Moerewa braced for a fiery encounter with UK in club rugby final

A Hollywood writer couldn't have scripted it any better in the Bay.
As the Bay of Islands' club rugby final looms, plenty of drama cascades and the climax should be a blockbuster when United Kawakawa host Moerewa this  Saturday.
Because what unfolded in semifinal rugby left inspirational Moerewa captain Chic Prime with a wry smile and this to say, 40 minutes after his side secured their spot for the big match.
"If UK bring that sort of stuff, you won't see us backing down."
Prime  was speaking about 50 minutes after Kerikeri manager Michael Eyre had given his side the option of abandoning their semifinal against the  UK side and walking from the field - with 10 minutes still left on the clock.
Pause and rewind.
For the first time in "a long, long time", Moerewa co-coach Laurie Nankivell said, Bay of Islands rugby entered semifinals weekend with all four sides in with a chance.
The first was a match up between last year's grand finalists, Moerewa were at home to Ohaeawai and turned the tables on the 2008 champs, 15-3.
And in the other semi you  had a rematch of a rip-snorter from just the week before - arguably the best game of the round robin - with table-topping United Kawakawa hosting Kerikeri. UK "smashed" the visitors 22-12.
So, as a sports reporter providing full match coverage, you pick one - Moerewa v Ohaeawai at Simson Park - and hope you get the right one.
As far as rugby goes it was the right match to be at.
But as for controversy, the mark was missed by a mile.
A quick post-game 10km trip down the road to the UK clubrooms highlighted how much a sports reporter's time is sought after at the sharp end of the season.
Managers, fans and players were quick to approach and give their verdict of what a number described as a "filthy affair", with a big brawl  10 minutes from time.
According to the Kerikeri fraternity, they were hit hard, hit late, hit high and "king hit" - and there was no shortage of fisticuffs either.
"I was trying to break up a scrap when I was hit from behind - king hit. That sort of thing happened all game," said Kerikeri prop Ben Scott, sporting a shiner and cut to the head for his trouble.
Eyre said referee Brendan Hamer did a good job but he thought he  might have been "terrified". "When you have players running 30m to throw a punch, and only one yellow card dished out, well something isn't quite right," he said.
But referee Brendan Hamer is one of the province's most experienced referees and United Kawakawa assistant coach Wayne Martin said he controlled the game well.
"I thought he did a good job, he penalised when he needed to and let the game flow well. It was a good game with long-range tries from the backs, quite a spectacle."
Reacting to the accusations made by  Kerikeri, he quoted Tana Umaga.
"Like Umaga said, we didn't come along to play tiddly-winks, it was finals rugby and both teams played hard and didn't want to give anything away."
He admitted the brawl was set off by a high tackle by their  No8 but it was the retaliation by the Kerikeri players that added fuel to the fire.
He said the side was looking forward to their first premier final in 18 years - coincidentally, their previous final appearance was a loss to Moerewa.
Moerewa's captain said his side wouldn't shy away from anything UK threw at them in the final.
 However, he was also focused on the prize.
"We'll go out  there and match them but we'll win it by playing rugby," Prime said.
And they had a hard one to help with the conditioning, the Moerewa pack was superb as they kept it in tight against Ohaeawai.
"To win it we needed to match them in the lineout, the breakdown too, but that didn't happen," said Ohaeawai manager Pappy Maihi.
Moerewa has the luxury of the tall timber of lock Jamie Anderson and, with Owen Pihema another go-to man in the lineout, it was one-sided.
The Moerewa pack controlled the game, led by Prime's example.
Anderson was mobile in general play too, the front row had the wood on their opposition, Kane Brooks looked sharp at halfback while Steven Watene continued his fine form on the wing.
Watene scored first, chipping ahead and gassing it to regather and the forwards, dominant in the scrum throughout, showed their involvement by bagging two, one each to hooker BJ Pihema and Prime through a pushover.
But the big question posed by many pundits in the know is not whether  UK flare or a meticulous Moerewa game plan will win out this weekend, but  whether the powder-keg heads will be kept in check.