Taihape may have struck the least opposition in the history of the WRFU's Paul Mitchell Memorial Cup with only four other teams in the first round of the Tasman Tanning Whanganui 2022 premier club rugby championship but the Northern Wanganui side won the title in style.
It is the 13th time since the turn of the century that the champions have won all their fixtures although three other winners drew a game en-route to claiming the cup.
Because the number of entries have varied from nine starters down to five this season one of the only ways of comparing annual performances is by averages based on the number of sides competing.
This year, for example, Byford's Readimix Taihape averaged 45 points from four outings, the same average as 2019 cup winners McCarthy Transport Ruapehu (but from seven games).
Miles clear on average points is the 2005 Wanganui Car Centre Kaierau team with an average of 66 points over seven matches.
That amazing squad included three points centurions during an unbeaten 14-victory season — Tupae Pati (178), Pati Fetuiai (135) and Ace Malo (100) who is still scoring premier grade tries 17 years later.
During the 2005 Mitchell Cup series the Kaiwhaka's beat Ratana 95-6, Marton 82-5, Pirates 54-12 and Taihape 53-10 on away trips and Utiku OB 77-10, Marist 69-5 and eventual runners-up Ruapehu 31-19 at the Devon Road Country Club.
Kaierau eventually averged 59 points all season, scoring 948 points headed by 133-0 at home v Marton and 100-8 v Marist on Spriggens Park.
Second highest average winning score in the Mitchell Cup is 50 by the 2010 Ruapehu side from seven victories,
This season's Taihape (five games) and Ruapehu's 2019 champs (7 matches) are third equal with averages of 45.
Least Mitchell Cup points conceded by a champion team since the turn of the century are — 42 (7 games Marist 2008), 44 (5 games Kaierau 2020), 50 (7 games Ruapehu 2010), 59 (8 games Ratana 2002), 60 (4 games Taihape 2022.
The Mitchell Cup winners since 2000 including match results, points for and against and average scores (in brackets) —
2022 — Taihape 4 wins181-60 (45.-15)
2021 — Border 5 wins 210-66 (42-13)
2020 — Kaierau 4W 1L 181-44 (36-9)
2019 — Ruapehu 7 wins 316-96 (45-14)
2018 — Pirates 6W 1D 145-85 (21-12)
2017 — Border 7W 1L 312-134 (39-17)
2016 — Taihape 7 wins 254-98 (36-147
2015 — Pirates 6W 1L 212-117 (30-17)
2014 — Pirates 7W 1L 210-107 (26-13)
2013 — Ruapehu 7W 1D 341-70 (43-9)
2012 — Ruapehu 7W 1L 235-96 (29-12)
2011 — Ruapehu 8W 1L 369-116 (41-13)
2010 — Ruapehu 7 wins 353-50 (50-7)
2009 — Kaierau 7 wins 278-82 (40-12)
2008 — Marist 7 wins 274-42 (39-6)
2007 — Kaierau 7 wins 264-103 (38-15)
2006 — Ratana 7 wins 172-67 (25-10)
2005 — Kaierau 7 wins 461-61 (66-9)
2004 — Kaierau 8 wins 322-97 (40-12
2003 — Ratana 7W 1D 203-71 (25-9)
2002 — Ratana 7W 1L 312-59 (39-7)
2001 — Ratana 9 wins 384-76 (43-8)
2000 — Ratana 8 wins 275-91 (34-11)
Premier Spice Welcome
Marist and Ngamatapouri have certainly spiced up the ultra small Whanganui premier club championship in recent weeks.
With last season's runners-up Kaierau struggling to show any consistency and rock bottom of the points table there was the real likelihood of a two-horse race between domestic titleholders Waverley Harvesting Border (Metro) and Byford's Readimix Taihape (Northern) to fight out the union-wide championship.
But those notions have changed dramatically since the start of the duck shooting season with the usually ultra consistent Border losing two matches.
Settlers Honey Ngamatapouri started the ball rolling by holding Border scoreless on Dallison Park for the first time with a 14-0 night victory.
Exactly a week later there was further gloom for the playing-through champions who were hammered 77-7 by Taihape on a visit to Memorial Park.
That was the heaviest loss Border has ever suffered with Taihape running in a dozen tries and retaining the Grand Hotel Challenge Shield into the bargain.
Ngamatapouri, boosted by the Waverley success, completed the scalping of both 2021 finalists within a week with a high scoring 57-41 away win over Kaierau who had snatched a 41-38 lead late in the match.
Marist had piled on late points seven days earlier on the same field to change an 11-10 half-time advantage into a vital 41-10 win.
With the assistance of a bye week Marist was on the road again last Saturday, this time all the way up the Waitotara Valley.
Ngamat, on a home field for the first time in three weeks since running Taihape close (19-25), struck a well drilled Marist pack that snared a deserved 23-17 victory.
Taihape (19) has cleaned up the first round of the championship but there are only two points between Ngamat (11), Border(10) and Marist (9) as they jostle to see who plays who in the semi-finals.
Although out of the top four and needing at least two wins to come into contention, Kaierau is a side that could play a major role when it comes to who hosts the premier semis on July 9.
