Taradale halfback Humphrey Sheild clears the ball in his side's 31-24 Maddison Trophy semifinal win over Napier Old Boys Marist. Photo / Ian Cooper
Taradale halfback Humphrey Sheild clears the ball in his side's 31-24 Maddison Trophy semifinal win over Napier Old Boys Marist. Photo / Ian Cooper
The biggest day in Hawke's Bay club rugby in years has got the finals it wanted to cap the new format put into place this year.
There'll be a true inter-city face-off in next Saturday's Maddison Trophy Premier final between defending champions Hastings Rugby and Sports and Taradale.
In Saturday'ssemifinals, Taradale ended the hopes of Napier Old Boys' Marist with a home-park 31-24 win at Tareha Reserve, while Hastings R&S ruled on home ground Ellwood Park to beat riverside club Clive 38-19.
It will be the clubs' third meeting in a final in a row, Hastings winning the Maddison Trophy final in 2020, and Taradale winning the first-round Nash Cup final in early May.
But the first big finals weekend at Hawke's Bay Magpies home ground McLean Park, Napier, begins with the Senior 1 title for the new Hepa Paewai Memorial Trophy to be decided in a match between the two clubs for which the 1960s Hawke's Bay Ranfurly Shield played – Havelock North and Dannevirke club Aotea.
While Havelock North kept an unbeaten record in the grade with a 25-12 victory over Napier Pirate, Aotea staged the most remarkable of comebacks.
Visitors Napier OBM led 43-7 just before halftime in the semifinal at Rugby Park, Dannevirke, but Aotea scored five converted tries in the last 20 minutes to win 49-46.
Long-time watchers of club rugby in Hawke's Bay could not recall anything like the 42 point comeback, even less so at semifinal or final stage.
Hastings Rugby and Sports super-sub Danya Tulou gets into action in his side's 38-19 Maddison Trophy semifinal win over Clive at Elwood Park. Photo / Ian Cooper
The result meant Aotea, as one of the top two teams in the grade, have the chance to play Premier rugby in the Nash Cup competition next season – the first Dannevirke club to qualify since their own relegation in 2006.
Havelock North welcome a return to Premier grade, in which the village club have been one of the most dominant in the three decades since former Napier-Hastings rugby prize the Maddison Trophy was first put up for a Hawke's Bay-wide championship.
But their win at Anderson Park, Havelock North, meant that Pirate, winner of the Cup in 2011 and 2015 will probably spend next season in the lower grade looking for a way back to Premier grade rugby in 2023.
It was not clear early on Saturday night whether Aotea will accept the option for promotion.
Both Premier semifinal wins were based on good defensive patterns and commitment, although Hastings were in some strife when they were down 14-12 to Clive at halftime, and Taradale conceded two converted tries in less than 10 minutes to give OBM a teensy sniff of hope coming back from 31-10 down to trail by just seven points over the last five minutes.
Without a game since June 19, after two of their games were unable to go ahead, Taradale could have been forgiven for looking short of a run but were anything but as the maroons dominated for the first 65 minutes, although leading just 12-7 at halftime.
Prop Namatahi Waa, who has played 45 games at the upper levels for Northland, Hawke's Bay and the Blues, and No 8 Iakopo Mapu were again big forces in the Taradale forwards, Waa rewarded with two of his side's five tries.
Coach Boyd Carswell said the approach going into the final would not be one of revenge for being beaten by Hastings in last year's Maddison Trophy, but a match between two sides who had shared their results this season.
It will be a big weekend for Taradale, with the club also into the Senior 3 final, against Clive, and the Colts final, against Waipukurau club Central.
Clive welcomed back Hurricanes Super Rugby player Isiah Walker-Liawere into the starting XV, and he had an impressive role controlling the lineout and in other facets until his early departure before halftime.
"We were all over it in the first half," said manager Dean Hales, who rued the fact that "unfortunately" the team were ultimately unable to win for prop Kareama Peni, who was calling this season his last in Premier rugby after about seven seasons and more than 100 matches in the top-team shirt.
Aotea and the scoreboard after the remarkable Senior 1 win over Napier OBM Reserves in Dannevirke. OBM led 43-7 before halftime - Aotea won 49-46 in the last seconds. Photo / Supplied
Once Hastings started to get on top it was time for the star players to shine, including midfield back Danny Toala, who scored a brace, sandwiching a good team effort for a try scored by hooker Miracle Lolofie.
Hastings again showcased their control of the set pieces, in which prop Dennis Tapusoa was particularly effective.
The Napier Boys' High School first XV were beaten by 16 points in an unsuccessful bid to reclaim challenge trophy the Moascar Cup from Rotorua Boys' High School on Saturday.
Rotorua won 33-17 in Rotorua, substantiating their claim to school rugby's equivalent of the Ranfurly Shield.
The home side established a decisive 28-10 lead with a converted try about 15 minutes after halftime in the 35 minutes each way match.
Rotorua won the Cup with a 25-22 win over Napier BHS in a challenge in Napier in August last year.
It was Napier's fourth defeat in a row in this year's Central North Island Super 8 competition, since starting with an away win against Gisborne BHS last month.
Meanwhile, Hastings BHS go into the holiday break the only unbeaten team in the Super 8 after a 14-7 win over third-placed New Plymouth BHS in New Plymouth on Saturday.
Defending near-perennial champions Hamilton BHS had their first loss in this season's competition when beaten 13-12 by Tauranga Boys College midweek.
