Magpies halfback Eaton, 33, was the player of the match for a Taradale side which their club chairman Tim Combs said had to dig deep for their victory. Lock Jordan Kupa and fullback Nick Biss were others to impress for the hosts.
Robinson's nephew, centre Hunta Marsh, was outstanding for Tamatea. Halfback Wayne Nikora and prop Mason Kean were also prominent for the visitors.
NOBM 71 Central 12
Defending champions Hawke's Bay Insurances Limited Napier Old Boys Marist ran in 11 tries during this victory in Waipukurau.
"We had a lot of luck with the bounce of the ball and rub of the green which enabled us to take our opportunities," the always humble NOBM head coach Craig Gowler said.
Props Jarvy Aoake and Lau Ta'a provided plenty of grunt to the winning engine room. First five-eighth Ellery Wilson shone with his guidance.
"Man for man NOBM weren't much better than us but they were just so well drilled," Northfuels Central manager Ian Large said.
Fullback Karl Lepelaars was again courageous for Central. Lock Ben Carpenter and Fijian prop Bucks Kagi also made Large's MVP list.
Havelock 28 Hastings 22
Progressive Meats Havelock North manager Conrad Waitoa was toasting the patience of his troops following this Anderson Park win.
"We were a lot more patient and accurate than we were in last week's loss to Tamatea. Having experienced players like Isaac Paewai, Shannan Chase, Dan Snee and Mikey Vuicakau back certainly helped. Hastings had a good set piece so we didn't take them on there," Waitoa said.
Lock Phil McRoberts joined Paewai and Vuicakau as the pick of the villagers. Ansin & Monteith Hastings Rugby and Sports coach Bevan Lynch said his scrum was dominant but the game was a big learning curve for his backline which included just one starting back from last season.
"We left 20 points out on the field and can only blame ourselves. Havelock were very good on the counter attack and scored some good end to end tries," he added before singling out prop Jason Long and loosies Marino Mikaele-Tu'u and Warwick Slingsby as the best of the visitors.
Tech 40 Clive 10
Altherm Window Systems Napier Technical also bounced back from a round one defeat in style with this Farndon Park drubbing.
"It was a big improvement from us," Texans manager Cyril Whitburn said.
Blindside flanker Izzy Martin and No 8 Kaleb Sweet were inspirational in the Tech pack. First five-eighth Tamati Samuels directed the winning backline well.
Fullback Peter Bassett produced some gutsy defensive work for K9 Petfoods Clive. Halfback Bronson Hokianga also impressed in the Clive backline while lock Dusky Pineaha, in his second premier outing, proved he has a promising future.
"We had a few guys out but they have a pretty good side which played well," Clive coach Blair Cross said.
Pirate 17 MAC 15
It took a 74th minute try from in-form captain and centre Hayden Hann for Tanalised Napier Pirate Rugby and Sports to secure this win at Flaxmere's Ron Giorgi Park.
Both teams don't have the same depth or experience they had last season and produced an error-ridden display. However the close contest made it exciting.
Hawke's Bay Sevens rep Hann was the best player on the paddock. Winger Kane Nepe-Apatu and lock Jesse King were also busy for the visitors.
Poor discipline and the inability to stick to structures proved costly for MAC. Mobile lock Kome Palaamo, a converted loosie, and No 8 Amiga Mikaele had high workrates in the host pack while experienced centre Vai Kereti was dangerous when put in space.
