Border will challenge Kaierau for the Challenge Shield at Dallison Park on the weekend.
Thanks to last year’s remarkable “Houdini” comeback to complete a hat-trick of Whanganui premier titles, Border are shooting for a unique four-peat honour when the 2023 Tasman Tanning club season starts on Saturday.
Waverley Harvesting Border’s new head coach, Todd Cowan, has the bulk of the club’s champion squad playing again but will certainly be stressing that the team perform much more consistently in this year’s eight qualifying rounds.
Border, who challenge Wanganui Car Centre Kaierau for the Challenge Shield at Dallison Park on the weekend, dropped four of 10 games last year, scoring 230 points and conceding 262.
The overall average match score of 23-26 was the only time in the 45-year history of Whanganui’s union-wide combined competition that the champions finished the season with a minus overall average game score.
By comparison, Border averaged 40-14 in winning the 2021 title with 11 wins out of a dozen fixtures and 40-13 a year earlier, again with 11 victories and one defeat.
Despite twice being humiliated by Byford’s Readimix Taihape in the qualifying rounds — 55-15 at home and by a record 77-7 away on Memorial Park — Border formulated a tactical game plan that produced an unexpected 16-15 triumph in the thrilling grand final at Cooks Gardens.
This completed a hat-trick of titles for retiring coach Cole Baldwin to match the efforts of Ohakune-Karioi in 1984-86 and Ratana in 2001-03.
Now Border have the opportunity of a record four in a row. Wanganui HSOB (1987) and Kaierau (2004) foiled previous hat-trick champions of achieving that honour.
Main loss for Border this season is mobile 22-year-old, 112kg former Collegiate 1st XV No.8 Semi Vodosese who has been an important member of both the club and Butcher Boys rep forward packs in recent years.
Vodosese, who played 23 times for Whanganui and is now in Hawke’s Bay, was extremely hard to stop when close to the line with ball in hand.
Although globetrotting inside back and accurate goal kicker Craig Clare announced his retirement, it would come as litle surprise to see the 38-year-old, who scored 337 pts in his 40 games for the union, play a few times for Border this campaign.
He has been a key member for Ruapehu, and later Border, since his arrival in the union.
Border retain speedy winger Alekesio Vakarorogo who top-scored for the club (five tries) and scored 10 times for the reps in 2022.
Kaierau, semifinalists for the past four years including runners-up to Border (18-23) in 2021, have won only once in Waverley in the past dozen years (23-21 in 2019) but scored an unexpected 14-12 home success last winter to atone for a 38-22 first-round defeat.
The city club has picked up half a dozen players from Settlers Honey Ngamatapouri, now in recess, including rep winger Peceli Malanicagi and goal-kicking inside back Brook Treymayne, with ex-rep halfback Doug Horrocks back from Scotland.
Losses include main goal-kicking midfield back Ethan Robinson to Perth, fellow rep backs Cody Hemi (injured) and Dillon Adrole (league in NSW), ex-rep winger Karl Pascoe (retired) and former rep front-rower Jack van Bussel (to England).
Former Kaierau rep inside back Danny Tamehana (Thompson), who has coached Black Bull Liqour Pirates and Ngamatapouri in recent seasons, has joined fellow ex-rep Te Ahu Teki on the premier coaching staff.
Kaierau, who surprisingly lifted the Challenge Shield off Taihape in the final trophy game last season, face testing away trips to Waverley and Taihape in the first two defences over the coming fortnight.
An interesting aspect of the return of six-times champions McCarthy Transport Ruapehu to the premier competition after a year’s absence will be the arrival back of experienced front-rowers Gabriel Hakaraia and Roman Tutauha.
Hooker Tutauha (91 rep caps) and prop Hakaraia (42 rep games) were key members of the Northern Whanganui champions Byford’s Readimix Taihape forward pack last season.
With Ruapehu back in the top grade this year, the two front-rowers have linked up with their hometown club again and on Saturday pack down at Memorial Park against their 2022 club teammates.
New Taihape head coach Seto Bourke will also be without 23-rep cap front-rower Dylan Gallien (in Hawke’s Bay) and 16-cap utility forward Ben Whale (in Japan) this season and there has been no sign so far of loosie Jamie Hughes who has played 60 times for Whanganui.
It could lead to an interesting clash on Saturday despite Taihape having won the last five matches including 38-22 in the most recent game at the park in 2021.
Dave Hoskin Carriers Marist, who narrowly missed the semis last winter, have the first-round bye before hosting Border on Saturday week.
Marist, however, will have defending senior champions Ali Arc Celtic in action at Spriggens Park on Saturday, against newcomers Castlecliff Hotel Mustangs.
Duane Brown will again coach Celtic, who finally broke through to win an elusive senior title last year after 10 years of reaching the Top Four.
Celtic, who beat Ruapehu 42-29 in the final, meet Mustangs who have affiliated under the Pirates banner this season.
The other Marist senior side, to be coached by Sean Fergusson and Tom Nepia, has been renamed Knights this year and travels to play Bennett’s Taihape, who beat Kelso Hunterville 49-25 in the 2022 senior Div 2 final.
Hunterville (coach Greg Parkes) host Pirates (coaches Brett Turner and Matt Davis), sixth last season.
Last year’s Town zone first-round winners Gemini Pepper Construction Kaierau, under coach Mike Lama, play the Waverley curtain-raiser against Border (coaches Mark Lawrence and 44 rep cap Dean Barr).
Ratana, renamed Tamatahauha and coached by Cornel Mason, who have placed 1, 2 and 3 over the past three years, host near neighbours JJ Walters Ashphalt Marton (coach Glenn Weitenburg) who were fifth last season.
The 2019 runners-up Utiku OB (coach James Marr) meet 2002 champions McCrea Scanning Counties. They finished ninth (UOB) and 10th last year.