NPC: Young Hawke’s Bay Tui and on-fire Magpies set for Saturday Night Fever at McLean Park

The Hawke's Bay Tui new on-field leadership team at training ahead of Saturday's match against Canterbury at McLean Park, Napier. From left, captain Leilani Hakiwai and vice-captains Whitley Mareikura and Katerina Poletti. Photo / Doug Laing

Another big challenge has been handed to 20-year-old rugby prospect Leilani Hakiwai.

She’s been named captain of the Hawke’s Bay Tui for the opening match of their 2025 Farah Palmer Cup NPC women’s premiership season on Saturday.

Fresh from an international debut for a Black Ferns XV in the second half against South Africa in Cape Town on August 3, she leads the Tui against Canterbury in the curtain-raiser to the men’s Bunnings NPC match between the Magpies and North Harbour at McLean Park, Napier.

It was announced on Tuesday at Hawke’s Bay Rugby headquarters, to a team possibly the youngest in the seven-team competition.

Four star players are missing for at least the first few weeks, third-year head coach Sione Cherrington-Kite and a strong team of assistants naming seven players aged under 18 and six players from Wairoa in a squad of 37, more than half for potential Tuis debuts.

Hurricanes Poua back Teilah Ferguson is mentoring the players after a playing-career end at the age of 25 with a severe eye injury in the club season, but the others are expected back at some stage.

Blues player and former Black Fern Krysten Cottrell, scorer of 880 points in about 140 top-level matches since 2007, is in Japan, due back in time for the third match, and MAC props Denise Aiolupotea and Tori Iosefo are in Samoan national side Manusina for the Women’s World Cup starting in England next week.

At training, the squad impressed with enthusiasm, excitement and youthful speed, a big task facing Cherrington-Kite being to keep the side’s focus against a union that has won the title five times, and played in the last eight finals.

Hawke’s Bay has not beaten the southern powerhouse in women’s rugby since 2006, and faces a confident opposition that had a 44-5 home win against Manawatū Cyclones in the opening round.

Canterbury’s win came despite having at least seven away in the Black Ferns defending the World Cup, but Cherrington-Kite says the absence of the top 32 players opens opportunities for the younger players to stake their claims for the future.

Hawke’s Bay are yet to make the cup final but have such credits as the championship division title and promotion in 2022 with a final win over Otago in Balclutha.

They beat Auckland Storm twice, including in Hastings in their first match back in the premiership and 49-24 last year in the daunting environment of Eden Park.

Hakiwai’s been through them all, including, as a 17-year-old, scoring a try in that Balclutha final, with what turned out to be a hairline ankle-bone fracture.

Meanwhile, in the Magpies, lock Geoff Cridge, with 83 appearances for the Magpies behind him over the past 12 seasons and in some of his best form, takes a break from the 23 that had taken the side through the wins over Counties-Manukau and Otago.

Highlighting the depth at lock, Isaia Walker-Leawere (40 Magpies appearances) comes into the 23 and starting fifteen.

Isaia Walker-Leawere at a Māori All Blacks training run in June and set for his first Magpies NPC match of the season, against North Harbour, at McLean Park, on Saturday night. Photo / Photosport.

Within the 23, Frank Lochore comes on to the flank, trading places with new recruit Miracle Fai’ilagi going to the bench, and a similar trading of places, among two Super Rugby halfbacks, starts Folau Fakatava and puts Eretara Enari into the subs.

The Tui game starts at 4.35pm and the Magpies start hot TAB favourites for their 7.10pm match.

Teams:

Hawke’s Bay Tui (to be named on Friday).

Hawke’s Bay Magpies: Pouri Rakete-Stones, Jacob Devery (co-captain), Josh Smith; Isaia Walker-Leawere, Tom Parsons (co-captain); Frank Lochore, Cooper Flanders, Devan Flanders (vice-captain); Folau Fakatava, Harry Godfrey; Luka Ripley, Kienan Higgins, Nick Grigg, Jonah Lowe; Zarn Sullivan. Subs: Kianu Kereru-Symes, Hadlee Hay-Horton, Lolani Faleiva, Hunter Morrison, Miracl Fai’ilagi; Ereatara Enari, Lincoln McClutchie, Andrew Tautevalu.

Doug Laing has been reporter for more 52 years, 40 of them in Hawke’s Bay, at the Central Hawke’s Bay Press, the Napier Daily Telegraph and, Hawke’s Bay Today, since its establishment in 1999. He has covered most aspects of general news and sport.