NZ Herald
  • Home
  • Latest news
  • Herald NOW
  • Video
  • New Zealand
  • Sport
  • World
  • Business
  • Entertainment
  • Podcasts
  • Quizzes
  • Opinion
  • Lifestyle
  • Travel
  • Viva
  • Weather

Subscriptions

  • Herald Premium
  • Viva Premium
  • The Listener
  • BusinessDesk

Sections

  • Latest news
  • New Zealand
    • All New Zealand
    • Crime
    • Politics
    • Education
    • Open Justice
    • Scam Update
  • Herald NOW
  • On The Up
  • World
    • All World
    • Australia
    • Asia
    • UK
    • United States
    • Middle East
    • Europe
    • Pacific
  • Business
    • All Business
    • MarketsSharesCurrencyCommoditiesStock TakesCrypto
    • Markets with Madison
    • Media Insider
    • Business analysis
    • Personal financeKiwiSaverInterest ratesTaxInvestment
    • EconomyInflationGDPOfficial cash rateEmployment
    • Small business
    • Business reportsMood of the BoardroomProject AucklandSustainable business and financeCapital markets reportAgribusiness reportInfrastructure reportDynamic business
    • Deloitte Top 200 Awards
    • CompaniesAged CareAgribusinessAirlinesBanking and financeConstructionEnergyFreight and logisticsHealthcareManufacturingMedia and MarketingRetailTelecommunicationsTourism
  • Opinion
    • All Opinion
    • Analysis
    • Editorials
    • Business analysis
    • Premium opinion
    • Letters to the editor
  • Politics
  • Sport
    • All Sport
    • OlympicsParalympics
    • RugbySuper RugbyNPCAll BlacksBlack FernsRugby sevensSchool rugby
    • CricketBlack CapsWhite Ferns
    • Racing
    • NetballSilver Ferns
    • LeagueWarriorsNRL
    • FootballWellington PhoenixAuckland FCAll WhitesFootball FernsEnglish Premier League
    • GolfNZ Open
    • MotorsportFormula 1
    • Boxing
    • UFC
    • BasketballNBABreakersTall BlacksTall Ferns
    • Tennis
    • Cycling
    • Athletics
    • SailingAmerica's CupSailGP
    • Rowing
  • Lifestyle
    • All Lifestyle
    • Viva - Food, fashion & beauty
    • Society Insider
    • Royals
    • Sex & relationships
    • Food & drinkRecipesRecipe collectionsRestaurant reviewsRestaurant bookings
    • Health & wellbeing
    • Fashion & beauty
    • Pets & animals
    • The Selection - Shop the trendsShop fashionShop beautyShop entertainmentShop giftsShop home & living
    • Milford's Investing Place
  • Entertainment
    • All Entertainment
    • TV
    • MoviesMovie reviews
    • MusicMusic reviews
    • BooksBook reviews
    • Culture
    • ReviewsBook reviewsMovie reviewsMusic reviewsRestaurant reviews
  • Travel
    • All Travel
    • News
    • New ZealandNorthlandAucklandWellingtonCanterburyOtago / QueenstownNelson-TasmanBest NZ beaches
    • International travelAustraliaPacific IslandsEuropeUKUSAAfricaAsia
    • Rail holidays
    • Cruise holidays
    • Ski holidays
    • Luxury travel
    • Adventure travel
  • Kāhu Māori news
  • Environment
    • All Environment
    • Our Green Future
  • Talanoa Pacific news
  • Property
    • All Property
    • Property Insider
    • Interest rates tracker
    • Residential property listings
    • Commercial property listings
  • Health
  • Technology
    • All Technology
    • AI
    • Social media
  • Rural
    • All Rural
    • Dairy farming
    • Sheep & beef farming
    • Horticulture
    • Animal health
    • Rural business
    • Rural life
    • Rural technology
    • Opinion
    • Audio & podcasts
  • Weather forecasts
    • All Weather forecasts
    • Kaitaia
    • Whangārei
    • Dargaville
    • Auckland
    • Thames
    • Tauranga
    • Hamilton
    • Whakatāne
    • Rotorua
    • Tokoroa
    • Te Kuiti
    • Taumaranui
    • Taupō
    • Gisborne
    • New Plymouth
    • Napier
    • Hastings
    • Dannevirke
    • Whanganui
    • Palmerston North
    • Levin
    • Paraparaumu
    • Masterton
    • Wellington
    • Motueka
    • Nelson
    • Blenheim
    • Westport
    • Reefton
    • Kaikōura
    • Greymouth
    • Hokitika
    • Christchurch
    • Ashburton
    • Timaru
    • Wānaka
    • Oamaru
    • Queenstown
    • Dunedin
    • Gore
    • Invercargill
  • Meet the journalists
  • Promotions & competitions
  • OneRoof property listings
  • Driven car news

Puzzles & Quizzes

  • Puzzles
    • All Puzzles
    • Sudoku
    • Code Cracker
    • Crosswords
    • Cryptic crossword
    • Wordsearch
  • Quizzes
    • All Quizzes
    • Morning quiz
    • Afternoon quiz
    • Sports quiz

Regions

  • Northland
    • All Northland
    • Far North
    • Kaitaia
    • Kerikeri
    • Kaikohe
    • Bay of Islands
    • Whangarei
    • Dargaville
    • Kaipara
    • Mangawhai
  • Auckland
  • Waikato
    • All Waikato
    • Hamilton
    • Coromandel & Hauraki
    • Matamata & Piako
    • Cambridge
    • Te Awamutu
    • Tokoroa & South Waikato
    • Taupō & Tūrangi
  • Bay of Plenty
    • All Bay of Plenty
    • Katikati
    • Tauranga
    • Mount Maunganui
    • Pāpāmoa
    • Te Puke
    • Whakatāne
  • Rotorua
  • Hawke's Bay
    • All Hawke's Bay
    • Napier
    • Hastings
    • Havelock North
    • Central Hawke's Bay
    • Wairoa
  • Taranaki
    • All Taranaki
    • Stratford
    • New Plymouth
    • Hāwera
  • Manawatū - Whanganui
    • All Manawatū - Whanganui
    • Whanganui
    • Palmerston North
    • Manawatū
    • Tararua
    • Horowhenua
  • Wellington
    • All Wellington
    • Kapiti
    • Wairarapa
    • Upper Hutt
    • Lower Hutt
  • Nelson & Tasman
    • All Nelson & Tasman
    • Motueka
    • Nelson
    • Tasman
  • Marlborough
  • West Coast
  • Canterbury
    • All Canterbury
    • Kaikōura
    • Christchurch
    • Ashburton
    • Timaru
  • Otago
    • All Otago
    • Oamaru
    • Dunedin
    • Balclutha
    • Alexandra
    • Queenstown
    • Wanaka
  • Southland
    • All Southland
    • Invercargill
    • Gore
    • Stewart Island
  • Gisborne

Media

  • Video
    • All Video
    • NZ news video
    • Herald NOW
    • Business news video
    • Politics news video
    • Sport video
    • World news video
    • Lifestyle video
    • Entertainment video
    • Travel video
    • Markets with Madison
    • Kea Kids news
  • Podcasts
    • All Podcasts
    • The Front Page
    • On the Tiles
    • Ask me Anything
    • The Little Things
  • Cartoons
  • Photo galleries
  • Today's Paper - E-editions
  • Photo sales
  • Classifieds

NZME Network

  • Advertise with NZME
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • BusinessDesk
  • Newstalk ZB
  • Sunlive
  • ZM
  • The Hits
  • Coast
  • Radio Hauraki
  • The Alternative Commentary Collective
  • Gold
  • Flava
  • iHeart Radio
  • Hokonui
  • Radio Wanaka
  • iHeartCountry New Zealand
  • Restaurant Hub
  • NZME Events

SubscribeSign In
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Home / New Zealand

Rugby: Magpies hanging on in the flips and flops of the NPC

Doug Laing
By Doug Laing
Multimedia Journalist·Hawkes Bay Today·
30 Aug, 2023 10:34 PM3 mins to read

Subscribe to listen

Access to Herald Premium articles require a Premium subscription. Subscribe now to listen.
Already a subscriber?  Sign in here

Listening to articles is free for open-access content—explore other articles or learn more about text-to-speech.
‌
Save

    Share this article

    Reminder, this is a Premium article and requires a subscription to read.

The kicking style of Lincoln McClutchie, who has scored 378 points in 56 matches for Hawke's Bay since 2018. He is likely to be the first to 50 points in the NPC this season. Photo / NZME

The kicking style of Lincoln McClutchie, who has scored 378 points in 56 matches for Hawke's Bay since 2018. He is likely to be the first to 50 points in the NPC this season. Photo / NZME

An odd week in the Bunnings NPC has left the Hawke’s Bay Magpies a winner despite last Saturday’s 19-points loss to Auckland.

Three of the four previously unbeaten teams chalked their first losses of the season and Auckland’s shock defeat by Manawatū on Wednesday night in Auckland means the Magpies are effectively back about where they were boarding the plane for the big city a week ago.

Going into Friday night’s match against Northland Taniwha in Whangarei, they’re in third place half-way into the 14-team, 10-rounds competition, behind only unbeaten side and Ranfurly Shield holders Wellington and second-placed Taranaki.

They’re one point ahead of Canterbury and Auckland, with Canterbury having played one less game.

Read More

  • Wellington end Magpies' season with epic capital clash ...
  • Hawke's Bay's Ranfurly Shield era ended by Wellington ...
  • Magpies blow Northland away to retain Ranfurly Shield ...
  • Rugby: Hawke's Bay Magpies' depth too much for Northland ...
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

The target remains a place in the top eight for the quarter-finals on October 6-8, preferably in the top four to claim a home playoff, but already some eyes are glancing towards a possible Shield challenge against currently unbeaten defending NPC champions Wellington on September 30, should Wellington have successfully fended off challenges by Counties Manukau (on Saturday), and North Harbour (September 24).

The big question is how well the Magpies travel for their second match in the north in six days, against a Northland side whose major successes this season have been a home win against Tasman, a draw with Southland in Invercargill, and a one-point loss to Manawatū in Palmerston North.

It will be the first match between the Magpies and the Taniwha in the NPC in three years, since a 36-24 win in the championship division final in 2020 and a 33-17 Ranfurly Shield defence win a few weeks earlier, both in Napier. The Magpies beat Northland 43-28 in Whangarei in 2019.

Of most interest in the 23 named by head coach Brock James is first five-eighths Lincoln McClutchie’s continuation as the only player named in the starting line-up for all matches on the schedule to date.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

As a result, he is likely to be the first to reach 50 points in this season’s NPC. He and Canterbury player Felix Burke are going into the weekend with 49 points while Auckland player Zarn Sullivan has 46.

McClutchie has scored 378 points in 56 matches for Hawke’s Bay since 2018, in the 2016-2017 New Zealand secondary schools representative’s first year out of high school.

The team for Friday’s match, starting at 7.05pm, is: 1 Pouri Rakete Stones, 2 Tyrone Thompson, 3 Joel Hintz, 4, Frank Lochore, 5 Tom Parsons (captain), 6 Marino Mikaele Tu’u, 7 Josh Kaifa, 8 Devon Flanders, 9 Folau Fakatava, 10 Lincoln McClutchie, 11 Ollie Sapsford, 12 Stacey Ili, 13 Nick Grigg, 14 Paula Balekana, 15 Harry Godfrey. Reserves: 16 Hisamitsu Shimada, 17 Kianu Kereru Symes, 18 Bo Abra, 19 Geoff Cridge, 20 Patrick Tuifua, 21 Sam Wye, 22 Kienan Higgins, 23 Lolagi Visinia.

The Magpies’ remaining matches are on September 9 (Saturday), 4.35pm, v Bay of Plenty, at Napier; September 15 (Friday), 7.05pm, v Manawatu, at Napier; September 23 (Saturday), 2.05pm, at Invercargill; September 30 (Saturday), 2.05pm, v Wellington, at Wellington.

Doug Laing is a senior reporter based in Napier with Hawke’s Bay Today, and has 50 years of journalism experience, first covering rugby in the region in 1973.

Save

    Share this article

    Reminder, this is a Premium article and requires a subscription to read.

Latest from Sport

live
League

State of Origin game 3: Trophy on the line as New South Wales host Queensland

09 Jul 09:30 AM
Racing

Special meeting crucial to saving harness racing in Auckland

09 Jul 06:17 AM
Warriors

'Confident in his ability': Webster backs Boyd to fill Metcalf void

09 Jul 06:00 AM

From early mornings to easy living

sponsored
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Latest from Sport

State of Origin game 3: Trophy on the line as New South Wales host Queensland
live

State of Origin game 3: Trophy on the line as New South Wales host Queensland

09 Jul 09:30 AM

Live updates of the series decider from Allianz Stadium.

Special meeting crucial to saving harness racing in Auckland

Special meeting crucial to saving harness racing in Auckland

09 Jul 06:17 AM
'Confident in his ability': Webster backs Boyd to fill Metcalf void

'Confident in his ability': Webster backs Boyd to fill Metcalf void

09 Jul 06:00 AM
Premium
Gregor Paul: Why the All Blacks must double down on Vaa’i and Proctor's roles

Gregor Paul: Why the All Blacks must double down on Vaa’i and Proctor's roles

09 Jul 03:01 AM
Solar bat monitors uncover secrets of Auckland’s night sky
sponsored

Solar bat monitors uncover secrets of Auckland’s night sky

NZ Herald
  • About NZ Herald
  • Meet the journalists
  • Newsletters
  • Classifieds
  • Help & support
  • Contact us
  • House rules
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms of use
  • Competition terms & conditions
  • Our use of AI
Subscriber Services
  • NZ Herald e-editions
  • Daily puzzles & quizzes
  • Manage your digital subscription
  • Manage your print subscription
  • Subscribe to the NZ Herald newspaper
  • Subscribe to Herald Premium
  • Gift a subscription
  • Subscriber FAQs
  • Subscription terms & conditions
  • Promotions and subscriber benefits
NZME Network
  • The New Zealand Herald
  • The Northland Age
  • The Northern Advocate
  • Waikato Herald
  • Bay of Plenty Times
  • Rotorua Daily Post
  • Hawke's Bay Today
  • Whanganui Chronicle
  • Viva
  • NZ Listener
  • Newstalk ZB
  • BusinessDesk
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • iHeart Radio
  • Restaurant Hub
NZME
  • About NZME
  • NZME careers
  • Advertise with NZME
  • Digital self-service advertising
  • Book your classified ad
  • Photo sales
  • NZME Events
  • © Copyright 2025 NZME Publishing Limited
TOP
search by queryly Advanced Search