Omahu Huia celebrate their 62-18 win over defending champions Bridge Pā in the Rugby League Hawke's Bay Premier men's grand final in Hastings on Saturday. Photo / Paul Taylor
Omahu Huia celebrate their 62-18 win over defending champions Bridge Pā in the Rugby League Hawke's Bay Premier men's grand final in Hastings on Saturday. Photo / Paul Taylor
Defending Hawke’s Bay rugby league champions Bridge Pā were no match for the might of Omahu Huia, who wrapped up a barnstorming unbeaten season with a 62-18 win in the 2023 Premier final in Hastings on Saturday.
Pledging throughout the spring season competition to do-it for the cyclone-ravaged community of Omahu, between Napier and Hastings, the Huia had Bridge Pā 52-20 during the single round of round-robin play and scored 13 tries in the biggest grand final rout in Hawke’s Bay rugby league in about 30 years.
They stamped their authority from the start with three tries in the first 15 minutes while playing into the wind on an otherwise fine day at the Mitre 10 Regional Sports Parks William Nelson Athletics Precinct.
Bridge Pā scored the next try and landed the first goal, but it was 28-6 at halftime and then 36-6 before Bridge Pā scored again.
It was a big win for such players as prop Iakopo Mapu and wing Majella Tufuga, who have each also held Hawke’s Bay rugby union Premier titles with Taradale, and Liam Udy-Johns, who made it a dual-code success for the year after winning the rugby union final in July with Napier Tech Old Boys.
Man of the match Iakopo Mapu, who scored two of Omahu Huia's 13 tries in Saturday's 62-18 Hawke's Bay rugby league grand final win over Bridge Pā. Photo / Paul Taylor
Mapu carried on his try-scoring prevalence of the 15-a-side game, in which he played mainly at No 8, scoring one in each half, and claimed the man-of-the-match award. Tufuga and fellow wing Chaz Nuku, as well as Jess Sipaia off the interchange, also scored two tries each.
Both sides struggled to get through the sets in the first half, in particular Bridge Pā, who put in some of the more enterprising efforts when they scored two tries in the second half, but with the win already out of sight.
Try time for Omahu Huia player Sio Seumanutafa. Photo / Paul Taylor
Omahu captain Bronson Hokianga, claiming a second title in four finals, plays senior rugby union for Clive, and said that through connections in club rugby, further players were recruited and helped to add to the six-team competition, which started in August.
His side built up a good platform of possession in the forwards, which became the feature of its dominance.
Coach Tairea Ioane said Bridge had brought in some changes from its semifinal side, and, believing the opposition’s fitness could be lacking a bit, reckoned that hitting it big and often up the middle of the park would enable “things to come” for the ball to get get to the backs.
Omahu also won the reserve-grade final with a 54-8 win over Manu Pacifica, its women were beaten 28-24 in the wāhine final, and Te Aute College beat Wairoa side Tapuae 42-18 in the under-16 final.
It ended a big year for rugby league in Hawke’s Bay, including an NRL match between eventual NRL semifinalists the NZ Warriors and the Brisbane Broncos, and the Hawke’s Bay Unicorns’ men’s first match, and win, in six years.
Meanwhile, Dannevirke Tigers fell just short of a successful defence of their Manawatū Premier title when beaten 18-16 by Levin Wanderers. Last year, Dannevirke claimed the title coming from behind to beat Whanganui Boxon 36-34.
