Hawke’s Bay v Taranaki: Magpies rebooting dream of a home playoff in NPC final rematch

Hawke's Bay halfback Folau Fakatava on the run against Taranaki the last time the sides met in Napier. Photo / Paul Taylor

There’s a simple philosophy at the Hawke’s Bay Rugby Union after the Magpies went from being unbeaten to losing the Ranfurly Shield and risking the dream of a home playoff in the NPC.

Union commercial manager Dan Somerville hopes the momentum at the gate of the five Ranfurly Shield defences can be maintained as coach Brock James’ team refocuses, particularly after being beaten 50-5 by Waikato, one of the Magpies’ worst defeats in the modern era of NPC rugby.

The goal remains a first-division title, their first in the 49 seasons of NPC rugby.

That is being rebooted at McLean Park on Friday night in a revenge match against Taranaki, who won 22-19 when Hawke’s Bay made it to the final for the first time last year.

Somerville says the outcries on the back of a 25-24 shield defence loss to Tasman and Saturday’s whipping by Waikato – the first losses in just over 12 months apart from that 2023 final – are part of the “passion”, and without it might mean the fans “don’t care”.

It has gone a little sour since the Magpies became the first side to secure a place in this year’s quarterfinals when they beat Manawatū on September 1, a fifth win in five Bunnings Warehouse championship matches this season and part of a string of 12 wins in the last 13 NPC and Ranfurly Shield games.

But the brand has been there before, being in a similar position to that of last season, when the Magpies opened with four wins and endured a mid-season slump in conceding 123 points in three consecutive losses before getting back on the road to the final, including away wins in both the quarter-finals and semifinals.

There was evidence of some frailty when the Magpies were down 19-0 after 21 minutes against competition tail-enders Manawatū in Palmerston North, explained to a degree by the rigours of being a third game in eight days, including a midweek victory over Canterbury in Christchurch.

Unsuccessfully defending the shield a week later against Tasman, the Magpies scored four tries to two. But they also missed 40 tackles and were outkicked.

On the sodden turf of Waikato Stadium in Hamilton on Saturday, they conceded seven tries in the first match in six years that the Magpies had conceded 50 or more, and the 45-point margin was the second-biggest against Hawke’s Bay in 212 games since they returned to the top level 18 years ago in the expansion to 14 teams.

It was exceeded only by a 63-7 Canterbury win in Christchurch in 2016 and equalled by the same nemeses in a 45-0 win in Napier in the first game, in 2006.

Hawke’s Bay had had a good record against Waikato, winning seven, drawing two and losing six of the matches between the two sides in that time, but against Taranaki there have been four wins, a draw and seven losses.

Among key players now are the halfback and first five-eighths combination of Ereatara Enari, continuing in the absence of an injured Folau Fakatava, and Lincoln McClutchie.

Fakatava, perhaps smarting from being overlooked so far for a return to the All Blacks, currently leads the Duane Monkey Medal, by a point, and first claimed the accolade for the Most Valuable Player in the NPC in 2020, but was also missing from the match against Waikato.

The top points-scorer on the field in the competition last year, McClutchie was on target for a repeat with 41 points in the first four games, at which time he had a career tally of 492 for Hawke’s Bay.

But the three further games, one as a second-half substitute, have produced just another three points.

Of the other players, captain and lock Tom Parsons is credited by the statisticians with the most lineout takes in the competition, and imported wing-fullback Ben O’Donnell is in the top 10 for metres gained, as well as being one of seven Magpies who have scored three tries each in the NPC this season.

Into the team for Friday night is France Under-20 player and former Lindisfarne College First XV player Patrick Tuifua, back from injury, while new to the NPC 23 is former Poverty Bay outside back Andrew Tauatevalu, who played for Napier Pirate this year.

Still missing are injured players Devan Flanders, Josh Kaifa and Harry Godfrey – expected to be available in the near future.

The Magpies also have Isaia Walker-Leawere with a knee in a brace and prop Pouri Rakete Stones is also nursing an injury.

There are five changes from last weekend’s starting forward pack, including the entire front row, and wing Neria Fomai returns to the starting backline.

The match is the annual charity affair, with the Magpies wearing a one-off jersey designed especially for their support of Dementia Hawke’s Bay.

Sporting the magnolia symbolic with the cause, the jerseys worn by the players are being auctioned online on Trademe and replicas can be purchased online or at Stirling Sports, with all profits going to the cause.

Meanwhile, in the Farah Palmer Cup women’s competition, the Hawke’s Bay Tui – with one win and having staved off the threat of relegation – play the Auckland Storm at Eden Park on Saturday.

The Magpies team to play Taranaki at McLean Park on Friday, starting at 7.05pm, is: Tim Farrell, Jacob Devery, Joel Hintz, Geoff Cridge, Tom Parsons (captain), Patrick Tuifua, Sam Smith, Hugh Renton, Ereatara Enari, Lincoln McClutchie, Neria Fomai, Danny Toala, Nick Grigg, Lukas Ripley, Ben O’Donnell. Reserves: Kianu Kereru-Symes, Hadlee Hay Horton, Lolani Faleiva, Hunter Morrison, Josh Gimblett, Sam Wye, Kienan Higgins, Andrew Tauatevalu.