NPC: Hawke’s Bay Magpies first five Lincoln McClutchie returns for Battle of the Bays

Lincoln McClutchie, who returns to the Magpies line-up in the Battle of the Bays in Tauranga on Saturday, pictured after scoring against Counties-Manukau in the team's opening NPC match of 2025.

Specialist first five-eighths Lincoln McClutchie will return to the Hawke’s Bay Magpies line-up for Saturday’s Battle of the Bays against the Bay of Plenty Steamers in Tauranga.

Replacing Harry Godfrey, the starting No 10 all season and expected to be the first choice in the shirt for the Hurricanes in Super Rugby Pacific next year, left the field with an injury in the Magpies’ 45-19 win over defending champions Wellington last weekend in Napier.

Head coach Brock James said Godfrey “copped a little bit of a niggle” and was being given the chance to “come right” for remaining games.

McClutchie, 26, scored a try and kicked one conversion coming on as a substitute in the opening game against Counties-Manukau, taking him to 508 points in 76 matches for Hawke’s Bay since his debut in 2018.

He was on the bench for the first three games, but has not appeared in the match-day 23 since the fixture against North Harbour, and last Saturday Zarn Sullivan moved from fullback to first five-eighths after Godfrey’s departure.

The replacement is the only change to the 23 named for last Saturday’s win, as the challenge continues to make the top four and secure a quarter-final.

James has gone for consistency for the match against a union that was beaten by just three points in last year’s final, and won the original title in 1976. Hawke’s Bay have never won the competition, which is in its 50th season.

Centre Nick Grigg, with an almost unbroken run of over 30 games in NPC rugby for the Magpies since his debut against Waikato at the start of the 2022 season, is retained despite leaving the field injured early in Saturday’s game. He subsequently passed a head injury assessment (HIA).

The Steamers have had big wins against highly-rated Tasman and Taranaki during the season.

Magpies team: Hadlee Hay-Horton, Jacob Devery (co-captain), Pouri Rakete-Stones; Geoff Cridge, Tom Parsons (captain); Miracle Fai’ilagi, Cooper Flanders; Devan Flanders; Folau Fakatava, Lincoln McClutchie; Neria Fomai, Anaru Paenga-Morgan, Nick Grigg, Jonah Lowe; Zarn Sullivan. Subs: Kianu Kereru-Symes, Nik Patumaka, Lolani Faleiva, Isaia Walker-Leawere, Frank Lochore; Ereatara Enari, Lukas Ripley, Andrew Tauatevalu.

Doug Laing has been a reporter for 52 years, having started at the Central Hawke’s Bay Press in 1973. Following stints in Auckland and Wellington, he has been based in Napier since 1987, with the Daily Telegraph and Hawke’s Bay Today, covering most aspects of community news events and sports.