Rugby: Whakataka a rising force

In-form Taradale rugby flanker Kaleb Whakataka on the job as a labourer for Build 100. Photo / Duncan Brown

Kaleb Whakataka surprised many pundits when he left Napier Old Boys Marist to play for Taradale at the start of Hawke's Bay's premier club rugby season.

"I had to. I played all my junior rugby at Taradale and I felt like a traitor at NOBM," Whakataka explained.

While his form was far from shabby with the NOBM colours on, and he gained Hawke's Bay Sevens and Hurricanes under-20 selection, Whakataka, 19, has taken his play to another level while playing for Taradale this winter. His player-of-the-match performance in Saturday's 40-9 Tui Maddison Trophy first round drubbing of Havelock North at Anderson Park saw him become the 10th weekly winner as the tussle for the McDonalds-Hawke's Bay Today Club Rugby Player of the Year award continued.

"I'm stoked. It was a good team effort," Whakataka said.

Ironically his previous player-of-the-match performance this season came in Taradale's 22-17 win against Havelock North in the first round of the Nash Cup. Those two scores are an indication of the improvement Taradale has achieved during the past 10 weeks.

The Tokomaru Bay kid (Whakataka's nickname during his days as a hostel student at Napier Boys' High School because he is from the East Coast settlement) echoed the weekend prediction of Taradale centurion Josh Mahoni who said Carters Frame and Truss Taradale could go all the way and capture the Maddison Trophy if they continue to play like they did on Saturday.

It will be interesting to see when Whakataka is back on the paddock again as he has a judicial hearing tonight in the wake of his red card after his fight with Progressive Meats Havelock North hard man Luke Ottley sparked a late all-in brawl on Saturday.

"I did what I had to do," Whakataka said.

A two-year 1st XV player during his NBHS days, Whakataka is eyeing Hawke's Bay Saracens selection this year and Magpies selection in the future.

He reckoned he was the fittest he had ever been at the start of the season following the Hawke's Bay Sevens campaign.

"I've managed to maintain similar fitness levels through hard training and a bit of gym work. I always train hard," Whakataka said after a session with the Magpies' wider training group.

For the past six weeks he has worked as a builder's labourer for Build 100 alongside captain Andrew Gardner and fellow teammate Jordan Kupa as well as former Taradale player Harvey Gardner.

"There's plenty of rugby talk at smoko time which is good. When I was playing for NOBM the games against Taradale when Red [Andrew Gardner] and Reon Watts were playing for them were always the toughest... now it's good to be playing with them," Whakataka added.