A second half surge by Kristino Savea, watched by referee Sheldon Eden Whaitiri, as defending Nash Cup and Maddison Trophy champion Taradale beat Hastings club Tamatea 48-14.Photo / Ian Cooper
A second half surge by Kristino Savea, watched by referee Sheldon Eden Whaitiri, as defending Nash Cup and Maddison Trophy champion Taradale beat Hastings club Tamatea 48-14.Photo / Ian Cooper
Tamatea couldn't mark the 40th anniversary of their 1982 Maddison Trophy triumph with victory over current holders Taradale, who won 48-14 at Bill Mathewson Park on Saturday.
An upset win in the Ray White Nash Cup round nine match would have put the hosts in the top eight with twogames left before the Maddison Trophy quarter-finals.
It was Taradale's day, though, as they scored four tries in the second quarter to lead 22-0 at the break.
Any hope of an unlikely Tamatea comeback was dashed by another try to halfback Humphrey Sheild seconds after halftime, although the hosts did get two consolation tries themselves.
The second was scored by Magpies centre Dennon Robinson-Bartlett, who returned from his first season in Major League Rugby with the Toronto Arrows earlier in the week.
Taradale probably needed table-topping Napier Technical Old Boys to slip up against Central Hawke's Bay to retain their Nash Cup title.
But the undefeated Texans won 38-7 at Central Park in Waipukurau and will claim the Cup on Saturday should they beat Tamatea in Napier, having drawn the bye in the last match of the round-robin a week later.
They kept Central scoreless for almost an hour, totting up six tries on their way to a ninth straight victory.
Napier Old Boys Marist also shut out their opposition in the first half, eventually triumphing 38-19 over Hastings R&S in an Elwood Park match in which one player from each side was sent off by top referee Nick Hogan after a brawl.
Outside backs Paoraian Manuel-Harman and Michael Buckley each grabbed doubles for the Green Machine, who sit second on the table.
Havelock North round out the top four following their 65-17 win over Aotea at Anderson Park.
Winger Epeli Tanadroga scored a first-half hat-trick for the Villagers and ended up with four tries on the day.
MAC are breathing down Havelock North's neck in fifth after their 64-13 win over Napier Pirate at Tamatea Park.
Last placed Pirate are still in with a chance for the quarter-finals for the Maddison Trophy though – they are set to duel with Aotea, Central, Clive (who had a bye this weekend) and Tamatea for the final two places over the next fortnight.
