Taradale’s hopes of a third Ray White Maddison Trophy Hawke’s Bay Premier rugby championship in a row soared with a 22-17 win over first-round Nash Cup winners Napier Tech Old Boys on a chilly and
Hawke’s Bay club rugby: Taradale take lead in race for third Maddison Trophy title
Taradale salutes as Iakopo Mapu scores the winning try as the maroons inflict Napier Tech Old Boys' first loss of the season at Whitmore Park, Napier, on Saturday. Photo / Paul Taylor
It also left Napier Old Boys Marist just clinging on to a top-four hope, on a points differential basis but in a battle for the fourth playoff position with twin cities rival Hastings Rugby and Sports, who all but ended MAC’s hopes with a 38-19 win at Flaxmere Park.
As much as in the results, the tightening of the race to McLean Park is exposed in next weekend’s draw, in which Taradale have a home match against MAC, Tech are at home again, against Napier Old Boys Marist, and Central travel north again to play Hastings R&S in Hastings.
In Saturday’s Hepa Paewai Memorial Trophy matches, Havelock North beat Clive 34-16 at Clive and Napier Pirate survived the trip to Dannevirke with a 37-10 win over Aotea.
The Taradale win was a big one for first-season coach and former trophy-lifting captain Namatahi Waa, who put the triumph down to continually building strength heading towards the playoffs, the strength of the subs’ bench in the modern game of 23-man rugby, and the obliging wind that died in the second half.
Ahead 10-3 at halftime, Taradale spent long periods in Tech territory, but when the wind did its momentary blasts, so too did Tech, relieved from some punishing defence work at one end to score two tries at the other.
The first made it 10-10, and the second levelled it again at 17-17, with midfield back Falealii Popoalii’s 14th try of the season, before Mapu came to the party and scored his try.
Waa, who reckoned he only made it to the head coach berth after completing the required Level 1 coaching course a week before the start of the season in March, said the performances of flanker Thomas Eden and lock Andrew Gardner throughout were big parts of the outcome, as was the second-half introduction from the bench of Mapu and props Wiremu Cottrell and Jayden Walker.
Tech also had a strong bench, but it didn’t fire to the same degree and with the tough defence going on close to the line, it was the clearing kicks of Sheridan Rangihuna which repeatedly got Tech out of jail.
Central’s win was a biggie for coach Sam McNicol, also in his first season of Premier coaching and now part of the Magpies coaching team for the Bunnings NPC.
Central were in front from the time they scored the first try of the match, finishing with four tries and denying Marist a bonus point for getting within seven points when first five-eighths Jordan Soli kicked his second penalty near fulltime, part of a contribution of 10 points which takes him to 132 points in his first season out of high school.
In their win, Hastings R& S scored six tries, including two to Oscar Sowman, on the left wing.
Premier - Maddison Trophy
Taradale 22 (Andrew Gardner, Flynn Allen, Iakopo Mapu tries; Trinity Spooner-Neera penalty, 2 conversions) Napier Tech Old Boys 17 (Liam Udy-Johns, Falealii (Gibson) Popoalii tries; Sheridan Rangihuna penalty, 2 conversions).
Central 30 (Trei Nepe-Apatu, Siosiua Kaifa, Sam Cavanagh, Jeri Kavekai tries; Jordan Soli 2 penalties, 2 conversions) Napier Old Boys Marist 20 (Duff Penitito, Jonty Stewart tries; Bain Champion 2 penalties, conversion; Jonty Stewart conversion).
Hastings Rugby and Sport 38 (Oscar Sowman 2, Vikta Tevita, Danya Tulou, Neria Fomai, Ausage Fomai tries; Danny Toala 4 conversions) MAC 19 (Johnny Ika 2, Fa’alemiga Selesele tries; Joshua Coward 2 conversions)
Points: Taradale 14, Central 12, Napier Tech OB 9, Hastings R&S 7, Napier OBM 7, MAC 2.
Division 1 - Hepa Paewai Memorial Trophy
Havelock North 34 (Samuel Smith, Oliver Tomalin, Alex Philip, Teihana Brown, Epeli Tanadroga tries; Tawhiri Gifford-Kara penalty, 3 conversions) Clive 16 (penalty try; Jayden Falcon 3 penalties).
Napier Pirate 37 (Noa Laisenia 2, Pomare Samupo, Tione Hubbard, Lincoln-Blake Bowman trophies; Tipene Maxwell 2 penalties, 3 conversions) Aotea 10 (Trent Conway try; Hoera Stephenson penalty, conversion).
Tamatea - bye.
Division 2 - Tom Mulligan Cup: Napier Old Boys Marist 33 Bridge Pa 24, Napier Tech OB 38 Hastings R&S 19, Porangahau 7 Napier Pirate 5, Waipawa Country United 9 Ōtāne 8.
Division 2A - Taradale 24 MAC 22, Takapau 27 Havelock North 15, Central 32 Eskview 10.
Division 3 - Ron Parker Memorial Trophy: Taradale 22 Maraenui 15, Clive 6 Napier Pirate 0.
Division 3A - Havelock North 19 Flaxmere 5, Tamatea 22 Napier OBM 17.
Colts - Pat Ryan Memorial Trophy: Clive 71 Napier Tech OB 0, Hastings R&S 22 Taradale 5, Napier Pirate 47 Napier OBM 19, Onga-Tiko 15 Havelock North 5.