Hawke’s Bay clubs’ running rugby – 63 tries in four games

Strong-running Old Boys' Marist wing Kere Penitito charges upfield in his side's 44-5 win over Waipukurau club Central in Napier. Photo / Emma Rodger

A lop-sided state is emerging in Hawke’s Bay rugby’s top grade after 411 points were scored, including 63 tries, in just five Nash Cup games on Saturday.

Strong-running Old Boys Marist wing Sunia Ragede charges upfield in his side's 44-5 win over Waipukurau club Central in Napier. Photo / Emma Rodger

Napier Pirate, with the surprise appearance of Blues Super Rugby Pacific star Zarn Sullivan in his first senior match for his original club, ran up almost 100 points on their home ground of Tamatea Park to beat MAC 95-7.

In other results, Havelock North beat Aotea 75-28 in Havelock North, defending champions Taradale delivered a 73-12 execution of hosts Napier Tech Old Boys at Whitmore Park, Hastings Rugby and Sport (HRS) beat Clive 67-5 at Farndon Park, and Napier Old Boys’ Marist beat travellers Central 44-5.

Sullivan, 24 and a veteran of more than 70 matches for Auckland and the Blues in NPC and Super since 2020, played the full 80 minutes, testing the fitness and recovery in his first match since being injured against the Crusaders on March 23.

He didn’t score any of his side’s 15 tries, an irony, reckoned player-coach Sheridan Rangihuna.

But he did set up plenty and showed the class of “another level”, said Rangihuna, who otherwise felt “sorry” for MAC, who conceded 15 tries after 13 against them two weeks earlier – one of the clubs struggling as the gaps widen.

Havelock North, Taradale and HRS each scored 11 tries, the high scoring particularly benefiting Taradale first five Trinity Spooner-Neera, whose try and seven conversions took him to 61 points for the season, HRS fullback Oscar Sowman, whose two tries and three conversions took him to 52, and fullback Patrick Hedley took his total to 51 with a try and four conversions for OBM.

HRS halfback Caleb Horsefield, Taradale left wing Bethel Malasia (Taradale), each with three tries, Sam Jones, with two of Aotea’s four tries, and Spooner-Neera, with his one, joined Taradale’s C.J. Mienie at the top of the try-scoring ladder, each with five. Another to score three tries was Grayson Ewart for the Pirates.

Of the 20 games in the four rounds to date, winners have scored at least 50 points in 12, three of the top four have averaged more than 50 points a game, and three have averaged more than 50 points against.

On current form much of the same can be expected passing the cup’s halfway stage on Good Friday.

OBM were tested the most in making it four from four, but only in the first 12 or 13 minutes at Park Island, where Central defended strongly as OBM the line repeatedly after running back from the return from their kickoff.

Central unsuccessfully tried to snatch the first points with a penalty from 42 metres in their first real moment in opposition territory, but the reality soon struck, and OBM, in the 100th Premier match for captain Hannon Brighouse, had scored two tries in going to an 18-0 lead at halftime, answering the call from player-coach Ellery Wilson to work harder on the defence needed if the team are to win the club their first Premier trophy since 2018.

One feature was the performance of flanker Kan Ngawhare, straight into Premier rugby after three seasons in the St John’s College, Hastings First XV.

In other grades, Tamatea, relegated from the Premier grade at the end of last season, scored a second win in two games in Town and Country Division 2 rugby by beating Napier OBM 34-8, while in the Poverty Bay competition, Tapuae beat Ngātapa 33-22 to make it two from two this season extending the unbeaten record which won them the competition in 2024.

Club Rugby Results:

Premier (Nash Cup, Rd 4):

Taradale 73 (Bethel Malasia 3, Andrew Gardner, Brayden Cunningham, Dylan Ramsay, Izaiah Tuliau Josh Eden-Whaitiri, Mikaele Tapili, Tobias Single, Trinity Spooner-Neera tries; Spooner-Neera 7, Luke Thomas 2 cons) Napier Tech Old Boys 12 (Ben Te Hau, Elijah Martin tries; Leighton Shaw con).

Havelock North 75 (Tom Allen 2, Cooper Flanders, Ethan Carr-Benge, Josh Leach, Le’Sharn Reiri-Paku Mansen-Zion Laulu, Marcus Leach, Oscar Ritchie, Tom Brock, Will Cole tries; 7, Ash Robinson-Bartlett 2, Tom Allen cons) Aotea 28 (Sam Jones 2, Jahnique Whaitiri, Donovan Godinet tries; Hoera Stephenson 4 cons).

Napier Pirate 95 (Grayson Ewart 3, Charlie Nash 2, Liam Batt 2, Rocky Hoffman 2, Tipene Maxwell 2 Chaz Heke, Eneri McGrath, Jericho Wharehinga, Will Bolingford tries; Zarn Sullivan 5, Liam Batt 2, Andrew Tauatevalu, Charlie Nash, Tipene Maxwell cons; MAC 7 (Filemoni Asolua try; William Malaitai con).

Hastings Rugby and Sports 67 (Caleb Horsefield 3, Emil Crichton 2, Oscar Sowman 2 Bryson Ioane, Membranz Tahu, Perez Malo, Sione Folau tries; Koby Deacon 3, Oscar Sowman 3 cons) Clive 5 (Aminiasi Koroi try).

Napier Old Boys Marist 44 (Dylan Homan, Hannon Brighouse, Kane Ngawhare, Patrick Hedley, Patrick Teddy, Pulea Faleiva tries; Patrick Hedley 2 pens, 2 cons) Central 5 (Dylan Wind try).

Doug Laing is a senior reporter based in Napier with Hawke’s Bay Today and has 52 years of journalism experience, 42 of them in Hawke’s Bay, in news gathering, including breaking news, sports, local events, issues, and personalities.