Coast season opens with a drawn game

A109 Light Utility Helicopter flight with mayor Gisborne City from the air in November 2023.

The season  proper is up and not so much running as purring contentedly in the Sky Blue Union.

Both the Heke-O-Te-Rangi Blackbee Contractors Ngati Porou East Coast men’s and Enterprise Cars NPEC women’s club competitions produced juicy fare on Saturday.

Hicks Bay, the men’s champions in 2023,  had the thrill of taking the field at home in a season opener as holders of the iconic Rangiora Keelan Memorial Shield.

They drew with Hikurangi Te Maunga of Kahuitara 25-25. Hikurangi, under their skipper and blindside flanker Barry Sollitt, led 10-3 at the break.

Warren Henderson’s Hicks Bay experienced every emotion  from nerves on tenterhooks to high excitement, on a day that giant first-five Te Rangi Fraser made unforgettable with a hat-trick of tries.

He scored all 25 of their points, with two penalty goals and two conversions.

Hicks Bay were awarded a penalty by referee Whetu Haerewa for an infringement at a ruck 10m off the right touch, 35m back, and Fraser landed his second penalty goal to draw the home team level 25-25 on fulltime.

Coach Henderson said: “It was pretty fast for wet conditions in the first hit-out of the season, and there were lots of big hits from both sides.

“One of our big work-ons going forward will certainly be to reduce our own penalty count.”

Hicks Bay kicked off but The Mountain scored first, a try to fullback Mahue Mauheni 7m in from the right corner in the 11th minute. His try was not converted.

Hikurangi dropped the hammer on Hicks Bay again in the 19th minute, tighthead prop Putahi Morice burrowing over beneath the crossbar. Second-five Te Aho Morice converted for 12-0 and his was the penalty, 31 minutes in, that gave Hikurangi a 15-0 lead. Three minutes before the break, Fraser landed his first penalty goal for Hicks Bay 3, Hikurangi 15.

Seven minutes into the second half, lock Te Aotahi Tuhaka scored which, with the extras from Morice, put the men of the mountain 22-3 up. They had an almost insurmountable lead.

Then up stepped Fraser.

He scored three tries in a row, at the 52nd minute, 60th and 66th — converting the first and third, the second conversion attempt being charged down by Hikurangi right-wing Hone Manuel.

In the 76th minute, Mauheni kicked a penalty of 34m to give his team the lead 25-22 . . . only for Fraser, all hopes pinned to his right boot, to level the scores with time up.

Hikurangi’s Mauheni, ever-dangerous and a key figure in the game, said: “That was a good first game of the season.  I think it showed us some of what we need to work on.

“I think we did a lot of things really well and I think we’ll be better against Waima back home at Kahuitara this Saturday.”