The Taihape team put on their victor's singlets after winning the Wanganui Club Sevens final at Marton Park.
After years of being perennial bridesmaids, Taihape finally claimed their first Settler's Honey Wanganui Club Sevens championship with a composed 21-12 victory over two-time champions Ngamatapouri in the final at Marton Park on Saturday.
Having lost in the final every year from 2014-16, then being eliminated after extra time in the 2017 semifinals, Taihape were more than due as they lined up against an slightly understrength Ngamatapouri, the team who had beaten them in the last three years of playoffs.
It was the Taihape (2) team who made the final, as the club fielded two squads this year, getting some schoolboy players for their Taihape (1) team, who ironically had the higher seeding in Pool B and ultimately would not pick up a win.
As defending champion, Kaierau Maroon had been top seed in Pool A, but a try right on fulltime carried Taihape (2) to a 17-12 win in the crucial pool match, which put them through as top qualifier to face Pool B winner Ngamatapouri, with this year's format not including semifinals.
Taihape had the bigger bench with Ngamatapouri only having one reserve, while they utilised a strong brains trust in Dane Whale and new arrival Tyler Rogers-Holden, along with strong regulars in Jaye Flaws, Tremaine Gilbert and Kameli Kuruyabaki.
Ngamatapouri planned to get Timoci Seruwalu and Samu Kubunavanua into position to use their Fijian flair, while also having the services of Ruapehu's Troy Brown, as his club did not enter a team.
Some clever flick passes had Ngamatapouri breaking out of their half early on, but a lost ball led to a scrum, and Taihape attacked as Flaws made a strong run at the line, then the ball was transferred right to left and back again by Kuruyabaki, Whale, and Gilbert, before Rogers-Holden found the gap beside the posts to score a converted try.
Ngamatapouri tried a long kick that went right to Taihape's line, but Rogers-Holden turned try-saving defence into attack as Taihape seemed set to score again until their last pass was forward.
Ngamatapouri got a penalty advantage and ran the ball, and although Rogers-Holden was there again with a great tackle, they kept the ball alive with basketball-style passes over the tops of defenders to level the scores.
Another Taihape break up the centre set up Kuruyabaki running in space, with Flaws collecting his low pass and then setting up Rogers-Holden to run to the posts for 14-7 on halftime.
Ngamatapouri got a penalty at the breakdown to start the second stanza, but then gave away a string of them just by not getting back 10m, to the point referee Aaron Conlon gave Seruwalu a two-minute yellow card.
Taihape missed touch with their kick, but with Ngamatapouri desperate, they fired a loose pass deep inside their half and Whale swooped to run off to the posts for 21-7.
Ngamatapouri didn't panic again as Kubunavanua made a great offload to set them on attack, getting a tap penalty, and a series of inside passes in the tackle had Sheldon Pakinga-Manhire scoring beside the posts, although he missed the quickly taken drop kick.
Having a crucial lead by more than seven points with time ticking down, Taihape did not falter as they made another raid into Ngamatapouri's half, then spread the ball around before getting a penalty to kick it out at fulltime.
"It's a good day together," said captain Gilbert.
"Personally, I was probably a little bit underdone, but the boys didn't do too bad.
"It's good to take something home for the season."
Gilbert praised Whale, Rogers-Holden, and Kuruyabaki, who Taihape named player of the final.
Results
Pool A: Kaierau Maroon bt Border 19-17; Taihape (2) bt Marist 31-7; Taihape (2) bt Border 19-14; Kaierau Maroon bt Marist 33-12; Taihape (2) bt Kaierau Maroon 17-12; Marist bt Border 22-12.
Pool B: Kaierau Gold bt Pirates 24-14; Ngamatapouri bt Taihape (1) 21-14; Kaierau Gold bt Taihape (1) 24-19; Ngamatapouri bt Pirates 22-7; Ngamatapouri bt Kaierau Gold 26-7; Pirates bt Taihape (1) 19-10.
Women's: Wellington bt Manawatu 20-10; Wellington bt Manawatu 10-5; Manawatu bt Wellington 30-15.
Playoffs: 7th-8th: Border bt Taihape (1) 17-14; 5th-6th: Pirates bt Marist 29-21; 3rd-4th: Kaierau Maroon bt Kaierau Gold 26-0.
Final: Taihape bt Ngamatapouri 21-12.
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Wanganui Sevens coaches Ace Malo and Isi Baleitavuki have named a squad of 20 players to begin preparations for the Central 7's regional qualifiers on December 1 in Levin.
The team will train at Springvale Park tomorrow and Thursday before a squad of around 16 will enter the Piri Weepu Invitational Sevens tournament in Wellington at the weekend.
One player, Shaquille Waara, won't be able to make that tournament as he has been chosen for the inaugural Red Bull Ignite7 event at The Trusts Arena in Waitakere on Saturday.
Fellow speedster Harry Symes was also supposed to attend the Ignite7, however a knee injury suffered playing for Border at the Wanganui Club Sevens may have spoiled that chance.
The regionals squad also contains three imports in Brent Landers, Ryan Karetau and Patrick Parker.
The team is
Brent Landers, Clive Stowers, Dane Whale, Desmond Tyrell, Emitai Logadraudrau, Grayson Tihema, Jamie Lee Robertson, Matthew Ashworth, Neihana Parkes, Patrick Parker, Peter Travis Hay-Horton, Poni Deni, Ryan Karetau, Samu Kubunavanua, Semi Vodosese, Shaquille Waara, Sheldon Pakinga-Manhire, Tiari Mumby, Tom Symes, Troy Brown.