Hawke's Bay club rugby wrap: Legendary loosie wins 100th game

Havelock North celebrated Tony Lamborn's 100th game for the club with a 38-35 win over MAC at Anderson Park. Photo / Paul Taylor

Havelock North celebrated talismanic loose forward Tony Lamborn's 100th game for the club with a 38-35 win over MAC at Anderson Park on Saturday afternoon.

The former Hawke's Bay Magpie and USA international was one of the best in black and blue as Havelock got their fifth win of the season in the Ray White Nash Cup round six matchup.

The teams traded penalty kicks from first fives Ioane Lauano and Adam Blake over the first 10 minutes.

MAC were happy to play the ball out from deep with fullback John Ika breaking the line consistently and Lauano missed another shot at goal that would have put them in front in the 16th minute.

The hosts came back into the contest though and Lamborn almost had a try assist on half an hour but winger William Underwood couldn't quite hold onto his pass.

Blake had a couple more shots at goal, converting one of them to restore Havelock's three-point lead shortly before halftime.

Lauano levelled the scores again with a penalty following another Ika bust over the 22-metre line.

The hosts had the last say of the half when Tony Lamborn crashed over for the game's opening try to take a 13-6 lead.

Tony Lamborn on another powerful surge for Havelock North. Photo / Paul Taylor.

Havelock started the second period strongly too with a good kick-chase forcing a turnover close to the MAC tryline.

Lock Brett Bakkerus bashed his way to a try less than a minute into the half, and prop Uilisone Siaosi scored Havelock's third shortly after following a charge down.

MAC quickly went about making up their 21-point deficit with No 8 Fa'alemiga Selesele particularly dangerous off the back of the scrum.

Their star man, Ika, scored the first MAC try in the 50th minute, throwing an excellent dummy pass to fool the covering defence.

Selesele reduced the Havelock lead to nine with a try after an attacking scrum five minutes later.

Successive penalties put Adam Blake in range to make it 30-18 with 20 minutes left to play.

Ika, now playing halfback, took a penalty quickly and burst through the line then set up winger Josiah Sakaria to score MAC's third try.

Havelock North's second five-eighths Hamish Clapcott spun out of a tackle and went over to put them 12 points ahead with a quarter of an hour to play.

Untimely mistakes were costing MAC at times but Selesele did set up substitute Roger Paewai for a try that had them within one score with five minutes remaining.

A Blake penalty gave Havelock North the buffer they needed, as Ika got MAC's fifth try right on full-time.

Havelock are now third on the Nash Cup ladder below undefeated sides Napier Tech and Taradale.

Tech grabbed their sixth straight bonus-point victory on Saturday, defeating Hastings at Elwood Park.

Taradale routed Central Hawke's Bay 53-3 in Waipukurau for their fifth big win in five games – next week's top of the table clash with Napier Tech at Whitmore Park should be a cracker.

Elsewhere, Tamatea got their second win of the season against Aotea 27-24 in Dannevirke and Clive beat Napier Pirate 25-22 at Tamatea Park in a match between the grade's two winless sides.

Napier Old Boys Marist are still fourth following their round six bye.