The new Taihape coach is electrician Sefo Bourke, a former Waikato and Taihape club player who has coached the club’s B team in recent seasons, including beating Kelso Hunterville 40-28 in last year’s Whanganui Senior Division 2 final at Spriggens Park.
Despite qualifying for last year’s premier semifinal for the first time, Settlers Honey Ngāmatapouri have suddenly withdrawn from local rugby, eight years after developing facilities up the Waitotara Valley.
Ngāmatapouri, comprising mainly Pacific Islanders employed as beekeepers, won the senior title in 2016 (37-26 v JJ Walters Asphalt Marton) and the Premier 2 final in 2019.
The club was also successful in various open sevens tournaments around the lower half of the North Island, mainly fielding invitational squads.
Despite scoring rare wins over Border and Kaierau last year, Ngāmatapouri have pulled the plug after six years of Premier rugby, with the bulk of the players linking up with other local clubs.
The good Premier grade news is that McCarthy Transport Ruapehu, six-times champions between 2008-2018, return after a break of a year from the top grade.
Andrew Evans, who repped 49 times between 2002-13, will coach the “Mountain Men” with assistance from fellow rep Peter Rowe - Whanganui’s outstanding player, who enjoyed a lengthy spell as skipper of the Heartland Championship side during his 120 caps with the Butcher Boys between 2003-17.
Unfortunately, Ruapehu, beaten 42-25 by Marist Ali Arc Celtic in last year’s senior Division 1 final, will not have a senior side this season.
Kaierau, runners-up to Border in 2021 and top-four finishers for the last four campaigns, will be defending the Challenge Shield under head coach Te Ahu Teki (2000-01 rep), who will be joined by fellow ex-rep Danny Tamehana (28 caps in 1991-93 as Danny Thompson), who coached Ngāmatapouri last year and Black Bull Liquor Pirates previously.
He replaces Cullinane College headmaster Anthony McBride, who is not available this season.
Travers Hopkins was unlucky to miss qualifying for the playoffs last year. He will again guide Dave Hoskin Carriers Marist, who last reached the semifinals in 2021.
Marist will again field three teams, with consistent Celtic defending the elusive senior title finally won last year during a 13th top-four finish since 2007.
The club has renamed the Buffalos team the AGC Knights.
Pirates will also have two teams in the seniors with newcomers Castlecliff Mustangs linking up with the club to complete a 12-team competition.
The other city senior side, Gemini Pepper Construction Kaierau, has placed 3-4-4 over the past three years.
Renamed Tamatahauha Ratana, the club has consistently placed high in recent seasons, winning in 2020, then runners-up and third last winter.
Other Rangitikei contenders are nine-times champions Kelso Hunterville and 2017 winners, JJ Walters Asphalt Marton.
Bennett’s Taihape, winners in 2019, and that year’s runners-up, Utiku OB, carry the Northern Whanganui hopes, as do Border in southern Taranaki.
Local Interest
Whanganui rugby followers are taking a keen interest in two Hurricanes backs who have been in try-scoring form this season - Kini Naholo and Brett Cameron.
Naholo, aged 23, is the younger brother of former All Blacks winger Waisake Naholo, who started his first-class career in Whanganui as a schoolboy (City College) three-quarters in the champion Butcher Boys local rep team.
Waisake Naholo played 11 times for Whanganui under the name of Waisake Ratunideuba, including a 34-13 win over Mid Canterbury in the Heartland final in Chrischurch.
The older Naholo was snapped up by Taranaki and the Highlanders, playing 27 games for the All Blacks between 2015-18, including winning the 2015 World Cup.
The specialist right winger, who played 61 Super Rugby matches for the Blues (2012-14) and Highlanders (2014-19) later played for London Irish (2019-21) and last year played for Rugby United New York as a 31-year-old.
His younger brother Kiniviliane (Kini) Naholo, who was born in Sigatoka, linked up with the Taranaki Bulls in 2018 after a fine schoolboy career at Hastings Boys’ High School, and has played once for the Chiefs (2020) and once for the Crusaders (last year) before signing as a winger with the Hurricanes this season.
Since scoring an astonishing 40 tries in his last year at Hastings BHS, Kini Naholo has suffered a spate of injuries in his first three years of Super Rugby.
Brett Cameron, a Cullinane College-educated former All Blacks first five, will be hoping for more game time with the Hurricanes this season.
Cameron, who replaced winger Waisake Naholo in the last 10 minutes of a 69-31 win over Japan in Tokyo in 2018 in his sole international, received little game time with the star-studded Crusaders in recent years, particularly with Richie Mo’unga in such great form.
Cameron headed off to Japan, playing for the Kamaighi Sea Waves in Japan’s Rugby League One, but headed back home last season to link up with Manawatū, proving to be a vital link in the inside backs as well as an accurate goalkicker.
Now the 26-year-old has signed a two-year contract with the talented Hurricanes.
Although he was not a Whanganui Heartland rep, Cameron played most of his age-grade representative rugby in the union and is one of 19 Whanganui-born players who won All Blacks honours while playing for another union.
Locally-born utility All Black Stephen Perofeta is another player performing well in this year’s Super competition.
Perofeta, who has shot up the New Zealand rugby rankings since making his first-class debut as a member of the 2015 Heartland champion Butcher Boys while a Collegiate School 1st XV winger, is a strong contender for a berth in this year’s Rugby World Cup squad.
He is a key member of the Blues team in Super Rugby Pacific as a very reliable fullback and is also an astute first five and goalkicker, as he has proven in helping Taranaki feature at provincial level.
In 2017 he was a member of the New Zealand team that beat England in the Under-20 World Cup final and he helped Auckland upset the touring British and Irish Lions.
Now aged 26, Perofeta is playing some of his best rugby, being able to slot into two vital backline positions.
It will come as no surprise to see him add to the three caps he earned last year.
The 2023 Tasman Tanning premier and senior club draws are:
Premier:
Home teams first (2.35pm kickoffs):
Round 1 (April l5) - Waverley Harvesting Border v Wanganui Car Centre Kaierau, Byford’s Taihape v McCarthy Transport Ruapehu, Dave Hoskin Carriers Marist bye.
Round 2 (April 22) - Taihape v Kaierau, Marist v Border, Ruapehu bye.
Round 3 (April 29) - Border v Taihape, Ruapehu v Marist, Kaierau bye.
Round 4 (May 6) - Kaierau v Ruapehu, Marist v Taihape, Border bye.
Round 5 (May 13) - Ruapehu v Border, Kaierau v Marist, Taihape bye.
Round 6 (May 20) - Kaierau v Border, Ruapehu v Taihape, Marist bye.
Round 7 (May 27) - Kaierau v Taihape, Border v Marist, Ruapehu bye.
June 3 (King’s Birthday) - No Premier rugby.
Round 8 (June 10) - Taihape v Border, Marist v Ruapehu, Kaierau bye.
Round 9 (June 17) - Ruapehu v Kaierau, Taihape v Marist, Border bye.
Round 10 (June 24) - Border v Ruapehu, Marist v Kaierau, Taihape bye.
Semifinals (July 1)
Final (July 8) - Cooks Gardens.
Senior:
First round (1pm start unless otherwise stated. Home teams first):
Round 1 (April 15) - Utiku OB v McCrea Scanning Counties, Tamatahauha Ratana v J J Walters Asphalt Marton, Ali Ali Celtic v Castlecliff Hotel Mustangs, Border v Gemini Pepper Construction Kaierau, Bennett’s Taihape v AGC Marist Knights, Kelso Hunterville v Black Bull Liquor Pirates.
Round 2 (April 22) - Utiku v Celtic, Pirates v Marton, Knights v Ratana (Racecourse), Hunterville v Mustangs, Taihape v Kaierau, Counties v Border, (2pm).
Round 3 (April 29) - Mustangs v Kaierau (Spriggens Park), Marton v Celtic, Ratana v Utiku, Knights v Hunterville (Racecourse), Border v Taihape, Counties v Pirates (2pm)
Round 4 (May 5-6) - Border v Knights (Friday - 7pm), Kaierau v Utiku, Pirates v Mustangs, Ratana v Hunterville, Marton v Taihape, Counties v Celtic (2pm).
Round 5 (May 13) - Kaierau v Celtic, Mustangs v Taihape (Racecourse), Hunterville v Border, Pirates v Ratana, Marton v Utiku, Counties v Knights (2pm).
Round 6 (May 20) - Kaierau v Hunterville, Mustangs v Counties (Racecourse), Ratana v Border, Knights v Marton, Utiku v Pirates (No 2), Taihape v Celtic (No 1).
Round 7 (May 27) - Mustangs v Utiku (Racecourse), Marton v Kaierau, Taihape v Ratana, Hunterville v Counties, Knights v Celtic, Border v Pirates.
Round 8 9 (June 3 - King’s Birthday) - Border v Mustangs, Celtic v Ratana (2.35), Marton v Counties, Utiku v Hunterville, Pirates v Taihape, Kaierau v Knights.
Round 9 (June 10) - Hunterville v Marton, Counties v Ratana (2pm), Celtic v Border (Racecourse), Mustangs v Knights, Kaierau v Pirates, Utiku v Taihape.
Round10 (June 17) - Marton v Mustangs, Utiku v Border, Pirates v Knights (Racecourse), Celtic v Hunterville, Taihape v Counties, Ratana v Kaierau.
Round 11 (June 24) - Border v Marton, Ratana v Mustangs, Counties v Kaierau (2pm), Taihape v Hunterville, Celtic v Pirates, Knights v Utiku, Racecourse.
Semifinals (July 1).
Final (July 8).
