His highest tally was 106 points when Ruapehu won the 2017 championship, beating Border 28-26 in the final.
Clare, seeking a sixth Whanganui club title, also has 337pts in 40 rep outings between 2017 and 2021.
Taihape have high hopes of matching last year’s effort of a rare away scalping of Border on Saturday.
It will be no easy task, however, because Border have dropped only one of a dozen home games since 2011.
That was a 51-15 loss last season when the visitors romped home 51-15, scoring eight tries to two including a brace each from reps Tyler Rogers-Holden and Gabriel Hakaraia.
Considering the previous highest Taihape score at the ground was 31 in a tight 31-34 defeat in 2014, last winter’s effort in Waverley enhanced the side’s championship hopes.
Taihape had whalloped Border by a record 77-7 on home soil at Memorial Park in the first round but Border, despite going through an unusual struggling season, had never lost to the northerners at Dallison Park.
It is now history that Border’s “brain trust” knuckled down after suffering a first historic home defeat, produced a new team strategy to counter Taihape’s strengths and three weeks later snatched a dramatic 16-15 victory in a gripping final at Cooks Gardens.
Now the clubs meet in their first 2023 encounter with Border statistically ahead 19 victories to eight in the 27 fixtures between the two premier squads over the past 12 years since the return of the Waverley club from the Taranaki union in 2011.
Border are up 11 wins to one (399 points to 223 — average score 33-19) in home fixtures, down 5-6 (215 pts to 299 — 19-27 average) at Memorial Park, and up 3-1 (65-69 — 17-25 average) in finals on Cooks Gardens.
Overall Border hold a slender average winning score of 25-22 thanks to so much home success, the team scoring a total of 679 points and conceding 591 (128 of them last year).
Adding extra spice to Saturday’s encounter is the Challenge Shield is at stake and victory will greatly enhance the prospects of winning the Paul Mitchell Cup overall first-round trophy, which also carries a $500 Barracks-sponsored voucher.
Even match likely
Marist head off to Ohakune this weekend hoping for victory following a good effort against champions Border in slippery conditions last Saturday.
Border may have eventually won by nine points (24-15) but it was 10-all at the turn and the result in the balance late in the second spell until a clever short through-kick produced a vital try for the visitors in probably their only Park appearance of the year.
It was a sound debut for the Dave Hoskin Carriers-sponsored greens after drawing the opening-day bye and augurs well for the chances of picking up an eighth away scalping of McCarthy Transport Ruapehu this weekend.
It promises to be an even encounter with the outcome likely to have a major bearing on a Top Four placing when it comes around to the semifinals on July 1.
Ruapehu, beaten 45-10 away by Taihape on opening day, are playing a first home fixture in two years after not contesting premier rugby in 2022.
The hosts have won 13 of 20 games versus Marist at Rochfort Park since the turn of the century topped by an 87-3 runaway in 2013 en route to shading Black Bull Liquor Pirates 16-13 in the final.
Marist’s away victories have been 60-0 in 2001 (Johnny Muir 249 pts that year), 27-5 in 2002 (Sunia Sevu 105 pts), 25-15 in 2003 (Jason Hamlin 60 and Brendan Bartley 55 pts), 21-20 in 2008 (Englishman Henry Prygos 147 pts), 11-6 and 14-8 in semi finals in 2010 (Sam Scown 78 pts — 14 tries — and Sean Brown 73 pts) and 28-8 in 2018 (Josaia Bogileka 60 pts and Cameron Crowley 10 tries).
Senior scene
Fourth-placed Tamatahauha Ratana host Utiku OB (fifth) in the third round of the Tasman Tanning senior championship on Saturday with both sides needing victory to stay in contention with the leaders.
Ratana is unbeaten with 9 pts after a 30-22 home win over J.J. Walters Ashphalt Marton and 15-0 away v AGC Marist Knights, while Utiku narrowly lost the Stihl Shop Wanganui Challenge Shield 15-19 at home to champions Ali Arc Marist Celtic last Saturday after defending it 33-5 against visitors McCrea Scanning Counties a week earlier.
The two clubs with maximum points — Gemini Pepper Construction Kaierau and Kelso Hunterville — have away games against winless opposition with the Kaiwhakas playing newcomers Castlecliff Hotel Mustangs at Spriggens Park and over the fence on the racecourse, AGC Marist Knights host Hunterville.
Third-slotted Celtic defend the Challenge Shield at Marton Park, sixth-placed Bennett’s Taihape play struggling Border away in the curtain-raiser to their premier sides and Counties host Pirates.
Current points — Kaierau 10 (91 pt differential), Hunterville 10 (48 diff), Celtic 9 (61), Ratana 9 (23), Utiku 6 (24),Taihape 6 (13), Counties 5, Pirates 4, Marton 0 (-18), Knights 0 (-34), Mustangs 0 (-93), Border 0 (-114).
Anzac memories
Being Anzac week, older Whanganui rugby followers can reflect to when annual away rep fixtures were played against Taranaki.
Although the amber and blacks invariably won on home soil — 24 victories and a 9-all draw — thousands of local supporters travelled north for the 28 Anzac games played between 1967 and 1994.
J.J. (John) Stewart, a school teacher later to become a Taranaki, Whanganui and All Blacks selector-coach, was one of the prime movers in instigating the Anzac clashes.
The two unions had played highly popular and well-attended annual Queen’s Birthday Monday-morning fixtures at Spriggens Park since 1910.
Stewart, who later coached Whanganui in 1970-71, claimed the two unions could both benefit financially by sharing the Anzac-QB gate takings.
It initially benefited Taranaki because in the pre-professional era, Spriggens Park was usually packed out for the rugby and then a spectator rush to the horse races next door.
Even though pro rugby was a few years away, Taranaki traditionally proved too strong in the April 25 matches.
Whanganui’s three successes were 21-19 in 1972 (All Black Buff Milner, North Island hooker Tom Spry, NZ trialist Bob Barrell and Tech COB first-five Warren Swain tries and Rangi Paki pen and con), 17-3 a year later in 1973 (Barrell three tries, pen, con) and 9-7 (WHSOB’s Dion Maua 3 penalties) at Hawera in 1987 under coach Ken George.
Brian Murphy, Ron McPhun and Ray Parr coached the first winning side with Ian Strachan replacing Parr in 1973.
Hunterville flanker Gavin England (try) and Utiku OB fullback Morrie Griffin (pen, con) featured in the only Anzac draw (9-all) by Jim Wallace’s coached team.
Taranaki scored 735 points and conceded 302 in the 28 games, an average score of 26-11.
Taranaki won the final Anzac match 68-21 in 1994, before the union pulled the plug on the fixture, electing to play club games instead.
