Back in Hawke's Bay from Southland, Napier Tech OB flanker Liam Udy-Johns after scoring in a man-of-the-match performance for his side as they beat Hastings Rugby and Sports 22-12 in Napier. Photo / Ian Cooper
Napier clubs Tech Old Boys and Taradale continued on their winning ways in 2023 as the 11-team Hawke’s Bay first-round Nash Cup Premier rugbycompetition neared the halfway state.
Cup defender Tech and reigning Maddison Trophy champion Taradale each remained unbeaten after four matches and a bye, Tech beating Hastings Rugby and Sports 22-12 at Whitmore Park, Napier, and Taradale celebrating the 120km trip to Dannevirke with a 46-24 win over Aotea.
In other games Napier Pirate extended an unbeaten sequence to four games with a 24-all Tamatea Park home-ground draw with neighbours Napier Old Boys Marist and maintained a place in the top four, Waipukurau club Central climbed into the top four with a 40-28 win over MAC in Flaxmere, and in a battle between two sides, each seeking a first win Clive ruled on home-ground Farndon Park with a 66-17 win over Tamatea.
Of the top two, who meet at Taradale in Round 7, it was Tech which showed the first sign of falter, albeit minimal, by missing out on a four-tries bonus point for the first time.
Hastings scored the first try taking the game to Tech in the opening minutes, but Tech responded with a converted try within five minutes, and two more tries in the 19th and 30th minutes to make it 19-5, the score at halftime and, as it eventuated, all the buffer the reds needed.
Hastings scored the only try of the second half, some strong defence keeping Tech away from the goalline until the match finished with Tech No 10 Sheridan Rangihuna slotting a penalty from almost in front of the posts as his side decided against going for the four-try bonus, and denied Hastings the bonus point it would otherwise have achieved for being beaten by no more than seven points.
Of the Tech tries, the second was scored by flanker Liam Udy-Johns, in a man-of-the-match performance continuing good form since returning to Hawke’s Bay from Southland.
Taradale scored eight tries to three in its win in Dannevirke, although with two tries in the kit in the first half and the lead for more than 20 minutes Aotea was still well in the game at halftime, with Taradale having just scored a converted try to take the lead at 19-17.
First five-eighths Ezra Malo scored two tries for Taradale but landed just three of the conversions, while another of the tries was scored by lock Hunter Morrison, acquired this season from Palmerston North after two seasons of Senior club rugby for Te Kawau and a New Zealand Under 19 tour of South Africa last year and now named in an extended squad from which a New Zealand team will be chosen for the World Under 20 championship, also in South Africa, in June and July.
Aotea wing Sam Jones scored two tries, which, after five in the first match of the season, gives him seven for the season, the most in the competition.
Napier Pirate scored first in their local derby to take a 7-0 lead over Old Boys Marist, which replied with a penalty try.
With another converted try, the pirates led 14-12 at halftime and until late in the third quarter, when OBM scored its third try to lead 19-14.
Pirate regained the lead with its third converted try, and OBM responded with another try, unconverted, to lead 24-21, before Tipene Maxwell landed a penalty goal to tie the result.
Central led 20-7 at halftime in its visit to Flaxmere, where it scored six tries, two converted by new first five-eighths Jordan Soli, who also kicked two penalty goals for 10 points, becoming the first in the competition past the half-century for the season and ended the day with 56 points in five games.
Right-wing Josiah Sakaria scored three tries for MAC, with the other scored by first five-eighths Joshua Coward, who also converted all four.
The biggest win of the day was the first in five games for Clive which scored 10 tries to three on home-ground Farndon Park in the bottom-of-the-table win over Tamatea, which, thus, continued without a competition point to its name.
Centre Adam Martin lock Sheridan Kite and flanker Arama Kite each scored twice for Clive, which led 26-12 at halftime and scored 33 more points before Tamatea scored its only other points.
It completed an on-the-day demise for all three Hastings sides, as fourth side Havelock North had the bye.
In other grades, Otane, Central, and OBM are unbeaten in Division 2, Havelock North, Clive and Taradale are uneaten in Division 3, and Clive and Hastings R&S are uneaten leaders of the respective pools in the Colts grade.
The five-team women’s competition opened with Napier Tech and Hastings R&S each scoring wins with bonus points for four tries or more.
Results:
Central 40 (Zaccheaus Simpson, Braydon Hardwidge, Sam Pringle, Maximillion Fryatt, Josh Kaifa, Tom Beachen tries; Jordan Soli 2 penalties, 2 conversions) M.A.C 28 (Josiah Sakaria 3, Joshua Coward tries; Joshua Coward 4 conversions).
Napier Pirate 24 (Al Momoisea, Matthew Murtha, Jarryd Broughton tries; Tipene Maxwell penalty, Lincoln-Blake Bowman 2, Maxwell conversions) Napier Old Boys Marist 23 (Michael Beech, Bain Champion, Pouvi Fatialofa tries; penalty try; Jonty Stewart conversion).
Napier Tech Old Boys 22 (Sheridan Rangihuna, Liam Udy-Johns, Falealii Popoalii tries; Rangihuna penalty, 2 conversions) Hastings Rugby and Sports 12 (Faleapuna Matamata, John Palu tries; Koby Deacon conversion).
Clive 66 (Adam Martin 2, Sheridan Kite 2, Arama Kite 2, Sam Wong, Toronge Ashton, Tinirau McIlroy, Quaid Paora tries; Jayden Falcon 5, Tianua Poto 3 conversions) Tamatea 17 (Ethan Miller, Henare Harris, Rico Harris tries; Oranga Harris conversion).
Taradale 46 (Ezra Malo 2, Nathan Ramsay, Hemaua Samasoni, Dylan Gallien, Hunter Morrison, Angelo Mufana, Mikaele Tapili tries; Ezra Malo 3 conversions) Aotea 24 (Samuel Jones 2, Ryan Tongia tries; Hoera Stephenson penalty, 3 conversions).
Points: Taradale 20, Napier Tech OB 19, Napier Pirate and Central 17, Napier OBM 16, Hastings R&S 14, MAC 11, Aotea 10, Clive 6, Havelock North 4, Tamatea 0.
The draw for next Saturday is (home teams first): Clive Napier Old Boys Marist, Aotea v MAC, Havelock North v Taradale, Tamatea v Central, Napier Tech Old Boys v Napier Pirate, Hastings Rugby and Sports a bye.
Division 2: Country: Otane 28 Porangahau 10, Central 29 Waipawa Country United 24, Takapau a bye.
Division 2 Town: Pool 1 – Napier OBM 25 Bridge Pa 17, Taradale 41, Havelock North 5; Town, Pool 2 – Hastings R&S 48 Eskview 23; Crossover – Napier Tech OB 68 MAC 33.
Division 3: Maraenui beat Bridge Pa by default; Havelock North 51 Napier OBM 25, Napier Pirate 76 Flaxmere 7, Taradale 57 Tamatea 38; Clive a bye.
Colts: Pool 1 – Havelock North 28 Napier Pirate 10, Clive 31 Onga-Tiko 30; Pool 2 – Hastings R&S 24 Taradale 17, Napier Tech )B 51 Napier OBM 38, Clive a bye.
Women: Napier Tech 93 Central 5, Hastings R&S 42 Clive 20; MAC a bye.