Coach describes pursuit, shots and ramming of van
Four cars pursued a van carrying a visiting rugby team around Hastings before ramming at it and shooting at it, the driver and coach of the visiting team says.
The visiting team was from YMP, a club based at Raupunga, near Wairoa. They had played Hastings-based Tamatea Rugby Club at Bill Matthewson Park in Hastings on Saturday.
The game was supposed to be played at Raupunga but YMP asked the Tamatea club if they could host the game because there was a 60th birthday party at Raupunga Marae, where the YMP club’s home field is, meaning there wouldn’t be access to the toilets and showers.
Guy Taylor is the YMP coach and drove a van load of players down to Hastings for the match.
The day did not turn out the way he had anticipated.
He said it was a good, tough game for the most part, but it became clear after halftime that word had got around that there was a team from Raupunga in town.
Raupunga, is on the road between Napier to Wairoa, is a small settlement which for years has been known to be home to some Black Power gang members.
As word spread, more and more Mongrel Mob members began gathering.
Tamatea was leading YMP 17-7 when a YMP winger was tackled near the sideline “and one of the spectators ran on the field and kicked him in the head” Taylor said.
“That brought things to a boil. Our team stood back and didn’t retaliate. Our captain said to the ref the people on the sideline needed to be controlled. The ref was doing a good job. He requested that they move back. They refused,” Taylor said.
“Weapons were being brandished and things like that. People had their faces completely covered with balaclavas and were pulling gang signs. All of that stuff,” he said.
When it became clear the spectators were not going to obey the ref’s requests, he called the game off, Taylor said.
“We shook hands with the team. On the way to the changing rooms one of our players was attacked. That was diffused. I was very proud of our boys. They didn’t take the bait,” he said.
Taylor, 65, said there were families and children present.
“We ended up having a beer and a sausage sizzle in the changing rooms with Tamatea management before leaving,” he said.
Police had arrived at the grounds and advised the team to leave, which they did about 30 minutes after the game ended.
Taylor drove the van with seven players and began the trip home.
He was driving down Frederick St when he noticed a black Subaru a few cars behind the van.
“I just thought ‘I’ll keep an eye on you’. I got to some lights that had turned orange and thought ‘this will be a test’. So I scooted through on the orange. The car behind me stopped but the Subaru pulled out and shot through the red light,” he said.
“I thought ‘here’s trouble’. About 10 seconds later a white truck pulls out directly in front of us, trying to stop us. I thought ‘here we go’. I thought if we could get to Pakowhai Rd I’d be able to lose them,” Taylor said.
But when he got to the intersection with Pakowhai Rd there were cars waiting to turn right, the direction back to Wairoa. Realising he couldn’t stop because the Subaru and the truck were still pursuing the van, Taylor turned back towards Hastings.
“It wasn’t ideal. At one stage there were four cars chasing us,” he said.
When the van reached Hastings there were more cars and people around and Taylor thought it might mean it was safer.
“But it wasn’t. We were on Heretaunga St when the back window got shot out. I think there were lots of people around but I wasn’t really looking,” he said.
He went the wrong way around a roundabout near the Countdown supermarket on Heretaunga St in a bid to evade the cars chasing the van.
“Then we got rammed in the side by a red car. I thought we need to get to the Hastings police station, but none of us knew where it was.
“So our only hope was to get back to Bill Matthewson Park and hope the police were still there,” he said.
“Thankfully they were still there. They were just about to leave.”
Once the van reached the park the cars in pursuit drove away.
The whole pursuit, which Taylor said did not involve high speeds, took about 10 minutes.
He said the team members were able to provide good descriptions of the cars to the police.
“The cops were really good. They offered us an escort out to Bayview [north of Napier], but we said we had other plans. We went to a pub and watched the Warriors. Then drove home,” he said.
Taylor said he wasn’t shaken by the incident, but said it had been “extremely disappointing”.
He said there were a few Black Power members in the YMP team, but no-one wore colours to games.
“There’s no flaunting of gangs or gang colours in our team, which is made up of all sorts of guys from all backgrounds. We’ve got six white boys in our lineup,” Taylor said.
Police were investigating the incident. Tamatea Rugby and Sports Club chairman Stewart Whyte said in a statement on Sunday the club did not support or have association with gangs.
“We refute claims the behaviour of individuals associated with gangs are supporters of Tamatea,” Whyte said.
“The incident which occurred yesterday after the match between Tamatea and YMP involved gang members who are not associated with Tamatea and are not members of our club.
“We would like to extend our aroha to YMP for the events that transpired yesterday.
“Tamatea's stance has always been that we are here for rugby and to manaaki our manuhiri.”
Hawke’s Bay Rugby Union was meeting on Monday to consider what to do about the situation going forward.
Police ask anyone who witnessed the incident or who has information that may assist the investigation to call 105 or go online to www.police.govt.nz/use-105 using ‘Update report’ and reference file number 240407/9520. Information can also be anonymously reported via Crime Stoppers on 0800 555 111.