Steelform Whanganui head off to Napier this weekend hoping for a third success in four visits for pre-Heartland fixtures against Hawke's Bay XVs.
The Butcher Boys, in their third of four non-first-class preparation outings before the 2022 Bunnings Warehouse-sponsored championship kicks off, have beaten Bay teams 33-14 in 2017 and 36-17 in 2019 but lost 36-12 to the Saracens on the last visit in 2020.
Whanganui also won the first two matches against the Magpies — 15-6 in 2015 and 41-19 the following season — in games played on Cooks Gardens.
The black and whites have won the other three fixtures — 34-19 at Spriggens Park in 2018 and 25-12 at Tremain Park in 2020 and 14-7 on Cooks Gardens last winter.
It is unfortunate that Ngamatapouri loose forward Samu Kubunavanua will miss the Napier game because he has been prominent in three of Whanganui's victories with a personal tally of seven tries in the early season fixtures — two in 2016, four in the Bay 12 months later and one in 2019, the last year he played for the Butcher Boys.
Samu, who turns 35 on Tuesday and returns from Fiji in time for Whanganui's final tune-up game against A Wellington Development XV here on Saturday week, has scored 131 points for the union since his debut in 2014 when playing as a three-quarter for Utiku OB.
He has scored 16 first-class tries and 10 in lead-up games in helping Whanganui win a trio of Meads Cups (2015-16-17), the Lochore Cup in 2014 and Meads Cup runners-up in 2019. He has played 38 first-class games for the union.
Last time Whanganui beat Hawke's Bay in a first division game was at Hastings in 1989, the year Larry Graham coached his NZ Division 3 champion side to a 20-19 victory.
Marist winger Solomon Su'a, Utiku OB halfback Peter Thomas, Raetihi second five Steve Gordon and Ratana winger Marewa Paranihi (in his only rep appearance that year) scored tries for the visitors and Ratana fullback Dennis Ngatuere kicked two conversions.
That season Whanganui won all seven Div 3 matches, including 24-21 away against runners-up South Canterbury and 17-9 here against third-placed Horowhenua.
Hawke's Bay beat Whanganui 43-15 at McLean Park in 2005, the last time the two unions played a first-class match, Kaierau's Ace Malo (2) and Asaeli Tikoirotuma (City College) scoring tries for the visitors.
The Bay won the NPC Div 2 title for a sixth time that season and Whanganui was eighth, Heartland rugby started the following year.
Welcome home Ezra
Nineteen-year-old utility back Ezra Malo, son of 85-cap Ace Malo, scored a try and kicked two conversions when the Butcher Boys were pipped 38-33 by the Taranaki Development XV at Cooks Gardens last weekend.
Malo, who has been playing club rugby in Hawke's Bay this season, will be a local Player of Origin in the 2022 Heartland championship.
He played three games for Whanganui last year and was fullback for Kaierau in the 23-18 premier club championship finals loss to Border.
Malo scored one of Whanganui's five tries against Taranaki last Saturday with the amber and blacks, replying with six including two in the final five minutes to lift the Jones Brothers Memorial Trophy.
One of the Taranaki try scorers was former Whanganui winger Harry Symes, who recently helped Border win the local premier club championship final.
Senior club wrap-up
Honours were shared around in the revamped 2022 Tasman Tanning Wanganui senior club championship.
The competition was split into Town and Country Zones of six teams each in the first round, with Kaierau and Marton each going through unbeaten as top qualifiers for the six-team championship playoff series.
But Marist Celtic and Ruapehu emerged as the top two sides from the championship section, duly won their home semifinals against Kaierau and Ratana respectively and Celtic beat Ruapehu 42-25 in a lively final at Cooks Gardens.
Celtic, who dropped only one game all season, became the first city team since 2008 to claim the title.
Taihape beat eight-times champions Hunterville 40-25 in the consolation final with Ruapehu winning the Stihl Shop Wanganui Challenge Shield late in the season.
It will be interesting to see if Ruapehu returns to the premier ranks next year after skipping the top grade this season.
This is how the senior teams performed in 2022:
Ali Arc Logistics-TD Block & Bricks Marist Celtic (Champions) —
Town Group (Runners-Up) — Played 5, Won 4, Lost 1, Pts For 200, Against 81, Differential 119, BP 4, Qualifying Points 20, Average game score 40-20.
Championship (Winners) — P 5, W 5, Pts for 149, Ag 89, Diff 60, BP 4, Cham pts 22, Av game score 30-18.
Semifinal — Beat Kaierau 44-8 (H). Final — Beat Ruapehu 42-25.
Overall — P 12, W 11, L 1, For 435, Ag 203, Diff 232. Av game score 36-17
Placings (Past 10 seasons) — 1 3 2 3 2 3 4 4 3 4.
McCarthy Transport Ruapehu (Runners-up) —
Country Group (Runners-up) — P 5 W 3, L 2, For 96, Ag 76, Diff 20, BP 6, Qualifying Pts 18 Av game score19-15.
Championship (Runners-up) — P 5 W 3 D 1 L 1 For 150 Ag 126 Diff 24 BP 4. Champ Pts 18, Av game score 30-25..
Semifinal — Beat Ratana 17-16 (H). Final — Lost to Marist Celtic 25-42.
Overall — P 12 W 7 D 1 L 4 For 288 Ag 260 Diff 28 Av game score 24-22.
Placings (past 10 seasons) — 2 7 — — 11 7 9 1 2 2.
Ratana (3rd) —
Country Group (3rd) — P 5 W 3 D 1 L 1 For 77 Ag 51 Diff 26 BP 2 Qualifying pts 16 Av game score 15-10.
Championship (3rd) — P 5 W 2 D L 2 For 84 Ag 74 Diff 10 BP 2 Champ pts 12 Av game score 17-15.
Semifinal — Lost to Ruapehu (A) 16-17.
Overall — P 11 W 5 D 2 L 4 For 177 Ag 142 Diff 25 Av game score 16-13,
Placings (past 10 seasons) — 3 2 1 — — — — — 12 -.
Wanganui Car Centre Kaierau (4th) —
Town Group (Winners) — P 5 W 5 For 128 Ag 64 Diff 64 BP 4 Qualifying pts 24 Av game score 26-13 .
Championship (4th on countback) — P 5 W 2 L 3 Pts for 111 Ag 131 Diff 20 BP 4 Champ pts 12 Av game score 22-25.
Semifinal — Lost to Marist Celtic 8-44 (A).
Overall — P 11 W 7 L 4 For 247 Ag 239 Diff 8 Av game score 22-all.
Placings (past 10 seasons) — 4 4 3 6 8 10 6 9 13 8.
H H Walters Marton (5th) —
Country Group (Winners) — P 5 W 3 D 2 Pts for 209 Ag 80 Diff 29 BP 3 Qualifying Pts 19 Av game score 42-16,
Championship (5th after count-back) P 5 W 2 D 1 L 2 Pts for 76 Ag 78 Diff minus 2 BP 2 Championship Pts 12 Av game score 15-16.
Overall — P10 W 5 D 3 L 2 Pts for 285 Ag 158 Dif 127 Av game score 29-16.
Placings (past 10 years) — 5 8 7 7 4 1 2 5 7 9.
Black Bull Liquor Pirates (6th) —
Town Group (3rd) — P 5 W 3 L 2 For 202 Ag 92 Diff 110 BP 4 Qualifying Pts 16 Av game score 40-19,
Championship (6th) — P 5 L 5 Pts for 86 Ag 158 Diff -72 BP 2 Championship pts 2 Av game score 17-32.
Overall — P 10 W 3 L 7 Pts for 288 Ag 250 Diff 38 Av game score 29-25.
Bennett's Taihape (Consolation Champions — 7th overall) —
Country Group (6th) — P 5 W 1 D 1 L 3 Pts for 97 Ag 94 Diff 3 BP 3 Qualifying Pts 9 Av game score 19-all.
Consolation (Winners) -P 4 W 4 Pts for 136 Ag 50 Diff 96 BP 3 Championship Pts 19 Av game score 34-13.
Overall — P 9 W 5 D 1 L 3 For 233 Ag 144 Diff 89 Av game score 26-16.
Placings (past 10 seasons) — 7 6 6 1 6 4 8 10 9 5
Kelso Hunterville (2nd Consolation — 8th Overall) —
Country Group (4th) — P 5 W 1 L 4 Pts for 105 Ag 132 Diff minus 27 BP 6 Qualifying Pts 10 Av game score 21-25
Consolation (Runners-up) — P 4 W 3 L 1 For 140 Ag 63 Diff 77 BP 4 Champion Pts 16 Ave game score 35-16.
Overall — P 9 W 4 L 5 Pts for 245 Ag 195 Diff 50 Av game score 27-22.
Placings (past 10 seasons) — 8 1 5 5 1 2 3 2 1 1
Utiku OB (3rd Consolation — 9th Overall) —
Country Group (5th) — P 5 W 2 L 3 Pts for 89, Ag 130, Diff minus 51, BP 3, Qualifying Pts 10 Av game score 19-26.
Consolation (3rd) — P 4 W 2 L 2 Pts for 44 Ag 84 Diff minus 40 BP 2 Championship Pts 10 Av game score 11-21.
Overall — P 9 W 4 L 5 Pts for 133 Ag 214 Diff minus 81 Av game score 15-30
Placings (past 10 seasons) — 9 9 4 2 9 12 11 1110 7.
McCrea Scanning Counties (4th Consolation — 10th Overall) —
Town Group (4th) — P 5 W 2, L 3 Pts for 70 Ag 104 Diff minus 34 BP 2 Qualifying Pts 10 Av game score 14-21.
Consolation (4th) — P 4 W 1 L 3 Pts for 71 Ag 68 Diff 3 BP 3 Championship Pts 7 Av game score 14-all.
Overall — P 9 W 3 L 6 Pts for 141 Ag 172 Diff minus 31 Av game score 16-19.
Placings (past 10 seasons) — 10 10 8 4 5 6 6 8 8 3 .
Marist Buffalos (5th Consolation- 11th Overall) —
Town Group (6th) — P 5 L 5 Pts for 58 Ag 181 Diff minus 123 BP 1 Qualifying Pts 1 Av game score 12-36.
Consolation (5th) — P 4 L 4 Pts for 26 Ag 152 Diff minus 126 Av game score 7-39.
Overall — P 9 L 7 Pts for 84, Ag 333 Diff minus 249 Av game score 9-37.
Placings (past 10 seasons) — 11 11 9 8 7 9 11 11 10 7.
Border
Town Group (5th and then withdrew) — P 5 W 1 L 4 Pts for 0, Ag 136.
Placings (previous 10 seasons) — 12 10 10 3 8 7 12 5 12 11.