Josaia Bogileka is a big boost for Marist.
Taihape will be seeking special revenge against Kaierau when the two teams clash in the second qualifying round of the 2023 Tasman Tanning Whanganui Premier club rugby championship tomorrow at Memorial Park.
Byford’s Readimix Taihape may have ranked higher than Wanganui Car Centre Kaierau five times over the past half dozen seasons but the city-siders snared shock victories in both 2021 and again last year.
Ethan Robinson rocked the loyal Taihape fans two seasons ago when he pocketed all 16 points in a completely unexpected 16-5 semifinal victory against the hosts, who had been 2019 champions.
Taihape had earlier that year chalked up two comfortable qualifying-round victories - 32-8 at home including 12 points from the boot of Dane Whale, and then scored four tries to nil on a 24-3 second-round visit to Devon Road.
Seven days later the same sides met again, this time Taihape with an unbeaten home record all season, but the visitors raised eyebrows with a 16-0 halftime lead en route to winning 16-5, thanks to Robinson scoring a converted try and kicking three penalty goals.
A try from fellow rep Tyler Rogers Holden was all Taihape could muster.
Robinson then gave Waverley Harvesting Border a taste of his kicking prowess with six successful penalty goals in the final at Cooks Gardens a week later.
Border, however, also possessed an accurate goalkicker in Craig Clare, who landed 13 points (three penalties and two conversions) in the closer-than-expected 23-18 title victory, after Border had earlier coasted home 37-10 and 44-7 during the two qualifying encounters.
Kaierau followed up their 2021 upset at Taihape with a repeat surprise last winter - this time capturing the Grand Challenge Shield 20-17 in the very last trophy fixture of 2022.
Taihape had been unbeaten all season, including 41-18 when hosting Kaierau in a challenge game, but lost the trophy by three points on the very last day of shield play.
Rep halfback Caleb Gray, who won the Grand Irish MVP and Best Club Back of the Year awards, and winger Harry Unsworth scored tries for Kaierau, with Brooklyn Herewini kicking two penalties and two conversions.
Matt Brown, Gabriel Hakaraia and Jaye Flaws scored tries for Taihape at Kaierau but Dane Whale only managed one successful kick.
It is no wonder the lights at the Devon Road Country Club blazed away so long after the Kaiwhakas had snatched away a $500 liquor voucher.
Taihape, however, triumphed in another back-to-back weekend clash against Kaierau, coasting in 54-3 in the semifinal at Memorial Park, scoring eight tries in the process.
Unfortunately for Taihape there was to be one remaining shock for the year - Border’s remarkable 16-15 nail-biting victory in the final, after being hammered twice by their opponents in the qualifying rounds.
Saturday will be the 53rd game between Kaierau and Taihape since the turn of the century with the maroon and golds ahead 31 victories to 21 (plus a 12-12 draw at Memorial Park) - 18 of Taihape’s victories coming in the past 11 years.
They go into Saturday’s fixture having both won opening-day matches - Taihape scoring seven tries in a 45-10 home success over neighbours McCarthy Transport Ruapehu, while Kaierau held on grimly to pip champions Border 18-15 on Dallison Park.
Kaierau shot out to a shock 18-0 halftime lead before Border staged a second-half recovery but the Premier Challenge Shield holders just managed to stave off tremendous Border pressure over the final 10 minutes in the first trophy match of the year.
This means that Taihape now has the advantage of a home surface in a bid to regain the trophy, which has a change of sponsors this year - Barracks Sports Bar.
Both clubs have a number of newcomers this campaign but in the absence of Ethan Robinson, now playing in Perth, Taihape’s Dane Whale, who last weekend landed five conversions, could play a much more dominant role on Saturday.
Barracks Bar has also taken over the $500 voucher sponsorship of the Premier competition first-round winners (Paul Mitchell Cup - Taihape last season) award and the Premier MVP awards (Caleb Gray of Kaierau was first last season with Keightley Watson of Marist second).
The return of experienced utility representative back Josaia Bogileka after a season with Ngamatapouri will boost Marist Premiers against champions Border at Spriggens Park tomorrow.
Border, seeking a seventh successive scalping of Dave Hoskin Carriers Marist, will start favourites but the greens have sprung an odd upset over the years and certainly can’t be taken for granted, especially after Border ‘s unexpected defeat last weekend.
Bogileka, who elected to play for the Pacific Islanders-dominated Ngamatapouri last season, was a key member of the Marist backline before switching clubs.
He showed his ability by emerging the leading tryscorer in 2022 for Ngamatapouri, his seven from nine matches helping the club qualify for the Premier championship semifinals for the first time.
One of those tries was at Spriggens Park last year - the last time Marist Premiers played at the ground.
Despite winning 34-24, Marist just failed to qualify for the semifinals, missing out by a single point.
The 32-year-old midfield or three-quarter back was in the 2021 Whanganui squad that won the Heartland Championship’s Lochore Cup at Cooks Gardens, and played on the wing in Whanganui’s 36-47 Meads Cup finals away loss to South Canterbury.
He has scored 40 points (eight tries) for Whanganui.
Marist have beaten Border five times, including twice in Challenge Shield games, since the Waverley club returned in 2011 from playing in the Taranaki union competition.
The wins have all been at Spriggens Park - 28-22 in 2011, 38-22 in 2012, 32-22 in 2017 (Shield), 42-20 in 2018 and 27-25 in 2019 (Shield).
Border have won the other 17 fixtures including 79-17 last year, 65-14 in 2014 and 55-7 in 2012 - all on home soil at Dallison Park.
The side’s highest victory in Whanganui was 46-0 in 2019.
The Marist coaching staff of Travers Hopkins and assistants Andy Yarrall and Darryl Malcolm are chasing the club’s first Premier title in 13 years while new Border head coach Todd Cowan is endeavouring to complete a first-ever Whanganui four-peat of combined championships.
Border are hoping that the club’s new Fijian midfield back arrives in time, and there is talk that talented veteran goalkicker Craig Clare will make his debut for the year, after being unavailable last weekend.
Ruapehu has the Premier bye this weekend.
It was great to see Spriggens Park in pristine condition for the opening of the local club rugby season last weekend.
The state of both the Spriggens Park and Cooks Gardens playing surfaces in 2022, despite it being a wet winter, was the worst in years, and the Whanganui District Council’s Parks and Reserves and the contractors were under fire over the issue.
The criticism must have worked because Spriggens Park was in excellent condition last Saturday.
Unfortunately, park patrons are not likely to have the use of the Bevege covered stand this season.
Engineer reports indicate it could be “unsafe for spectator use” and the Whanganui Rugby Football Union (WRFU) has wisely fenced off entry to the stand until further confirmation via an engineer’s report is received.
Defending champions Marist Celtic and 2022 Town Group winners Kaierau both recorded 50-plus point victories at the start of the new senior club season last Saturday.
Gemini Pepper Construction Kaierau, who went through the Town qualifying series unbeaten last year, breezed in 83-0 against depleted Border in the Dallison Park curtainraiser.
This was 10 points higher than last season’s high of 73-0 recorded by Black Bull Liquor Pirates, also against Border, at Spriggens Park.
The other half century-plus wins in 2022 were Bennett’s Taihape 64 v Marist Buffalos 7 away, Ali Arc Celtic 63 v Border 0 away, Pirates 55 v Buffalos 5 home, Celtic 53 v Pirates 27 home and Kelso Hunterville 50 v Utiku OB 0 home.
Kaierau scored 41 and 42 points in each spell to keep ahead of the scoreboard at Waverley on Saturday and Celtic managed 28 and 31 points against newcomers Castlecliff Hotel Mustangs at Spriggens Park.
Other first-round successes went to hosts Hunterville (34-22 v Pirates), Utiku OB (33-5 v McCrea Scanning Counties), Taihape (29-10 v AGC Marist Knights) and Tamatahauha Ratana (30-22 v JJ Walter Ashphalt Marton).
Four of the six winners are engaged at Memorial Park in Taihape this weekend - titleholders Celtic v Utiku OB (for the Stihl Shop Challenge Shield) and Kaierau v Division 2 champions Taihape.
Other senior games are Pirates v Marton at Spriggens Park, Marist v Ratana on the Racecourse, Mustangs away to Hunterville and Counties home to Border.
Note: Utiku’s name was drawn out of the hat by the WRFU as initial holders of the Stihl Shop Challenge Shield for the start of the season because of the withdrawal of 2022 winners Ruapehu.