucial match in bid for top-tier football
Hawkes Bay Today

Napier City Rovers face crucial match in bid for top-tier football

15 Jul 05:00 PM


Solar bat monitors uncover secrets of Auckland’s night sky
Sponsored

Solar bat monitors uncover secrets of Auckland’s night sky

06 Jul 09:47 PM
NZ Herald
  • About NZ Herald
  • Meet the journalists
  • Newsletters
  • Classifieds
  • Help & support
  • Contact us
  • House rules
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms of use
  • Competition terms & conditions
  • Our use of AI
Subscriber Services
  • Hawke's Bay Today e-edition
  • Manage your print subscription
  • Manage your digital subscription
  • Subscribe to Herald Premium
  • Subscribe to the Hawke's Bay Today
  • Gift a subscription
  • Subscriber FAQs
  • Subscription terms & conditions
  • Promotions and subscriber benefits
NZME Network
  • Hawke's Bay Today
  • The New Zealand Herald
  • The Northland Age
  • The Northern Advocate
  • Waikato Herald
  • Bay of Plenty Times
  • Rotorua Daily Post
  • Whanganui Chronicle
  • Viva
  • NZ Listener
  • Newstalk ZB
  • BusinessDesk
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • iHeart Radio
  • Restaurant Hub
NZME
  • NZME Events
  • About NZME
  • NZME careers
  • Advertise with NZME
  • Digital self-service advertising
  • Book your classified ad
  • Photo sales
  • © Copyright 2025 NZME Publishing Limited
TOP