The Whakarewarewa premier men's team. Photo / Supplied
The music will start. The red and black fans will rise to their feet. The signature song Welcome To The Red Kingdom will echo across Puarenga Park in Rotorua.
Whakarewarewa’s home crowd for their rugby heroes in the Baywide Premier Men’s final against Tauranga Sports is expected to play a huge part in Saturday’s game.
It’s a day the team and local fans have dreamed of since 2006 – the last time Whakarewarewa lifted the Baywide trophy.
It has been a long 19 years of Western Bay of Plenty Baywide premier men’s rugby dominance since.
Whakarewarewa came within a sniff in 2022 by reaching the finals. They say that loss still haunts them, so the red and blacks are hissing to get the win.
For club president Marty Hatu, Saturday is about rewriting history from that 2022 match.
“We played those fellas back then, and they dealt to us. The stars have aligned, and now we get to run it back.”
Hatu is already getting goosebumps as Saturday approaches.
He’s also already getting phone calls and texts from his mates wanting him to save them a park at the club.
Hatu predicts Saturday will be huge, with what is expected to be a crowd of thousands creating a sea of red and black.
“The only advice I can give is to get there early.”
It’s a proud weekend for the Whakarewarewa Rugby Community Sports Club with its women’s side coming through unbeaten to make the Baywide Women’s Championship final on Sunday.
It’s the first time since 2017 that Whakarewarewa has fielded a women’s team in the competition. Hatu said being what was deemed a new team meant they must start in the championship grade before progressing to the premier grade.
Hatu said the women have been posting some huge scores throughout the season, and they were hopeful they could get the job done on Sunday to ensure their spot in the premier grade next year.
“We have been building for this since many of these girls were playing in the juniors, so it’s been three to four years in the making,” Hatu said.
Meanwhile, premier men’s coach Ngarimu Simpkins said despite finishing top of the table, Whakarewarewa lost to Tauranga Sports 17-8 earlier in the season.
“It was one of the best things that happened to us. We had been beating teams, but to be tipped up at that time, we were able to fix a few things. You want to lose a game during the year rather than a semifinal or a final.”
He said the home final was key and could give them the edge.
“We have pitched it right from game one that we are not just representing the Whaka club. We are representing Rotorua as the only local Baywide premier side.”
Halfback Shaq Stone has played more than 130 games for his Whakarewarewa side and said there was nothing like playing a home game.
“We see it, we feel it. The crowd is going to play a huge part. None of those other teams like playing in the Red Kingdom, it’s a fortress. The crowd is our 16th man.”
Stone said while Tauranga Sports were stacked with Bay of Plenty Steamers’ players, nothing beat experience. He said many Whakarewarewa players had between 50 and 150 caps.
“Our boys are hanging around to get that championship before they hang up their boots. You can have all the Bay Steamers’ players you want, but at the end of the day, they have only got two arms and two legs. We are representing our whānau and our iwi, and that mana and pride will come out.”
Stone believed Whakarewarewa was shining in all grades because of the club’s organisation, from the JAB juniors to the men’s premier team.
He said their pre-season started early and there was a “big emphasis on turning up”.
“Preparation has been key, and there’s a lot of work that’s gone on behind the scenes early.”
He said building the club from the ground up had also helped, with many JAB players feeling proud of their club roots and returning to play for Whakarewarewa as an adult.
“The prems get the limelight, but a lot of the credit goes to everyone else.”
The men’s game against Tauranga Sports kicks off at 2.45pm on Saturday, and the women’s against Te Puna is 1pm on Sunday.
Kelly Makiha is a senior journalist who has reported for the Rotorua Daily Post for more than 25 years, covering mainly police, court, human interest and social issues.