Teenaged Napier Tech Old Boys No 8 Xavier McCorkindale has a crack at the defence of Hastings five-eighths Jordan Thompson-Dunn (left) and Danny Toala. It rarely worked and Hastings won the Tech centennial feature, 38-5. Photo / Paul Taylor
Teenaged Napier Tech Old Boys No 8 Xavier McCorkindale has a crack at the defence of Hastings five-eighths Jordan Thompson-Dunn (left) and Danny Toala. It rarely worked and Hastings won the Tech centennial feature, 38-5. Photo / Paul Taylor
Reigning Maddison Trophy champions Hastings Rugby and Sport did their best to spoil Napier Tech Old Boys' centennial by having a rage of their own with a 38-5 2021 Hawke's Bay Premier club rugby championship win in Napier on Saturday.
Despite the rain and mud in a six-tries-to-one triumph atWhitmore Park, with all the winners' tries scored by forwards, Hastings coaches and management were soon calling it the side's best performance of the season, the best 80 minutes all-round.
Conversely, Tech were scoreless until picking up the last try of the game after being down 14-0 at halftime and 38-0 in the last 10 minutes. Ultimately they were jettisoned 3 more points adrift of a top-four place with just two matches remaining.
With a four-try bonus point for the fifth time in the five matches to date, Hastings went to an outright lead, with first-round Nash Cup winners Taradale dropping back a point after scoring just three tries in a 19-12 win over continuing top-four hopefuls Clive, at Farndon Park, Clive, after leading 12-0 at halftime.
Napier Old Boys Marist leapfrogged Clive into third place with a 33-11 win away to MAC at Flaxmere Park, and Tamatea relished the home-ground mud to get their first win in a month by beating Waipukurau club, Central at Bill Matthewson Park, Hastings, where, perhaps befitting the shortest day of the rugby season, the ground lights were turned on more than 10 minutes before fulltime.
Mark Braidwood, centre, and his Napier Tech Old Boys team-mates question a subsequently overturned try. Photo / Paul Taylor
Hastings showed what they were capable of at near to full-strength, and their management and that of Taradale said that as far as the weather allowed on the day it had been a good lead-in to their top-of-the-table clash this Saturday at Elwood Park, Hastings, where Taradale had a crushing 46-19 win in the pair's Nash Cup final on May 8.
Outstanding for Hastings on Saturday was skipper Jacob Devery, who scored three tries from No 8, and significantly helped his side to the point where Tech knew that, in the conditions, a win was unlikely when down 21-0 early in the second half.
Also among the tries were hooker Miracle Lolofie, prop Jason Long and Joe Taafi off the bench, with halfback Connor McLeod turning in a good display of goalkicking in the conditions.
Tech had chances, pressuring the Hastings line for small periods but failing to capitalise. Manager Cyril Winterburn said it was "pretty hard to come back" once the third try had been conceded, leaving his side's greatest moment as the day's only try to the backs – the five-pointer for halfback Kyle Cornelissen.
Hooker Gene Syminton, centre Hemaua Samasoni and wing Brayden Cunningham scored for Taradale, with flanker Josh Kaifa and wing Antony Wilson getting the five-pointers for Clive, supplemented with a conversion to first five-eighths and recently-returned Tiaan Falcon. Clive pushed back in search of what could have been an upset win but got a result still worth a bonus point for getting within seven points of the winners.
Taradale scored all their tries in the first half. Coach Boyd Carswell said it was always going to be tough in the conditions, yet both sides were prepared to give the ball "a bit of air". Clive were a good test and it showed when they came back in the second half.
"We won the first half, and they won the second," said Carswell.
Hawke's Bay Magpies first five-eighths Lincoln McClutchie was a clear man-of-the-match in Tamatea's match, kicking a penalty and all four conversions, and again forming a formidable combination with halfback Shamara Brooks, who scored one of the tries.
It was 14-12 at halftime and 21-19 with 12 minutes to go when Central conceded a yellow card, losing a player to the sin bin for 10 minutes in which Tamatea scored the match-sealing try.
Central scored two tries, two of which were converted by first five-eighths Tate Harte.
Napier OBM scored five tries in their match, with flanker Will Tremain dotting down twice, and lock Boris van Bruchem also scoring, again highlighting the forwards' roles in the day.
Meanwhile, relegated Havelock North continued their series of Senior Division 1 routs, looking even better for a quick return to the top grade with a 53-0 win over third-placed Napier OBM Reserves. It was not so good for Napier Pirate who managed a draw against Otane in Central Hawke's Bay, while first-round Division 1 Country winners Aotea kept their hopes alive but all-but ended those of Town champions Maraenui with a 17-10 win travelling to Napier.
