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Home / Whanganui Chronicle

Dominant Taihape take title in style

By John B Phillips
Whanganui Midweek·
25 May, 2022 04:32 AM7 mins to read

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Former rugby rep Steve Boobyer has injured his spine and is in Burwood Spinal Unit. A Give a little page has been set up to help pay for expenses incurred during his recovery.

Former rugby rep Steve Boobyer has injured his spine and is in Burwood Spinal Unit. A Give a little page has been set up to help pay for expenses incurred during his recovery.

Taihape may have struck the least opposition in the history of the WRFU's Paul Mitchell Memorial Cup with only four other teams in the first round of the Tasman Tanning Whanganui 2022 premier club rugby championship but the Northern Wanganui side won the title in style.
It is the 13th time
since the turn of the century that the champions have won all their fixtures although three other winners drew a game en-route to claiming the cup.
Because the number of entries have varied from nine starters down to five this season one of the only ways of comparing annual performances is by averages based on the number of sides competing.
This year, for example, Byford's Readimix Taihape averaged 45 points from four outings, the same average as 2019 cup winners McCarthy Transport Ruapehu (but from seven games).

Miles clear on average points is the 2005 Wanganui Car Centre Kaierau team with an average of 66 points over seven matches.
That amazing squad included three points centurions during an unbeaten 14-victory season — Tupae Pati (178), Pati Fetuiai (135) and Ace Malo (100) who is still scoring premier grade tries 17 years later.
During the 2005 Mitchell Cup series the Kaiwhaka's beat Ratana 95-6, Marton 82-5, Pirates 54-12 and Taihape 53-10 on away trips and Utiku OB 77-10, Marist 69-5 and eventual runners-up Ruapehu 31-19 at the Devon Road Country Club.
Kaierau eventually averged 59 points all season, scoring 948 points headed by 133-0 at home v Marton and 100-8 v Marist on Spriggens Park.

Second highest average winning score in the Mitchell Cup is 50 by the 2010 Ruapehu side from seven victories,
This season's Taihape (five games) and Ruapehu's 2019 champs (7 matches) are third equal with averages of 45.
Least Mitchell Cup points conceded by a champion team since the turn of the century are — 42 (7 games Marist 2008), 44 (5 games Kaierau 2020), 50 (7 games Ruapehu 2010), 59 (8 games Ratana 2002), 60 (4 games Taihape 2022.

The Mitchell Cup winners since 2000 including match results, points for and against and average scores (in brackets) —
2022 — Taihape 4 wins181-60 (45.-15)
2021 — Border 5 wins 210-66 (42-13)
2020 — Kaierau 4W 1L 181-44 (36-9)
2019 — Ruapehu 7 wins 316-96 (45-14)
2018 — Pirates 6W 1D 145-85 (21-12)
2017 — Border 7W 1L 312-134 (39-17)
2016 — Taihape 7 wins 254-98 (36-147
2015 — Pirates 6W 1L 212-117 (30-17)
2014 — Pirates 7W 1L 210-107 (26-13)
2013 — Ruapehu 7W 1D 341-70 (43-9)
2012 — Ruapehu 7W 1L 235-96 (29-12)
2011 — Ruapehu 8W 1L 369-116 (41-13)
2010 — Ruapehu 7 wins 353-50 (50-7)
2009 — Kaierau 7 wins 278-82 (40-12)
2008 — Marist 7 wins 274-42 (39-6)
2007 — Kaierau 7 wins 264-103 (38-15)
2006 — Ratana 7 wins 172-67 (25-10)
2005 — Kaierau 7 wins 461-61 (66-9)
2004 — Kaierau 8 wins 322-97 (40-12
2003 — Ratana 7W 1D 203-71 (25-9)
2002 — Ratana 7W 1L 312-59 (39-7)
2001 — Ratana 9 wins 384-76 (43-8)
2000 — Ratana 8 wins 275-91 (34-11)

Premier Spice Welcome
Marist and Ngamatapouri have certainly spiced up the ultra small Whanganui premier club championship in recent weeks.
With last season's runners-up Kaierau struggling to show any consistency and rock bottom of the points table there was the real likelihood of a two-horse race between domestic titleholders Waverley Harvesting Border (Metro) and Byford's Readimix Taihape (Northern) to fight out the union-wide championship.
But those notions have changed dramatically since the start of the duck shooting season with the usually ultra consistent Border losing two matches.
Settlers Honey Ngamatapouri started the ball rolling by holding Border scoreless on Dallison Park for the first time with a 14-0 night victory.
Exactly a week later there was further gloom for the playing-through champions who were hammered 77-7 by Taihape on a visit to Memorial Park.
That was the heaviest loss Border has ever suffered with Taihape running in a dozen tries and retaining the Grand Hotel Challenge Shield into the bargain.
Ngamatapouri, boosted by the Waverley success, completed the scalping of both 2021 finalists within a week with a high scoring 57-41 away win over Kaierau who had snatched a 41-38 lead late in the match.
Marist had piled on late points seven days earlier on the same field to change an 11-10 half-time advantage into a vital 41-10 win.
With the assistance of a bye week Marist was on the road again last Saturday, this time all the way up the Waitotara Valley.
Ngamat, on a home field for the first time in three weeks since running Taihape close (19-25), struck a well drilled Marist pack that snared a deserved 23-17 victory.
Taihape (19) has cleaned up the first round of the championship but there are only two points between Ngamat (11), Border(10) and Marist (9) as they jostle to see who plays who in the semi-finals.
Although out of the top four and needing at least two wins to come into contention, Kaierau is a side that could play a major role when it comes to who hosts the premier semis on July 9.

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Champs Miss Out
Hunterville has been a force in Whanganui senior grade rugby for a decade but have finally missed out on a major honour this season.
The club is in the process of re-building and has a host of new younger players following the retirement of so many of last year's champion squad.
The competition was split into six-team Town and Country Groups this year with the top three from each group qualifying for the championship division.
Hunterville managed only one win but featured in some close results which produced six bonus points.
Unbeaten Marton (19 pts) headed off Ruapehu (18 including six bonus) and last year's runners-up Ratana (16) to qualify ahead of Hunterville and Utiku OB (10 each) and Taihape (9).
Kaierau (unbeaten on 24), Celtic (20) and Pirates (16) headed the Town Group ahead of Counties (10 and Marist Buffalos (1) with Border (5) withdrawing because of a shortage of players,
The lowest nine-times champions Hunterville has finished in the senior grade sine 2003 was fifth in 2003-05-19-20.

Steve Boobyer
One of Whanganui rugby's strongest forwards back in the early 1980s has suffered a serious motor cycle accident which has required admission to the Burwood Spinal Hospital.
Steve Boobyer was a powerful rep front rower in Whanganui squads for four seasons, helping the union finish runners-up to Taranaki in the 1982-83-84 North Island Div 2 championships.
The Tech COB prop represented the union 35 times between 1981-84, sharing the front row honours 14 times with Waverley match centurion Brent Dallison under coach Roger Boon, a former All Black, and 21 times with Wanganui HSOB's Bo Cox under coach Jim Wallace, a North Island selector.
After helping Whanganui beat Taranaki 23-16 at New Plymouth on Anzac Day and 20-3 at Spriggens Park on Queen's Birthday Monday and being pipped 35-33 right on time by visiting first division Wellington during the 1984 season Boobyer and Cox were rated as "powerful scrummagers" by the NZ Rugby Almanack.
The previous year the Almanack had classed Boobyer as a ðedicated worker.
Steve, who made his debut in a home match against Taranaki in 1981, helped Whanganui win five games in a row in 1983 including scoring a try in a 52-0 victory over Horowhenua in Levin.
He played in 19 winning fixtures for the Butcher Boys.
A plasterer by trade, Steve, who will be 69 next month, was the heaviest Whanganui rep at 107 kg when he finished his first class rugby career.
He is expected to have a lengthy recovery period and all proceeds from "Steve Boobyer — Give a Little" fund will go towards his expenses and family travelling costs while he recovers in Christchurch.
The fund, which was established by his friends, has passed the $8000 mark.
Fittingly the Fund Page includes a colour photograph of Steve dressed in a Santa Suite on his pride and joy — his Harley Davidson.

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