Rugby: Hastings West rule again!

The winning Hastings West team with Hawke's Bay Primary Schools Rugby patron Bill Blake. Photo/Supplied

Hastings West Ross Shield rugby team captain and centre Kaden Makea ticked off all but one of his goals on the final day of the Hawke's Bay Primary Schools tournament in Wairoa today.

Before the 117th edition of the Wattie's-sponsored tournament which caters for players 56kgs and under Makea said his main aims were to help West retain the shield, make the Hawke's Bay Ross Shield team, be named captain of the side and capture the Taupo Trophy for player-of-the-tournament. West retained the shield they shared with Napier last year and won outright in 2017 by completing an unbeaten run with a 52-0 victory against Dannevirke today.

"Our team played awesome all week and it feels great to win the Taupo Trophy," Makea said after the prizegiving at Lambton Square.

The 13-year-old Heretaunga Intermediate Year 8 student missed out on the Hawke's Bay captain's role. It went to West frontrower Joseph JJ Lilo-Iosefo.

"I'm happy for him," Makea said.

There was an ideal form of consolation for Makea, who represented New Zealand at basketball earlier this year in Melbourne and toured the United States and Canada with an International Softball Academy team a month later. The 18 tries he scored this week is a new tournament record beating the previous record of 15 scored by 2017 Hastings West player and Taupo Trophy winner James Craig.

His team set another tournament record when halfback Charnika Hapi became the first female to be selected in the Hawke's Bay Ross Shield team. Hapi, Makea, who scored five tries in two games, and Lilo-Iosefo were three of 12 Hastings West players selected in the Hawke's Bay Ross Shield team.

The West side which was coached by Anthony Morley and Murdoch Paewai, scored 253 points in their five games and had 22 scored against them.

"I'm happy with what has been a successful campaign. They were a good team on the field and an excellent team off the field," head coach Morley said.

Both Morley and Paewai will be available to coach West again next year.

Hosts Wairoa won the Ron Pierce Trophy for the team displaying the best sportsmanship and behaviour on and off the field. They almost featured in a three-way tie for the Life Members' Salver for the best country team. They were leading Central 17-10 when Central made a late comeback to force the draw and capture the salver.

"As much as our guys deserved it I'm happy for Central," Wairoa coach Sid Ropitini said.

"I'm also happy that our team finished strong and did the town proud," Ropitini added.

The sole Wairoa player to be named in the Hawke's Bay team, No 8 Rakatoa Morris-Wallace, also received the Jarrod Cunningham Trophy. This award allows him to attend an IRANZ course.

Hastings East beat Napier 35-12. This gave Hastings East second place, Napier finished third, Central fourth, Dannevirke fifth and Wairoa sixth.

The Hawke's Bay Ross Shield team to play the Hawke's Bay Primary Schools Barbarians at Napier's McLean Park next Saturday and the Southern North Island Primary Schools in Levin on August 19 is:
Joseph JJ Lilo-Iosefo (captain), Mike Brown, Creed Johnson-Whakaua, Reed Paewai, Jerome Prebble-Morrell, Jaedem Sidney, Hawaikirangi Jackson, Charnika Hapi, Frances Tevita, Noah Rogers, Kaden Makea, Iziah Matamata (all Hastings West), Chance Katene, Divaan Singh, Jonah Cooper (all Hastings East), Daniel Osooso Onasemu, Teina Robin, Isaac Edmonds, Iraia Roberts, Kendall Bush (all Napier), Jahmaige Reti-Young (Central), Rakatoa Morris-Wallace (Wairoa).