Club Rugby: Taradale start trophy defence with win over Hastings

Hastings try-scorer and halfback Jayden Rihia (left) tries to stop Taradale's Trinity Spooner-Neera in the match at Tareha Reserve. Photo / Paul Taylor

The Hawke’s Bay Rugby Union may have found some sort of happy middle ground after a draw and three other games decided by five points or less in the first weekend of the splitting of the Premier sides for the championship rounds.

Only Taradale, going for a third Maddison Trophy Premier championship title in a row in what is now a six-team race, put any reasonable gap on the losing opposition, beating Hastings Rugby and Sports 34-20 at Tareha Reserve, Taradale.

But it was a close call for Napier Tech Old Boys, coming off 10 consecutive wins to claim first-round prize the Nash Cup and remain unbeaten for a second year in a row, held to a 31-31 draw away to Central in Waipukurau, with each side scoring four converted tries and a penalty.

In the other Maddison Trophy game, Napier Old Boys needed a last-quarter converted try to beat MAC 22-17 at Flaxmere Park, avenging MAC’s 31-29 win in their Nash Cup match in Napier on May 13.

In bottom-five matches, now known as Division 1 and for the Hepa Paewai Memorial Trophy, Hastings side Hastings side Tamatea almost pulled off the upset of the season, having had 325 points scored against in four matches since an April 29 Nash Cup bye, to score their first bonus point of the season in being beaten 26-25 by Napier Pirate in Hastings, while Clive had a 20-19 home win over Dannevirke side Aotea.

On a fine day throughout the region, Taradale put in a commendable yet shaky performance against their visitors from Hastings as mid-winter made its mark with absences amid the seasonal bug, needing Kyan Ward, Dylan Lawson, Bailey Warner and Ryan Spice to be brought up from the clubs’ Colts team, along with all other grades apart from Premier and Division 1 taking the King’s Birthday holiday weekend off.

All but Spice were making their Premier debuts, off the bench, in a game the maroons led 19-7 at halftime and won with six tries - the last to lock Angelo Mufana, galloping more than 30 metres, before Hastings claimed the last points with a try to Blake Tresidder, converted by first five-eighths Koby Deacon, who kicked 10 points in the afternoon.

Taradale’s first try had gone to No 8 Iakopo Mapu, his 12th of the season, and along with Tech Old Boys centre Falealii Popoalii, who got two in Waipukurau, now has just one less than try-scoring leader and Aotea wing Sam Jones.

Tech’s other tries in Central Hawke’s Bay went to flanker Liam Udy-Johns and prop Manaaki Aranui, while Central also had two tries in the backs, both to wing Zac Simpson, and two in the forwards, to lock Frank Lochore and No 8 Josh Kaifa.

Respective first five-eighths Sheridan Rangihuna, for Tech, and Jordan Soli, for Central, each booted 11 points, continuing the battle for the most individual points for the season, closing the gap on OBM first five-eighths Jonty Stewart, who managed just one conversion from his side’s four tries against MAC, two of which went to midfield back Duff Penitito.

Stewart has scored 119 points for the season, and Soli 118, while Rangihuna and Aotea five-eighths Hoera Stephenson (with 14 points against Clive) each brought up their centuries, now on 109 and 101 respectively.

Taradale have a home game again next Saturday, against Napier OBM, Tech are away again, playing Hastings R&S, and Central are at home again, playing MAC.

Meanwhile, the Hawke’s Bay Magpies and Tūī squads each have a King’s Birthday hit-out against Manawatū’s Turbos and Cyclones respectively in Dannevirke, while the Central Hawke’s Bay sub-union side play NPC Heartland union Wairarapa-Bush in Waipukurau.

Results:

Premier - Maddison Trophy (Round 1):

Central 31 (Zac Simpson 2, Frank Lochore, Josh Kaifa tries) Jordan Soli penalty, 4 conversions) Napier Tech Old Boys 31 (Falealii Popoalii 2, Liam Udy-Johns, Manaaki Aranui tries; Sheridan Rangihuna penalty, 4 conversions).

Taradale 34 (Iakopo Petelo Mapu, Majella Tufuga, Kusitino Savea, Dylan Gallien, Flynn Allen, Angelo Mufana tries; Ezra Malo, Brad Truesdale conversions) Hastings Rugby and Sports (Jayden Rihia, Blake Tresidder tries; Koby Deacon 2 penalties, 2 conversions).

Napier Old Boys Marist 22 (Duff Penitito 2, Reilly Hannan, Kade Manuel-Green tries; Jonty Stewart conversion) MAC (Damarus Hokianga, Fa’alemiga Selsele, Elia Bari tries; Joshua Coward conversion).

Division 1 – Hepa Paewai Memorial Trophy (Round 1):

Napier Pirate 26 (Ryo Kikkawa 2, Jarryd Broughton, Al Momoisea tries; Cruz Davies 3 conversions) Tamatea 24 Jordarn Harmer, Charles Gillies, Ethan Smith, Te Paeru Makea-Karaitiana ties; Keanu Paniora 2 conversions).

Clive 20 (Anton Wilson, Donovan Mataira, Aminiasi Koroi tries; Jayden Falcon penalty, conversion) Aotea 19 (Gene Ropoama try; Hoera Stephenson 4 penalties, conversion).