Wet welcome
The Taranaki Bulls’ return to their spiritual home proved to be more damp-squib than fireworks.
Despite the allure of thousands of free tickets on offer before the game, the stands were less than half empty on Saturday afternoon as torrential rain fell on Yarrow Stadium, which has been closed since 2019 and is undergoing a $70 million renovation.
Fans hardy enough to brave the wet huddled under tarps, umbrellas and ponchos, only to watch as the visitors, Waikato, trounced the home side 21-6.
Even those spectators in the newly-strengthened West Stand were left at the mercy of the elements as the building was without a roof, ironically due to delays blamed on bad weather.
Not everyone stayed, with fans trickling out of the stadium well before the final whistle.
However, Taranaki Rugby chief executive Mike Sandle said he was happy to return to the home ground.
‘‘It was a really nice feeling to be back there, even though it’s far from complete. There’s a lot of work to be done, but it was nice being back there.’’
While the stadium was out of action, having had both its stands declared an earthquake risk, Taranaki played at Inglewood’s TET Stadium and Pukekura Park – with the side’s first two home games this season taking place on the park’s cricket grounds.
‘‘We’re really thankful to TET and the Inglewood community for hosting us out there and making them feel welcome,’’ Sandle said.
Being ‘‘off site’’ had been a lot of extra work for staff, he added.
‘‘They’ve worked hard and done a really good job over a difficult time.’’
The stadium’s new hybrid turf, which combines artificial fibre and living grass, had worn well, Sandle said.
‘‘It’s a good surface to play on ... obviously it was a shame with the weather, that’s one thing we can’t control,’’ he said.
Taranaki were first on the scoreboard with a penalty from Daniel Waite, but Waikato replied with a try converted by Damian Mckenzie.
A second penalty to make it 7-6 at half-time was the closest Taranaki got to catching the visitors, as Mckenzie kicked three penalties and Waikato’s Mosese Dawai scored an intercept try to wrap up the match.
The win means unbeaten Waikato are now top of the Odds pool of the National Provincial Championship, while Taranaki remain second from bottom in the Evens group.
Saturday’s rain didn’t dampen the spirits of young fans Korey Ryan, Bryson Gyde and Murphy Longworth, who were decked out in Taranaki Bulls shirts.
Gyde said he wasn’t bothered by the rain. ‘‘It’s not going to kill you, but it’s a pretty low-scoring game because of the conditions.’’
The trio from Inglewood had enjoyed having games being played ‘‘just down the road’’ in recent years, but Longworth said it was good to be back at the stadium.
While the redevelopment was originally projected to cost $50m, the bill has since grown to $70m.
The new East Stand, which will be smaller than its predecessor, is expected to be finished by 2024.
Taranaki’s homecoming match against Waikato on Saturday couldn’t have gone any worse for local fans, with a 21-6 loss amid dreadful weather.
Waikato were too classy for Taranaki to lock away the Ryan Wheeler Memorial Trophy.
The win meant they are the only unbeaten team in the competition after five matches.
Unforced errors were common during the game for both teams in a stop-start match, largely because of the conditions.
After Taranaki’s Daniel Waite slotted a long-range penalty with the wind behind him in the opening minutes of the game, Waikato’s attack was relentless.
Their forwards ground away close to Taranaki’s line and put the home team under pressure.
Taranaki were lucky not to lose a player to the sin bin with the penalties mounting inside the first 15 minutes.
The defence couldn’t handle a kick over the top, which allowed D’angelo Leuila to score the opening try.
It was one of only two tries in the match, with Damien Mckenzie adding a conversion.
A quarter of an hour later, Taranaki were defending again, but this time managed to stop the dangerous Waikato attempt.
Waite added another penalty just before the break to narrow the margin to 7-6.
With the wet conditions making an impact in the second half, Mckenzie slotted three penalty kicks, while Waite missed one.
Risky play inside Taranaki’s 22m line led to Waikato’s second try. Moses Dawai juggled an intercept to score in the corner unopposed.
Taranaki had a chance to close to gap late in the match, but Pita Gus Sowakula lost the ball forward in contact.
Taranaki travel to Nelson to play Tasman on Sunday, before playing Manawatū and Counties Manukau at home in consecutive matches and North Harbour and Auckland away.