Hemi scored two tries in the 21-14 win.
The side then started their Central Region Trophy campaign against eventual champions Wellington U19, with Brunger scoring a try in the 50-12 loss in Palmerston North.
Things picked up with a 34-10 victory over home side the Manawatū Under-19s the following week, before a 47-19 defeat to Hawke’s Bay U19s in an NPC curtain-raiser at McLean Park.
That set up the second annual game with the Heartland Chiefs - selected from promising Under 20s players in Thames Valley and King Country - and, unlike last year’s inaugural match, the Waikato team had played a couple of warm-up fixtures.
Ah Ching, having worked through his hamstring issues, was back in the squad, while Bulivou and Marino were promoted to the starting front row, due to injury issues.
As the game was on a Friday evening at McLean Park, Classen and Brunger were granted permission to play to cover other injuries, despite both having previously graduated to the Whanganui Heartland team.
“Against the Chiefs, huge gratitude for Burgs [Jason Hamlin] to release Eben and Josh to play before that Heartland game on Saturday because the East Coast game was a crunch game for Whanganui too,” Back said.
Trailing 22-17 on fulltime, the Hurricanes scored and Horowhenua-Kapiti winger Max Hosking slotted the conversion from touch to retain the Glen Osborne Cup.
Of the other locals in the team, Hemi had a consistent campaign being a steady ball carrier in the midfield, while Whale had limited opportunities but made the most of his 10- to 15-minute cameos off the bench.
“When they got on the field they played well. The Whanganui boys all progressed well through the campaign,” Back said.
Cowan, working with Larsen and getting to spend time with future All Blacks assistant coach Jason Holland, got to continue his career development.
Back said they were grateful to the Hurricanes Youth Council and the Heartland unions for covering the costs of the players’ travel and accommodation, as Classen and Brunger’s immediate ascension to first-class rugby showed how important the programme could be.
“If you look around the Heartland squads this year, virtually everyone’s got two to three players from the Heartland Hurricanes.”
Heartland wrap
Steelform Whanganui had the only comfortable margin of victory on another thrilling round-robin of the Bunnings Warehouse Heartland Championship on Saturday.
Upcoming opponents Wairarapa Bush had been looming in fifth place coming into their away match against winless Buller in Westport but had the proverbial banana-skin game, losing 27-20 to fall back to sixth.
Buller scored early through veteran winger Iliesa Tora, claiming his record-equalling 44th try for the union, while first five Jack Parker scored a try plus two conversions and a penalty to put his team 17-8 ahead at halftime.
The visitors clawed their way back into the match with a 69th-minute try by winger Nikora Ewe bringing them into touching distance, but they would get no closer heading into this weekend’s Bruce Steel Memorial Cup game.
Buller will now go into a banger of a Rundle Cup game with neighbours West Coast in Christchurch after the Coasters won in golden point with a 32-29 thriller against Mid Canterbury in Greymouth.
Deadlocked 17-17 at halftime and 29-29 at the end of regulation, both teams scored back and forth on each other before a penalty kick in front by winger Logan Ross curled through to secure the win in extra time to reward halfback Jarrod Ferguson in his 50th game.
Mid Canterbury still stayed in the top eight as King Country moved ahead of Horowhenua-Kapiti after holding on for a 31-27 win in Te Kūiti.
The home side had their bonus point by halftime, leading 24-12, but back-to-back tries by the Levin team in the 51st and 56th minute brought them back into the reckoning.
King Country scored again with eight minutes left to make themselves safe, with Horowhenua-Kapiti having to settle for a second bonus point when they scored on full-time.
It was the quintessential game of two halves in Gisborne as North Otago kept their Meads Cup playoff hopes alive despite a last-minute revival by Poverty Bay - the game finishing a phenomenal 50-43 with 15 tries scored.
North Otago seemed destined for all kinds of records when they led 26-0 after just 13 minutes and scored twice more before the break to lead 38-12.
But, as they always can, Poverty Bay rallied, scoring three tries to one more in reply to close to 45-31 in the 68th minute.
North Otago were unfazed, feeling their 77th minute try made enough of a statement, but incredibly Poverty Bay scored twice more, including deep in injury time, to leave their fans wondering what might have been.
Those results saw some movement at the lower and middle ends of the table but all eyes were on Whangamata for the superclash between unbeaten teams South Canterbury and Thames Valley.
Despite trailing at halftime for the third consecutive week, Heartland’s greatest winning streak continues as the Cantabrians made it 27-straight with a 36-31 victory.
Down 17-7 at the break, South Canterbury just have the knack to get on a roll and never stop, as a scoring rampage from the 43rd to 57th minutes saw them pull away 29-17.
The sides traded tries for the rest of the game, Thames Valley scoring right on full-time to earn a second bonus point.
Both teams scored five tries but again South Canterbury’s kicker Sam Briggs was clutch - converting four of them plus a penalty to leave his team safe nearing the end.
Week 6
Buller beat Wairarapa Bush 27-20. Halftime: 17-8.
King Country beat Horowhenua Kapit 31-27. HT: 24-12.
West Coast beat Mid Canterbury 32-29. HT: 17-17.
North Otago beat Poverty Bay 50-43. HT: 38-12.
South Canterbury beat Thames Valley 36-31. HT: 17-7 Thames Valley.
