Hawke’s Bay rugby: Magpies and Tui seek to pack out McLean Park despite weekend losses

Tom Parsons (pictured here on the surge in 2019) is set to play his 100th match for Hawke's Bay this Saturday. Photo / Photosport

The Hawke’s Bay Magpies face a crucial week in the NPC season ahead of Saturday’s home match against defending champions Wellington, after slipping to sixth place following a 27-22 loss to Northland.

Playing in Whangārei on Saturday, the Magpies’ second successive loss gave them a 3-2 record at the halfway stage, with winning now a prerogative in the bid to earn home games in the playoffs.

Back at McLean Park this week, on the anniversary weekend of the loss of the Ranfurly Shield to Tasman last year, the incentives will be strong, with captain Tom Parsons likely to make his 100th appearance for the province and a sunny day forecast for the likely family atmosphere of the side’s first 2.05pm kickoff of the campaign.

There are a few extras, such as the women’s Hawke’s Bay Tui (on the back of three heavy defeats) playing Auckland in the 11.35am curtain-raiser, and a wedding.

In the background, it’s the 60th birthday this week of Hawkeye, reputed to have been the world’s biggest rugby mascot when hatched for a Hawke’s Bay Ranfurly Shield challenge against Taranaki in 1965.

In Whangārei, the Magpies conceded the first points, a penalty, and bounced back with tries to centre Nick Grigg and flanker Miracle Fai’ilagi to lead 12-6 just before halftime.

A conversion from Northland’s first try put the home side ahead 13-12 at the break, and another stretched the Taniwha’s lead to eight points just seven minutes into the second half.

A try to fullback Zarn Sullivan and a conversion and a penalty goal from first five-eighths Harry Godfrey put Hawke’s Bay back into the lead at 22-20 entering the final quarter.

When Northland’s Sam Caird, off the subs’ bench, scored in the 70th minute, with first five-eighths Rivez Reihana completing the conversion of all three Taniwha tries, it was the beginning of the end for a Magpies side facing a tough last 10 minutes against a home-side forward pack that dominated the match.

In the women’s Farah Palmer Cup Premiership, the young Hawke’s Bay Tui, beaten 72-0 by Canterbury and 73-5 by Manawatū in the previous fortnight, showed some improvement but were still beaten 65-14 by Counties-Manukau in Pukekohe.

They scored two converted tries in the last seven minutes of the first half, after being down 22-0, and were competitively placed at the break, down 27-14.

The first try went to wing Maleta Pailate, crashing through the tackles from about 10m out and then 17-year-old halfback Briar Hales chose the gap as the ball came clear from a scrum going backwards about 35m out, evaded the defence and scored just to the left of the posts.

The Hawke’s Bay men’s development side, with three tries to Magpies player Le Roux Malan, beat Wellington Samoan Rugby 98-14 in Palmerston North, and the Hawke’s Bay Under-19 men’s side beat the Hurricanes Heartland U20 XV 50-12 in Napier.

In Christchurch, Napier Boys’ High School finished fourth in the National Invitation Under-15 schools tournament, after being beaten 40-10 by Hamilton Boys’ High School in a playoff on Friday.

Napier’s unbeaten run and hopes of winning the competition ended with a 22-5 semifinal loss to Christchurch Boys’ High School, who were then beaten 24-7 as Tauranga Boys’ College won the title for a second year in a row.

In an eight–team U15 schools competition in Hastings, Rathkeale College beat host school Lindisfarne College 27-24 in the final on Saturday.

Doug Laing has been a reporter for 52 years, more than 40 of them in Hawke’s Bay, at the Central Hawke’s Bay Press, the Napier Daily Telegraph and Hawke’s Bay Today. He has covered most aspects of general news and sport.