FPC rugby: Hawke’s Bay Tui pull a stunner out of the hat, beating Auckland at Eden Park

Hawke's Bay Tui flanker Tempryss Lauvao celebrates after scoring one of her two first-half tries in an upset 48-24 over defending champions the Auckland Storm at Eden Park. Photo / Blake Armstrong, Action Press

The Tui have pulled off a stunning sort-of redemption for Hawke’s Bay rugby by thrashing defending national women’s champions the Auckland Storm 48-24 at Eden Park.

Following a hiding given to the Hawke’s Bay Magpies men’s NPC side on Friday night, the Bay needed something uplifting and it came in New Zealand’s biggest sports stadium, where the Tui were playing their last match of the 2024 Farah Palmer Cup season, out of the race for title honours but having staved off the threat of relegation.

The Tui scored eight tries and almost ended the season for Auckland, whose 79th-minute try gave them a four-try bonus point, to sneak into the playoffs.

The Tui scored first in the 18th minute, led 12-10 at halftime and never relinquished the lead in scoring their second win over Auckland in two games between the two sides since being promoted to the top division of Farah Palmer Cup rugby.

They beat Auckland 32-31 in their first match back, in Hastings, last year, and in beating Auckland at Eden Park have now done something the Magpies, the Hawke’s Bay men’s side, haven’t done since 1968.

After the game, played in brilliantly fine weather as the first match in a Farah Palmer Cup, Bunnings Warehouse NPC and Heartland championship triple-header, captain Krysten Cottrell was ecstatic, and remarking the team brought Hawke’s Bay with them.

Both first-half tries for the Tui were scored by flanker Tempryss Lauvao, a conversion of the first by captain and first five-eighths Krysten Cottrell being enough for the two-point halftime lead, after Auckland also scored two tries, enough to keep them in the game as the commentators forecast the Tui might soon be outpaced.

It was the reverse as tries from wings Nicolette Adamson (43rd minute) and Monique Clark (48th), with another Cottrell conversion, sprung the plucky visitors to a 14-point lead.

The Storm responded with a converted try soon afterwards, but the Tui went rampant, with tries to prop Nina Poletti (63min), fullback Thamsyn Newton (66min), centre Teilah Ferguson (72min) and substitute wing Maleta Pailate, before Auckland were able to have the last say.

That five of the Bay’s tries went to the outside backs, and that three of them came from near length-of-the-field moves, was a measure of the command they stamped on the park, with some particularly good performances from experienced players such as Ferguson, No 8 Jaimee Robin and Cottrell.