Hawkes Bay Today
  • Hawke's Bay Today home
  • Latest news
  • Sport
  • Business
  • Opinion
  • Lifestyle
  • Property
  • Video
  • Death notices
  • Classifieds

Subscriptions

  • Herald Premium
  • Viva Premium
  • The Listener
  • BusinessDesk

Sections

  • Latest news
  • On The Up
  • Sport
  • Business
  • Opinion
  • Lifestyle
  • Property
    • All Property
    • Residential property listings
  • Rural
    • All Rural
    • Dairy farming
    • Sheep & beef farming
    • Horticulture
    • Animal health
    • Rural business
    • Rural life
    • Rural technology

Locations

  • Napier
  • Hastings
  • Havelock North
  • Central Hawke's Bay
  • Tararua

Media

  • Video
  • Photo galleries
  • Today's Paper - E-Editions
  • Photo sales
  • Classifieds

Weather

  • Napier
  • Hastings
  • Dannevirke
  • Gisborne

NZME Network

  • Advertise with NZME
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • BusinessDesk
  • Newstalk ZB
  • Sunlive
  • ZM
  • The Hits
  • Coast
  • Radio Hauraki
  • The Alternative Commentary Collective
  • Gold
  • Flava
  • iHeart Radio
  • Hokonui
  • Radio Wanaka
  • iHeartCountry New Zealand
  • Restaurant Hub
  • NZME Events

SubscribeSign In
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Home / Hawkes Bay Today

Rugby: Poto's boot adds the polish

By Shane Hurndell
Hawkes Bay Today·
30 Aug, 2015 08:40 PM3 mins to read

Subscribe to listen

Access to Herald Premium articles require a Premium subscription. Subscribe now to listen.
Already a subscriber?  Sign in here

Listening to articles is free for open-access content—explore other articles or learn more about text-to-speech.
‌
Save

    Share this article

Hawke's Bay Saracens No8 Kaleb Sweet proves a handful for the Manawatu Development team's defence during Saturday's match in Napier. Photo / Duncan Brown

Hawke's Bay Saracens No8 Kaleb Sweet proves a handful for the Manawatu Development team's defence during Saturday's match in Napier. Photo / Duncan Brown

Regular first five-eighth Tianua Poto displayed his class at fullback for the Hawke's Bay Saracens on Saturday.

The Clive club player was full of authority in general play and succeeded with five of his six attempts at goal, four conversions and a penalty, as the Saracens beat Manawatu Development 36-26 at Napier's Park Island. Poto played at fullback because David Neilson and Magpie Tyrone Elkington-MacDonald had 40 minutes each in the pivot role.

Second five-eighth Cole Eru and winger Ted Walters were others to impress in the winning backline. Lock Everard Reid and substitute No8 Kaleb Sweet were prominent in the Saracens pack.

Sweet took the field in the second minute after Magpie Joseph Penitito vacated with a suspected season-ending ankle injury. Winger Star Timu scored two tries, while Walters, hooker Mikey Sosene-Feagai and Magpies centre Lewis Marshall scored one each for the hosts who led 17-7 at halftime.

Meanwhile, Hawke's Bay Tuis coach Tom Blake said travel fatigue was a major factor in his team's 34-14 loss to the Otago Spirit in Dunedin on Saturday. His team led 14-5 at halftime after tries to hooker Forne Burkin and first five-eighth Amy Williams who converted both.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

"I'll accept the fitness levels may not be as good as they should be in some cases but as I watched the wheels fall off in the second half it was easy to see it was more to do with the travel on the day," Blake said.

His players had to get up at 5am to catch their 7am flight from Napier to Christchurch where they had a half-hour wait before their next flight to Dunedin for the noon kick-off.

"Everything was a whole big rush. All the Otago girls and coaches were telling our girls to come and play for Otago as they never have day trips like that," Blake said.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

The Tuis scrum struggled for the first 15 minutes before gaining parity. Halfback Gemma Woods seldom had quality ball to distribute.

Burkin and captain and openside flanker Laurae Blake were the best of the Tuis forwards.

Experienced props Natalie Cotton and Sharlena Maui made the most of their game time, while former Black Fern Williams had some classy moments.

For a 15-minute period in the second half the Tuis were down to 13 players when No8 Te Aroha Hunt and winger Kirsty Grace-Thomas were in the sinbin.

Discover more

Rugby: Magpies expected to soar in Pukekohe

27 Aug 06:04 PM

Magpies do it again - emphatically

28 Aug 09:00 PM

Rugby: Philpott: Dagg still in with chance of call-up

30 Aug 08:18 PM

Rugby: Battle of Bays gets bit cheeky

02 Sep 08:07 PM

Fullback Talon Robinson is likely to be out of action for a fortnight with a shoulder injury.

Save

    Share this article

Latest from Sport

Hawkes Bay Today

‘Give it our all’: How Napier City Rovers' season hangs on crucial matches ahead

08 Jul 05:00 PM
Hawkes Bay Today

Stephen Hoyle to swap NZ amateur league football for pro A-League

02 Jul 05:00 PM
Sport

Inside the Rovers: Road trip blues

From early mornings to easy living

sponsored
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Latest from Sport

‘Give it our all’: How Napier City Rovers' season hangs on crucial matches ahead

‘Give it our all’: How Napier City Rovers' season hangs on crucial matches ahead

08 Jul 05:00 PM

Winning run needed for Napier City Rovers to secure National League spot.

Stephen Hoyle to swap NZ amateur league football for pro A-League

Stephen Hoyle to swap NZ amateur league football for pro A-League

02 Jul 05:00 PM
Inside the Rovers: Road trip blues

Inside the Rovers: Road trip blues

Napier City Rovers face must-win clashes to keep league hopes alive

Napier City Rovers face must-win clashes to keep league hopes alive

25 Jun 05:00 PM
Solar bat monitors uncover secrets of Auckland’s night sky
sponsored

Solar bat monitors uncover secrets of Auckland’s night sky

NZ Herald
  • About NZ Herald
  • Meet the journalists
  • Newsletters
  • Classifieds
  • Help & support
  • Contact us
  • House rules
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms of use
  • Competition terms & conditions
  • Our use of AI
Subscriber Services
  • Hawke's Bay Today e-edition
  • Manage your print subscription
  • Manage your digital subscription
  • Subscribe to Herald Premium
  • Subscribe to the Hawke's Bay Today
  • Gift a subscription
  • Subscriber FAQs
  • Subscription terms & conditions
  • Promotions and subscriber benefits
NZME Network
  • Hawke's Bay Today
  • The New Zealand Herald
  • The Northland Age
  • The Northern Advocate
  • Waikato Herald
  • Bay of Plenty Times
  • Rotorua Daily Post
  • Whanganui Chronicle
  • Viva
  • NZ Listener
  • Newstalk ZB
  • BusinessDesk
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • iHeart Radio
  • Restaurant Hub
NZME
  • NZME Events
  • About NZME
  • NZME careers
  • Advertise with NZME
  • Digital self-service advertising
  • Book your classified ad
  • Photo sales
  • © Copyright 2025 NZME Publishing Limited
TOP