Two heavyweight Hakaraia brothers stop Taihape in their tracks, but the inexperienced Ruapehu side, mostly senior players, went down heavily to Taihape on Saturday at Ohakune. Photo / Merrilyn George
Taihape premiers and Kaierau seniors started the 2022 Whanganui club rugby season with impressive first round victories in the new-look grade knockout competitions last Saturday.
Byford's Readimix Taihape scored 11 tries in taking Northern Wanganui neighbours McCarthy Transport Ruapehu apart 63-0 at Rochfort Park in Ohakune.
Gemini Pepper Construction Kaierau seniors collected eight tries in a 48-17 home romp over Ali Arc Logistics – DNA Kennels Marist Celtic with both sides fielding a sprinkling of premier players.
In the other first round fixture former rep winger Clive Stowers, who has returned from Kaierau to Black Bull Liquor Pirates in the club's 125th celebration season, scored the winning try after an even senior battle against Utiku OB in Taihape.
The teams were locked 12-all at both the quarter and halftime whistles and 19-all going into the final 20 minutes.
Stowers, who played four times for Whanganui when a member of the Pirates' champion side in 2014, however clinched a 24-19 victory for the city visitors with 10 minutes remaining.
Pirates will now play Kaierau in the senior semifinals at the Devon Road Country Club on Saturday.
Utiku will not miss out on the play-offs, emerging as the beaten first round team with the best points differential.
Utiku will take on town rivals Taihape, who had the first round bye, at Memorial Park.
Kaierau has usually found Celtic troublesome but dominated Saturday's encounter, scoring three tries to lead 17-0 at halftime and 22-5 into the lively final quarter which produced 38 points.
Despite trailing 48-5 Celtic staged a late rally, reducing the final deficit from 43 to 31 points.
Winger Blake Eves was in sharp form for the winners, scoring two tries.
As expected Taihape was too classy for Ruapehu with rep utility back Dane Whale starting the season with a brace of tries for the Northern Wanganui domestic champions who led 38-0 at halftime.
The game was called off with 10 minutes remaining after a serious injury to the young Ruapehu fullback who was being treated on the field.
Considering small attendances at training it was a good effort by Ruapehu to field a team.
Taihape will now host Settlers Honey Ngamatapouri, who had the first round bye, in Saturday's premier k'o final.
Premier 2021 championship finalists Waverley Harvesting Border and Wanganui Car Centre Kaierau, who did not compete in the knockout series, have home practice games on Saturday.
Border play 2021 senior champions Kelso Hunterville at Dallison Park and Kaierau host Pioneer (Wairarapa).
Oldest Club Demise?
There is every possibility that Whanganui could lose its oldest surviving club – Wanganui and Old Boys – in June.
The club, formed in 1872, last fielded a senior side in 2001 as Wanganui Counties, finishing 10th at the bottom of the field after also struggling in 1996 and 1999.
Massive losses to champions Ratana (99-0) and runners-up Marist (107-0) saw Wanganui Counties withdraw from senior rugby, sell their clubrooms at Kaiwhaiki, and take a lease on Williams Domain at Wanganui East.
The Wanganui OB club erected lighting at Williams Domain and has leased the field and club shed to Ngamatapouri since that club was reformed in 2015.
Wanganui OB continued to field primary grade teams and survived through to reach its150th year.
Unless there is a sudden "miracle" it is likely the club, which in reality revolves around "king pin" John Thurlow and former WRFU presidents Norm Crowe and Wally Barrington, will be wound up at an annual meeting in late June.
There is the likelihood of a special fixture being played involving former players with connections to the club and the Whanganui Collegiate School during the annual Colleges Quadrangular Tournament being played in the city from June 27-29.
The club and Collegiate have had close links since the 1880s.
First Shield Challenges
Marist premiers and Utiku OB seniors will have the first attempts to lift the Challenge Shields when the 2022 Tasman Tanning Whanganui club rugby championships start on Saturday, April 23.
Dave Hoskin Carriers Marist host premier shield holders Taihape at Spriggens Park and Utiku OB tackle Stihl Shop Wanganui senior Challenge Shield holders Speirs Food Marton on Taihape's Memorial Park.
For Marist, who finished fourth in the premier championship last winter, it will be a third home shield challenge in two years after losing 39-10 to Waverley Border on opening day 12 months ago and 17-5 to Taihape in the penultimate qualifying round.
Taihape had taken the trophy 28-17 from Border at Memorial Park late in the season before coming to Whanganui on successive weekends to repel challenges from Marist and Kaierau (24-3).
Despite finishing eighth overall in the senior championship Marton ended 2021 on a high note by lifting the Stihl Shield 29-19 off Utiku in Taihape and defending the trophy at home against Marist Celtic (24-22) and McCrea Scanning Counties (27-5).
If Taihape and Marton win their first up defences this month they are away to Ngamatapouri and senior titleholders Hunterville respectively.
Championship draws –
Premier
Round 1 (2.35pm – Home teams first) –
April 23 – Dave Hoskin Carriers Marist v Byford's Readimix Taihape (Challenge Shield), Waverley Harvesting Border v Wanganui Car Centre Kaierau, McCarthy Transport Ruapehu v Settlers Honey Ngamatapouri.
April 30 – Marist v Border, Ruapehu Kaierau, Ngamatapouri v Taihape.
May 6 – Border v Ngamatapouri. Nay 7 – Kaierau v Marist, Taihape v Ruapehu.
May 14 – Marist v Ruapehu, Kaierau v Ngamatapouri, Taihape v Border.
May 21 – Border v Ruapehu, Taihape v Kaierau, Ngamatapopuri v Marist.
Round 2 –
May 28 – Kaierau v Border, Ngamatapouri v Ruapehu, Taihape v Marist.
June 4 (Queen's Birthday Weekend) – No Club Rugby.
June 11 – Kaierau v Ruapehu, Border v Marist, Taihape v Ngamatapouri.
June 18 - Marist v Kaierau, Ngamatapouri v Border, Ruapehu v Taihape.
June 25 – Border v Taihape, Ngamatapouri v Kaierau, Ruapehu v Marist.
July 2 – Marist v Ngamatapouri, Kaierau v Taihape, Ruapehu v Border.
July 9 (Semifinals) – 1v 4, 2 v 3.
July 16 - Finals (Cooks Gardens).
Senior
Town Zone
April 23 – Border v Marist Buffalos, Ali Arc Logistics-DNA Kennels Marist Celtic v Black Bull Liquor Pirates, Gemini Pepper Construction Kaierau v McCrea Scanning Counties.
April 30 – Kaierau v Celtic, Pirates v Border, Buffalos v Counties (Racecourse).
May 6 – Border v Celtic. May 7 – Kaierau v Buffalos, Counties v Pirates.
May 14 – Pirates v Kaierau, Celtic v Buffalos (Racecourse), Counties v Border.
May 21 – Buffalos v Pirates, Border v Kaierau, Counties v Celtic.
Country Zone
April 23 – Speirs Food Marton v Utiku OB (Challenge Shield), Kelso Hunterville v Bennett's Taihape, Ruapehu v Harvey Round Motors Ratana.
April 30 – Ruapehu v Utiku OB, Ratana v Taihape, Hunterville v Marton.
May 7 – Ratana v Hunterville, Taihape v Utiku OB, Marton v Ruapehu.
May 14 – Taihape v Ruapehu (No 1), Utiku OB v Huntervuile (No 2), Ratana v Marton.
May 21 – Ruapehu v Hunterville, Taihape v Marton, Utiku OB v Ratana.
Senior Championship (Top 3 teams each zone) –
Senior Consolation (Bottom 3 teams each zone) –
May 28, June 11-18-25, July 2. No play June 4 (Queen's Birthday Weekend).
July 9 – Semifinals (1 v 4, 2 v 3).
July 16 – Finals.