Rugby: Hawke's Bay Tui flying high as Cup playoffs loom

Hawke's Bay Tuis midfield back Amelia Pasikala's sign of things to come, in last month's loss to Otago. The Tuis haven't lost since, and Pasikala has scored three tries. Photo / Ian Cooper

The Hawke's Bay Tui will have possibly two weekends off in a row on the upward path to the Farah Palmer women's rugby championship semifinals, with the storm in the South Island cancelling a last round-robin match scheduled against Tasman in Nelson on Saturday.

But while their own game is off, ahead of another break next weekend with a bye through to an already-secured home semifinal on September 3-4, it's all on for former Tui front-rower Awhina Tangen-Wainohu, now a Waikato representative making her Black Ferns debut, in the Laurie O'Reilly Cup match against Australia in Christchurch.

The 24-year-old Tangen-Wainohu, a former pupil of Karamu High School in Hastings, played six games for the Tui in 2017 before moving to Waikato to further opportunities, which led to her playing last year for the Chiefs against the Blues in the historic first women's match among the Super Rugby franchise.

She was named in a 44-strong Black Ferns squad this year, her expected time off the bench on Saturday night propelling her into the possibility of selection for the second test in Adelaide a week later and the women's Rugby World Cup in New Zealand in October-November.

Awhina Tangen-Wainohu playing for the Tuis in 2017. Now playing for Waikato she is expected to make her Black Ferns debut off the subs' bench in a test this weekend against Australia. Photo / NZME

The Tui have lost their first game of each season in the term of coach Blair Cross, but, as was the case last year when they also made the championship final, have been quick learners stepping up from the short local club competition.

With successive 47-12, 80-5 and 62-5 through 2019-2021 over Tasman they had been deserved warm favourites to win the now-cancelled game, by TAB odds favourite at $1.16 to win.

Cross had been dealing with his side, a mix of teenagers and vastly experienced players, dealing with the risk of complacency for the first time in the Nelson game, looking forward to a one-week break to catch up with family and friends and recover before the playoffs.

He's not so sure about now two weeks off, with Hawke's Bay Rugby Union chief executive Jay Campbell saying the union's looking for a game for the team in the interim.

But Cross is confident the team ethos of taking steps forward at every outing will be played as the squad look towards a semifinal in Napier, possibly on McLean Park, and hopefully a final in Dunedin's test match venue and indoor stadium in the likely event of the other team being Otago, which beat the Tui 44-22 in Napier last month.

He said it would have been "really easy to take the foot off the pedal" in Nelson" but "hard to bounce back from a loss" in the short competition.

Now it's a new issue for the former Clive and Taradale premier men's coach, assistant Sione Cherrington Kite and forwards coach Sharleena Maui.

Coming from a short club season, the first-round NPC losses each year have not been surprises, but his squads have been quick to step up, as they have to again to get through the next three weeks if vintage 2022 is to reach the near beyond-dreams level of Premiership rugby next year.

The Tui were beaten 55-12 by a strong Manawatu Cyclones side in last year's final, but otherwise have been upwardly successful over most of the past two seasons.

They bounced back from this year's opening loss for two away wins - beating North Harbour 32-5 and then Northland 32-17, in Whangārei, and rallying well after being down 17-7 at halftime to avenge 2021's second-round loss to Northland in Napier.

Last Saturday Hawke's Bay beat Taranaki 45-15 in Napier, leading 26-5 at halftime and eventually scoring seven tries, with two each to centre Amelia Pasikala and left wing Apryll Green. Others were scored by right wing and player-of-the-day Leilani Hakiwai, hooker Hayley McKay, and Rakai Tatu-McCafferty off the bench, and five conversions kicked by first five-eighths Krysten Cottrell, now with 33 points in the competition this season.

While there are some promising teenagers, the Tui have the steady hands of experience in former Black Ferns Emma Jensen and Cottrell, and everywhere-lady Gemma Woods, who after six seasons mainly at halfback dating back to 2009 has since 2018 played at No 8, flanker, lock and in the front row.

Michaela Baker, a wing, centre and fullback at this level for Hawke's Bay and Otago, broke a knee in a club match and is unlikely to recover in time to appear in the remaining games, and with a couple of other players injured the side have made it through, "making the most of it", said Cross.

"There is a fair bit of work that goes into it," he said. "But if we keep growing, we can be pretty confident of a good showing."

With the Hawke's Bay Magpies having a Sunday away NPC game in Palmerston North, and Te Matau a Maui Hawke's Bay playing Manawatu Maori in Palmerston North on Saturday, there are still several games in Hawke's Bay on Saturday.

Hawke's Bay Development side the Saracens play Wellington Development at Park Island's Tremain Field in Napier and Central Hawke's Bay sub-union plays Whanganui Development at Waipawa's Coronation Park, both on Saturday starting at 1pm.

It's also a big day for college rugby, with the Napier and Palmerston North Boys' High Schools first fifteens playing Napier for a place in the Hurricanes central region schools final against Hastings BHS next week, and Hawke's Bay secondary schools finals featuring the Division 1 match between Hastings BHS third IV and Lindisfarne College first IV.

Meanwhile, Wairoa's challenge for northern Hawke's Bay, Poverty Bay and East Coast sub-unions trophy the Barry Cup has been confirmed for August 28, against Waikohu at Te Karaka.