Aupouri play waiting game for finals opponent

SEASON OVER: Te Rarawa along the sideline at Taipa on Saturday as Eli Morrogh (in the foreground with ref Chops Hammond) lines up a penalty. Eastern went on to win 46-0.

Eastern 46 Te Rarawa 0 (ht 8-0): The visitors were right in this match at halftime but then, suddenly out of it as Eastern raced out after the break with two quick tries to destroy any hopes held by the significant crowd which had travelled from Ahipara to witness what they had hoped would be a massive upset.

For Mike Jurlina, Eastern coach, the final score did not tell the story about what happened up to halftime where "it was all on".

"Rarawa were extremely fired up and it took all we had to keep them out, that first half was real tough play-off rugby. But we nailed two quick tries straight after halftime, and were well on top after that. Their captain Eli Morrogh (who gave a very impressive aftermatch speech) reckoned the first half was their best of the year and I definitely think the second half was our best. On the day our senior players stood up and spoke up, everyone followed, and now they have a shot at the Bell Shield again next week as reward."

Thus exit stage left for Te Rarawa. Much was expected of a team which had been Mangonui champions for something like four years running around the turn of the decade, and back on the comeback trail following a bit of a slump in recent seasons. But it would also be unfair to say the side failed to meet expectations under new coach Rikki Horlock who bought a new approach to the Ahipara club.

"The first half was fast. The guys stuck to our gameplan and we were trailing at halftime. Once Eastern scored immediately after halftime, it was difficult stopping their momentum, defensively there were mismatches and we were put under pressure on attack. On the day their systems were better and they performed their systems more effectively than we did and won.

"The final score was disappointing as it didn't reflect the progress that we have made as a team this season. We have most definitely grown as people and I am extremely proud to have been a part of the journey. Regardless of the result the future looks promising for the club. Time to start planning for next year," Horlock concluded positively.

Awanui 41 Motukohu 12 (ht 41-12): This Mangonui senior club rugby top four semi final match at Awanui on Saturday ended up abandoned 12 minutes into the second half with Motukohu stalwart Jesse Wallace left lying on the pitch with a suspected serious neck injury. Much to the relief of all involved, Wallace was later discharged from Kaitaia hospital and was able to drive himself home that same day (but remained apparently in some discomfort on Sunday), while Motukohu were not seeking to replay the game.

Of course, while it was possible to imagine Te Rarawa overcoming the odds in the other semifinal by beating Eastern in some far off dimension, the Incident of Biblical Proportions required by Motukohu to do likewise with Awanui was never going to happen.

Thus the grand final of Mangonui senior club rugby, the battle for the Bell Shield at Arnold Rae Park on Saturday, will again be fought as it has for the past three years, between the same two sides.

Natives beat Kaitaia by DEFAULT: Or was it the other way round? While that question was still to be clarified at time of going to press, one thing was clear: this bottom four semifinal never took place at Taheke as scheduled. The day after, a Kaitaia spokesperson noted, "Not sure if we defaulted first or them." Thus Aupouri have been left waiting in the wings to find out who their opponents will be on Saturday in the Ian King Cup final, if any; it may be that they win Mangonui's bottom 'four'/ lower tier title by default as well.

Attempts to get some sort of feedback from South Hokianga have proved futile throughout the side's debut campaign in Mangonui rugby. The effective deployment of this Cone of Silence strategy whenever engaged by local media has, ironically, left the Natives camp potentially guilty of self-sabotaging any opportunity to further promote rugby in a region already struggling to sustain the 15-man game.

Meanwhile, the ongoing decline of Kaitaia, Mangonui rugby's 2010 champions, is a major issue which will need to be addressed in the off season. Bye: Aupouri.