Brought to you by Whanganui Rugby
Both teams have known the heartache and now they want the glory when the Tasman Tanning Senior final is decided at Cooks Gardens on Saturday.
The undefeated McCarthy’s Transport Ruapehu take on the back-to-back finalists, the Forest 360 Marist Knights.
While coaches Chris Winter and Sean Ferguson wanted to keep their game plans close to their chests, both teams are looking to make a statement as the final Senior game for 2025.
Tellingly, Ruapehu won close games this year when it really mattered against their fellow top-four teams, including beating the Knights 15-11 in May.
They had three players in the Northern sub-union team in forwards Harry Rowe, Ezekiel Anderson and winger Cullen Cross, who scored the late match-winner in the semifinal clash with Direct Connect Marist Celtic.
“A last-minute try and a good try. There was sort of only half a metre in it,” Winter said.
“It’s not how we want to win, but in those games it’s how we have won.
“We’ve had to adapt with how the weather’s been, but whatever the weather be is what it is – we’ve trained for everything.”
Outside back Tahatika Te Riaki scored two tries in the Knights’ win, while fullback Chrissy Winter delivered with the boot in the games with the Marist teams.
The side are captained by Kahl Elers-Green, the former Steelform Whanganui halfback who played such a strong game in Ruapehu’s last trip to Cooks – a tough 44-25 loss to Celtic in 2022.
Knights have more recent painful memories – their 12-10 loss to the Utiku Old Boys in last year’s final and after their tough 14-0 semifinal win over McCrea Scanning Counties, they expect a similar fundamentally strong performance from Ruapehu.
“Just pleased to be back into the final, and hopefully a bit wiser this time,” Ferguson said.
“They’re more than capable, so long as we make the right decisions and don’t let the occasion get the best of us.”
His attack-oriented team have scored 474 points this season – 230 more than Ruapehu.
But despite the outstanding finishing of outside backs Kuliasi Ligaitamana, Epeli Delasau and goalkicker Joey Devine, expect the engine room to have to shoulder the workload.
Skipper and No 8 Brandon Burberry, flanker Isaac Jordan and especially prop Raponi Tofa want to erase the pain of last year’s defeat.
Kickoff is at 12.30pm.
Tonight’s Tasman Tanning Women’s final at Cooks Gardens will be a rematch of last season’s extra-time classic as the defending champions, Byfords Construction Taihape, meet the undefeated AGC Training Marist Clovers.
But Taihape only held on by centimetres in last Friday’s semifinal against a Silks Audit Rātana 15-12.
Taihape centre Brooklyn Walker and halfback Taylah Barrett scored tries for the hosts, while Rātana No 8 Hayley Gabriel scored for her team, with first five-eighths Mia Maraku slotting a conversion.
Determined to regain the title they held in the inaugural 2023 season, which slipped through their fingers last year, Marist justified their heavy favourites tag with a 95-12 semifinal win over Hunterville on Friday night at Cooks.
Second five Rebecca Tamati scored a hat-trick, with doubles from winger Kesaia Siganisucu and reserve Meilini Meo.
Also dotting down were prop Rebekah Manu, locks Lavenia Nauga-Grey and Tamzyn Newland, flanker Catherine Nauga, halfback Jasmine Pomeroy, centre De-Ann Tyrell and reserves Jordie Aleke, Awatere McLean-Wanoa and Lyrik Pikimaui.
First five Maze Thompson-Koro kicked four conversions, while reserve Tiana Kauika got a conversion and a try.
New team Hunterville scored two late tries through prop Nancy Teika and flanker Brooke Henderson, with fullback Charlize Cook adding a conversion.
Kickoff is at 6.30pm.