Under co-captains No 8 George Whakatope and Hubbard, who played at centre, the home team laid on eight tries to three by lock Jack Twigley’s Ngātapa at the weekend.
The stage was set for a great performance from Tapuae player-coach Paoraian Manuel-Harman’s side by their junior teams – the Little Deano’s, Little Taniwha, Little Rosco’s and Big Boldy’s, so-named for past legends of the club.
Twigley won the coin toss and chose to kick off with the wind at the visitors’ backs.
Ngātapa made a great start to the Pool A clash with a try two minutes into the game. They set and won a midfield scrum 18m from Tapuae’s goal-line, then went the pick-and-go left, right over nine phases of play before halfback Angus MacKenzie shot down the blindside to score 15m to the right of the posts.
Ngātapa led 5-0 and the response from the Taniwha came two minutes later, in the form of Filimone’s first try. Second five Rana Hubbard kicked a conversion and Vukicicakaudrove scored in the eighth and 10th minutes, Hubbard converting the second of them. Fullback Kyoni-Tyrese Te Amo-Poki, in minutes 16 and 23, scored twice, with a conversion from Hubbard for 31-5.
The visiting team fired back against this scoring blitz with a try to big No 8 Siope Piukana in the 32nd minute, with a conversion to first five Aquila Waqa for Ngātapa 12, Tapuae 31.
Tupou dotted down for a 36-12 lead four minutes prior to the break.
Whakatope scored the opening try of the second half six minutes after the resumption, Hubbard did duty with the boot for 43-12 and there followed an 18-minute turf war, both sides working hard to achieve good field position. Ngātapa centre Uatesoni Lauti scored their last try in the 64th minute and Filimone made it a personal double in the 71st minute. Hubbard’s conversion made it 50-17 and the Taniwha had their third win at home.
“The match was competitive – an opportunity for us to improve – but credit to Ngātapa, they were tough for the entire game and we enjoyed the contest, even more so on club day in front of our families, and it meant a lot to get the win,” said Whakatope.
“The Sports Ground is a lovely pitch to play on and we were fortunate that the weather played its part.”
Another good win for YMP
The low-key head coach speaks softly while keeping his eye on the prize.
For two-time defending champions East Coast Farm Vets Young Māori Party (YMP), that man is second-year coach Kahu Tamatea. On Saturday, his charges followed up a 50-13 win against Earthworks Solutions High School Old Boys (HSOB) at Gisborne Oval 2 on May 4 – in their Round 1 defence of the Richard Bruce Memorial Trophy – with a 51-7 triumph on Barry Park 1.
As they had led the Blue and Whites 45-6 at halftime in the first meeting (second five Taine Aupouri-Kaiwai supplying a hat-trick and Anare Maiwalu a double that day), this time around it was 34-0 at the break, Genesis Bartlett-Tamatea having taken Maiwalu’s spot on the right wing to great effect, scoring four tries in the Pool B clash.
YMP captain hooker Shayde Skudder was pleased with his team’s high quality showing.
“We played well, especially when we kept the ball in close to start with, then spun it wide,” he said. “HSOB have a big forward pack and despite the score, we had to work hard for every point.”
Skudder’s opposite, the Blues’ halfback George Halley-Donnelly, played superbly, scored a great second-half try and spoke with feeling of the Pool B gut-check: “That was a tough day at the office. There are lots of things for us to work on.”
Skudder won the coin toss, kicked off and sharp skills from both tight forwards and inside backs paid off after three minutes as lock Willis Tamatea won a lineout on the right sideline, 30m out from his own goal-line and left-footed first five Kayleb Te Whare found touch with a great clearing kick 30m out from the corner.
YMP’s squeeze paid off in short order, with big loosehead prop Nehe Papuni barging over to score 10m to the right of the posts. Te Whare converted for 7-0.
Despite HSOB’s willingness to make tackle upon tackle and crushing stops by the likes of scrum anchor Salesi Niuvao over 10 phases of play, a scrum left side 15m into the Blues’ territory proved the ideal launching pad for YMP fetcher Te Peehi Fairlie to score in the right corner. No conversion followed his try in the 13th minute or the tries to Genesis (20th minute) and his older brother Willis (24th) but in the 32nd minute, left wing Tuhakia Stewart dotted down. His try was converted by Te Whare for 29-0. Six minutes later, Genesis made it a double for 34-0.
Halley-Donnelly scored 10 minutes into the second half. From a missed YMP clearing kick for the left touch, HSOB No 8 Viliami Kavai sparked a counterattack with reserve second five Rylan Tuwairua-Brown and centre Cohen Loffler. Winger Alex Jerram jetted to within 12m of the YMP goal-line, Halley-Donnelly cut down the narrowest blindside imaginable, giving two would-be tacklers the slip, putting a right-foot grubber through and winning the race to the ball in the corner.
His remarkable try was converted by second five come first five Cory Reihana, for HSOB 7, YMP 34.
Genesis made it a hat-trick in the 56th minute, Te Whare converted that try for 41-7 and hard-as-nails No 8 Stuart Leach scored with a quarter of an hour to play. Less than a minute later, Genesis scored his fourth try, the 10th of the match, for 51-7.
YMP, who were on top of the table with one game remaining in the first round, have put up 50 points in their past four games – all wins.
Thirteen-try romp for Waikohu
Three of Civil Project Solutions Premier Rugby’s big guns sent cannonballs into their opponents on Saturday.
Even as competition leaders Tapuae were squeezing Ngātapa and YMP were peppering HSOB, GT Shearing Waikohu were grinding away to win 71-0 over Kevin Hollis Glass Pirates at Te Karaka Domain.
Waikohu overcame Pirates 39-21 from 20-7 up at Gisborne Oval 1 on May 11, with centre Jacob Leaf and right wing K.C. Wilson both in for doubles. This weekend, mighty finisher Wilson went two better with four tries and blindside flanker Matekairoa McGuire dotted down twice. Waikohu led 41-0 at the break.
Waikohu captain lock Kupu Lloyd said: “I thought the boys gelled brilliantly. That said, Pirates captain No 8 Moui Paongo – I’ve always respected him – he carries hard, they all did when they had the ball, and Moui leads his team well.”
Nobody dug deeper in defence or attack for the Anthony Kiwara-coached Buccaneers than their vice-captain, left wing Mosese Bulicakau. Like openside flanker Paula Tatafu and centre Semiti Lalagavesi, his was a whole-hearted match effort.
The first three tries went to the tight five, locks James Rutene (ninth minute) and MacGregor Randall (16th minute) and tighthead prop Levi Cameron (24th minute), first five Israel Fox converting Cameron’s score for 17-0. Fox then converted Wilson’s first try in the 26th minute.
Tries to McGuire (28th minute), Wilson (30th minute) and player-coach centre Tane McGuire (36th minute), with Fox doing duty for Tane McGuire, saw the score out to 41-0 at the break.
Wilson made it a hat-trick eight minutes into the second half, left-wing Latrell Walker (53m) scored Waikohu’s ninth try for 51-0. Wilson (61st minute), Matekairoa McGuire (66th minute), Lloyd (75th mminute) and second five Leaf (78th minute) wrapped things up at 71-0.
Tane McGuire, like YMP head coach Kahu Tamatea, rarely gives much away. Recognition from him means something.
“We finally got some flow going and were able to get it through to our wings,” said McGuire. “Our halfback Izaiah Fox was my pick of the bunch because his long passes hit the target and everything flowed from there.”
