Man of action and try scorer Iowane Filimone helps Tapuae to the Poverty Bay premier rugby title against Gisborne YMP in Wairoa. Photo / Paul Rickards.
Man of action and try scorer Iowane Filimone helps Tapuae to the Poverty Bay premier rugby title against Gisborne YMP in Wairoa. Photo / Paul Rickards.
By Ann Revington and Doug Laing
Wairoa finally had a day in the sun even if it was muddy and wet when the Poverty Bay Rugby Union finals came to town for the first time, with Tapuae capping the day by becoming the first Wairoa team to win a provincialpremier championship.
Man of action and try scorer Iowane Filimone helps Tapuae to the Poverty Bay premier rugby title against Gisborne YMP in Wairoa. Photo / Paul Rickard.
Promoted to the Lee Brothers Shield Premier competition after winning the Senior-grade Lew Patterson Cup title last year, Tapuae upped the ante in 2024 to go into the final, went into the final unbeaten this year, dominated in the Lambton Square mud and, with a 13-5 win, shut-out Gisborne YMP, who were targeting in a row.
The Tapuae women's team came back strongly, using all their experience to counter the YMP backs and game plan in the second half at Lambton Square in the first of the PBRU finals. Photo / Ann Revington.
Earlier in the afternoon, YMP beat Tapuae 19-12 in the women’s final, also at Lambton Square, while in an all-Wairoa sub-union match a kilometre or so away at Athletic Park home club Wairoa Athletic, also unbeaten in 2024, clung on to win the Lew Patterson Cup by beating Nuhaka 23-22.
Poverty Bay Rugby Union chief executive Ray Noble said it had been a great day for Poverty Bay rugby having all three finals in Wairoa, and all “could have gone either way”.
“It was a massive game - Athletic-Nuhaka - and with the women’s final there were only seven points in it,” he said. “With this game (Tapuae against YMP) it was always going to be fine margins, and the little moments that were going to win, and with all three games that is exactly what happened.”
“I think the supporters down here were massive,” he said. “These crowds were amazing, uniting the community and the community really needed it. Wairoa folk will have a smile on their faces and they deserve to.”
Despite the heaviness of the conditions, both Tapuae tries went to the wing, the first to left-wing Iowane Filimone followed by a penalty goal kicked by second five-eighths Rana Hubbard, to make it 8-0 to the home side at halftime.
Tapuae flanker Keanu Taumata, a key runner with the ball in the premier final against Gisborne YMP. Photo / Paul Rickard.
After two close calls early in the second half, YMP were rewarded with their try, which proved to be their only points.
Penalties were awarded to Tapuae leading to lineouts and right-wing Kyoni Te Amo scoring out wide to stretch and widen the gap again.
Needing to score twice to win, the pressure poured on to the visitors to score in the final eight minutes, at one stage surging towards the line after a lineout from a penalty.
Tapuae secured possession and cleared the ball, and in injury time another penalty was awarded to YMP with a tap and go, but again Tapuae seized on a loose ball to kick it out and take the premiership just as the wintry sun shone through on Lambton Square.
It had been the other way around when Tapuae fought back in the women’s final, down 19-6 in the 70th minute and scoring a converted try to provide an enthralling end.
Celebrations as Nuhaka score in the senior final against Wairoa Athletic. But wasn't enough and Athletic won 23-22. Photo / Ann Revington.
It was a tense and changing battle in the all-Wairoa cup match at Athletic Park, Nuhaka at one stage leading, Athletic being up 15-14 at halftime and then by four points in the last 10 minutes, with prop Zane Wairau having scored two tries.
Wairoa Athletic's moment of glory after a day in the mud. Photo / Ann Revington.
It was then that Athletic No 8 Jordan MacFarlane scored what proved to be the match-winning try, with Nuhaka missing a penalty in the last few minutes.
Live-streaming of the games at Lambton Square saw the women’s game attracting 1899 views by Sunday, and huge crowd support at both venues were a testament to the district-wide love of rugby.
Noble said it was an awesome game coming down to one point, and Athletic captain Joe McGregor said it was a battle and their side loved playing Nuhaka, who were a “great team”.
