Rugby
Eketahuna flanker Johan van Vliet has become the leading try-scorer in the Wairarapa-Bush Rugby Union's Tui Cup premier division competition.
A hat-trick of tries in Eketahuna's 17-3 win over Bush Sports on Saturday took van Vliet's total to eight, one more than Greytown duo Teihana Brown and Tavita Issac and Pioneer's Damien Kamo-Paku.
Gladstone utility back Cameron Hayton continues to lead the overall points list in premier division rugby for this season. He has racked up 68 points in the Tui Cup and that combined with his 117 points in the Kapene Cup gives him an imposing tally of 185. Next highest is Joseph Thompson (Pioneer) with 144, followed by Tipene Haira (Martinborough) 119 and Tom Meuli (Eketahuna) 106. Interestingly, Meuli with 61 is second, just seven behind Hayton, on the Tui Cup points list, followed by Thompson 59 and East Coast's Nick Olson 54.
The performance of goal kickers in the Tui Cup has not been anything to write home about if the number of successful conversions are any guide. It is generally accepted goal kickers should have at least a 75 per cent success rate but, ironically, only Marist, who are at the bottom of the points table, have better than that with 77 per cent as far as conversions are concerned. They have added the extra two points to 10 of their 13 tries. Other percentages are Greytown (69), Martinborough (68), Bush Sports (67), Gladstone (60), Eketahuna (54), East Coast (52), Pioneer (52) and Carterton (35).