The only shinning light for a team which now faces the prospect of not making the top four appears to be some of the young players who have had the opportunity to step up into the premier side in the last couple of weeks.
In particular, colts player Chanse Ritete-Perham who got a run on the left wing for Whaka with the absence of Rawiri Tapiata because of injury and showed he is a star of the future. The youngster was not fazed by the step up to senior grade.
While many could blame coach Kevin Lee for the team's fortunes, injury and player availability have been huge drains on the club.
Meanwhile, Tauranga Sports had to withstand a last-gasp attack on the line from Te Puna, before posting a 25-22 victory in their Baywide premier match, played at the Tauranga Domain at the weekend.
In a encounter that was up for grabs throughout, Te Puna halfback Chad Tuoro scored the first try of the game when he scooted over the try line after an 80m breakout by his side. Tauranga Sports halfback, Lewis Hancock dotted down for his side to even up the score at 10-10 before Tapene Mika grabbed Te Puna's second touchdown, to have the visitors in front 17-10 at halftime.
Two Tauranga touchdowns to Dwayne Burrows and Geoff Berry gave the home side a 25-17 advantage, before Tuoro grabbed his second try of the match, with 15 minutes remaining. Despite a number of attacking skirmishes from Te Puna, the Tauranga defence held firm, with the home side happy to take a three-point win and cement second place on the standings.
Te Puke Sports continued their campaign for back-to-back Baywide crowns, with a nine-try blitz of cellar dwellers Waikite winning 55-3. New Zealand sevens player Jack Wilson touched down four tries to add to his five touchdowns against Waikite in the first round. Te Puke's latest win puts them seven points clear at the top of the points table.
Opotiki broke up the logjam in the top five, when they beat Rotoiti 37-25 in the Eastern Bay to move into a clear third place. Mount Maunganui picked up a bonus point courtesy of four tries when they defeated Greerton Marist 29-10 at Blake Park.
Rangiuru ended Kahukura's eight-game winning streak, after the two Division One sides squared off at Kuirau Park in Rotorua. An emphatic 46-13 Rangiuru victory, has shown that the Te Puke side is the team to beat in the title race. Whakatane Marist sneaked home from Ngongotaha by a solitary point, grabbing a 27-26 win in the Eastern Bay.
Paroa posted 51 unanswered points against Reporoa in the the extremities of the Bay of Plenty, Marist St Michael's scored a 29-17 win over a game Ruatoki, while Poroporo upset near neighbours Te Teko 36-22.
Marist St Michael's booked the last berth in the top six who will contest the Colts championship round, when they beat Whakarewarewa 40-12 in the last round of qualifying play. The Rotorua Marist team will join champions Te Puke Sports, Mount Maunganui, Tauranga Sports, Greerton Marist and Te Puna to battle out the 2012 Colts title.
Scorers:
Tauranga Sports: 25 (Lewis Hancock, Dwayne Burrows, Geoff Berry; L Hancock 2 pen 2 con). Te Puna: 22 (Chad Tuoro 2, Tapene Mika tries; Darrell Houia 2 con pen). Halftime: 10-17.
Whakarewarewa: 26 (Doug Edwards, Theo Heta, Tofu Pomale tries, Maurice Stone 3 pen con). Rangataua: 26 (Rodney Voullaire 2, Moiri Hika tries; Adam McGarvey 2 drop goals, 1 pen, 1 con). Halftime: 17-15 to Rangataua.
Te Puke Sports: 55 (Jack Wilson 4, Reece Spee 2, Gideon Uelese, Simon Rolleston, Scott Tamihana tries; Nick McCashin 5 con). Waikite: 3 (Scott Thompson pen). Halftime: 24-3.
Mount Maunganui: 29 (Sam Mayes, Andrew Steed, Taite Smith, Andy Devoy tries; Ben Lloyd 3 con pen). Greerton Marist: 10 (Richard Nauer try; Blair Tristram pen con). Halftime: 15-3.
