Ruatōria City top of Coast table after whitewashing Tokomaru Bay United

Hikurangi tighthead prop Charlie Girl Haua-Kahaki charges towards Waima co-captain and fullback Te Ara Puketapu in a Ngāti Porou East Coast women's club rugby game at Kahuitara. Photo / Darryl Crawford

The first two weeks of the season in the Sky Blue union have been sensational.

Week 2 of Round 1 in the Heke-O-Te-Rangi Blackbee Contractors Ngāti Porou East Coast men’s club rugby saw Ruatōria City (10 competition points) take over from Tolaga Bay-based Ūawa at the top of the nine-team table.

City beat Tokomaru Bay United 48-0 at Whakarua Park in Ruatōria; Tihirau Victory Club slipped by Tokararangi of Te Araroa 27-24 at Te Kura Mana Māori o Whangaparāoa/Cape Runaway; Hikurangi Te Maunga were victorious 38-5 against Waima at Kahuitara; and Waiapu were superb in their 36-15 defeat of Ūawa at George Nepia Memorial Park in Rangitukia.

TVC (9 points) are in second place, Hikurangi (7) are third, Waiapu and Ūawa each have five points and defending champions Hicks Bay and Tokararangi have two points. Waima and Tokomaru Bay United have yet to get a competition point.

Hicks Bay head coach Warren Henderson, his men refreshed coming off the bye, knows that to triumph against City at home on Saturday will take all of the defending champions’ best qualities in abundance.

“We’ve got to keep improving across the board but in terms of our scrum and discipline, that’ll be important,” Henderson said.

Hicks Bay’s head honcho has locks Jackson King and Weihana Delamere in mind as key forwards and considers wingers Rangi Te Kani and Waikura Delamere as also having crucial roles to play.

Ruatōria City captain and openside flanker Jack Richardson and the club’s senior sides are loving their rugby.

“We went well last Saturday against a United team that had a heap of youth coming up, which was good to see. We stuck to the structure we’ve built in training and came away with a good win. I’m proud of our boys,” said Richardson, whose respect for men’s players of the day City hooker Lenny Lloyd and United scrum-anchor Andrew Williams is matched by his high regard for the City ladies’ husband and wife coach and manager team of Philip and Regina Kahake.

Waiapu won a wide-open non-competition match against the City ladies’ team last Saturday. Richardson watched the early game at Whakarua Park and said: “Waiapu had experienced players of talent, but not to take anything away from City, as they put up a great match effort.

“Many of our ladies are giving rugby a go for the first time and, once they click, they’ll be a force to be reckoned with.”

TVC fullback Milan Tawera-Miloskavic, who was his team’s player of the day, was in top form at Cape Runaway on Saturday, a high-octane boilover that suited the aggressive approach of Tokararangi’s running first-five Pamona Samupo.

TVC captain and No. 8 Moana Mato and his teammates played above themselves for the noblest of causes in their 27-24 win on home soil v Tokararangi.

“Our motivation for the game was Anzac,” Mato said. “TVC was created for our returned servicemen and women to have that bond and camaraderie again after returning home from the Second World War.

“It was an even, physical match with big collisions – running rugby.”

Former NPEC head coach Whetu Haerewa will take up the whistle when Tokararangi host Waiapu at Te Araroa Domain. Harawira Matahiki will be the referee for TVC on home turf against Hikurangi, City will make the trip to Wharekahika to play Hicks Bay with Matt Richards in charge, and Waima have the mighty challenge of taking on Ūawa at Ūawa Domain, under Joe Coleman.

United have the bye in the men’s competition, all four games kicking off at 2pm. The TVC ladies face Doone Harrison’s Hikurangi Mountain Maidens at Cape Runaway with Jackson Reuben-Swinton as the referee. Tokararangi will be on home soil to Waima with Marcus Matchitt in the middle. All ladies’ fixtures are to start at 11.30am.

SCOREBOARD

Ngāti Porou East Coast women’s club rugby

Hikurangi Mountain Maidens 20 (Taina Keelan-Wyllie, Mereana Walker, Ashanti Thompson-Collins, Charlie Girl Haua-Kahaki tries) Waima 25 (Nikita Wharehinga 2, Misty Robson, Morgan White, Tui Aupouri tries). HT: Hikurangi 5 Waima 10.

Tihirau Victory Club 72 (Whaiora Kopa 4, Dane-a Kopa 3, Alizay Grant 2, Sarah Waititi, Talia Delamere, Moani Waititi tries; Delamere 6 con) Tokararangi 29 (Te Kura Ngata-Aerengamate, Chakakhan Edmonds, Andrea Williams, Bailey Te Ngahue, Ana Edwards tries; Te Amohaere Ngata-Aerengamate con). HT: TVC 34 Tokararangi 5.

Player of the day: Taina Keelan-Wyllie (Hikurangi), Nikita Wharehinga (Waima), Maddison Komene/Katelyn Thrupp/Luciana Satchell/Waimihi Matchitt/Sage Butler (TVC), Te Amohaere Ngata-Aerengamate (Tokararangi).

Ngāti Porou East Coast men’s club rugby

Ruatōria City 48 (Jack Richardson 2, Tuterangi Ngarimu 2, Te Teira Maxwell, Isaiah Rickard, Lenny Lloyd, Hayden Walters-Stuart tries; Walters-Stuart 4 con) Tokomaru Bay United 0. HT: Ruatōria City 28 Tokomaru Bay United 0.

Hikurangi Te Maunga 38 (Te Aho Morice 2, Tyrone Mauheni 2, Zyon Collins, Te Mana Barbarich tries; Morice 4 con) Waima 5 (Les Te Reo try). HT: Hikurangi 17 Waima 0.

Tihirau Victory Club 27 (Hirini Delamere, Kahu Keelan-Kenworthy, Milan Tawera-Miloskavic, Manaia Nyman tries; Benny Haerewa pen, 2 con) Tokararangi 24 (Pamona Samupo 3, Alec Poi tries; Rapata Haerewa 2 con). HT: TVC 17 Tokararangi 15.

Waiapu 36 (Will Bolingford 2, Hamuera Moana Tihei Turei, Bernard Nepe, Phoenix Manuel tries; Moana 2 con, Tawhai Tanirau-Wickliffe con) Ūawa 15 (Jordan Birch, Taku Hall tries; BJ Sidney pen, Josh Dearden con). Half-time Waiapu 17 Ūawa 15.

Player of the day: Lenny Lloyd (Ruatōria City), Andrew Williams (Tokomaru Bay United), Te Aho Morice (Hikurangi), Nathan Ryland (Waima), Milan Tawera-Miloskavic (TVC), Pamona Samupo/Taipari Wirepa/Wahapeka Campbell (Tokararangi), Will Bolingford (Waiapu), Holden Wilson (Ūawa).