Ruapehu leave shield behind
Border get up for halfback’s milestone match in Waverley, claiming 25-7 win
The Grand Hotel Challenge Shield travelled to Waverley and stayed there as a Waverley Harvesting Border team with their backs against the wall became the first side to lower McCarthy’s Transport Ruapehu’s flag with a 25-7 win on Saturday.
On their longest away game trip of the season, Ruapehu went into South Taranaki on a four-match winning streak against the home side, including 27-15 in the first round on May 11.
The visitors did make a few changes to the regular starting lineup who were unbeaten in eight games, some of them a necessity like Troy Brown moving into first five with 2018 Steelform Wanganui wider squad member Josh Fifita unavailable.
Border, meanwhile, were without Craig Clare, but on the occasion of the 100th game for their halfback and captain Lindsay Horrocks, while knowing last week’s loss to Wanganui Car Centre Kaierau made this a mustwin match, they delivered under pressure.
Nick Harding returned from injury to open the scoring with a penalty, then Border got the first of their three tries before halftime to lead 8-0.
Two more tries extended that to a surprising 22-0 scoreline, with Border’s five pointers coming from former Taranaki Maori representative Te Kepa Grindlay, his fellow back Veneniki Tikoisolomone and hooker/ loose forward Kieran Hussey.
A Brown try, converted by Mitchell Millar, reduced Border’s lead, but those would be Ruapehu’s only points as four times they got close to tries, only to be denied.
Harding then added his second penalty to add more breathing space for the home team.
Incredibly, despite their performance of the season so far and being the sole team to beat the Northern men, Border still slipped out of the Top 4 for this week on the-now very congested points table, after Byford’s Readimix Taihape ran rampant over Harvey Round Motors Ratana with a 66-0 hammering in the Pa.
Having done well to get two onepoint victories in the first round to survive relegation to the new-look Division 2, Ratana find themselves in the same predicament as last year — facing stronger teams unlikely to relax and slip up against them because of the necessity of a bonuspoint win in the race to the semifinals.
Taihape were well on their way to the five points as they led 28-0 at halftime and did not let up, with prolific try-scoring hooker Dylan Gallien getting a hat-trick to take his season tally to 11 at the top of the premier standings.
Powerful midfielder Jaye Flaws got a double, while Dane Whale took back the goal kicking role this week and converted eight of the 10 tries for a personal haul of 21 points, including a try of his own.
Taihape still only climbed as high as fourth, thanks to Dave Hoskin Carriers Marist’s late try against Kaierau bringing in two bonus points, while Kaierau themselves moved up to a share of top spot with Ruapehu ahead of their clash in Ohakune this coming Saturday.
In Division 2, Black Bull Liquor Pirates offered a ray of sunshine on what has been a dreary season as they upended title favourites Settler’s Honey Ngamatapouri 22-19 at Spriggens Park for their club’s Old Timers Day.
Winless in eight straight games, including a 51-22 hammering from Ngamatapouri on the April 6 opening weekend, the Pirates club has had a tough year, which includes the withdrawal of their senior team from Division 3.
Yet on Saturday they came from two points down at halftime to get the win and make Ngamatapouri’s march to the title less of a foregone conclusion.
Ruapehu’s loss in Division 1 means Bennett’s Taihape are now the only remaining team in Wanganui club rugby with an unbeaten record, although victory No 11 was by no means assured for them at Spriggens Park either, having to make a big second-half comeback to upend Marist Celtic 29-27.
Celtic were after revenge for their 23-12 loss in Taihape on May 25, as they led 21-5 at the break and added two second-half penalties, but it wasn’t enough to hang on.
After their hammering by Ngamatapouri, Utiku Old Boys kept in step with the rest of the Top 4 after an important 36-13 win over Counties at Memorial Park. A second straight defeat by a fellow team promoted from Senior will really set back Counties on their goal to make the inaugural Division 2 semifinals.
In Division 3, Kelo Hunterville didn’t even need to take the field to stay top of the table in a grade that won’t have playoffs, after Pirates officially pulled the pin for the season.
There was a slight surprise at the Country Club as a late penalty for the Marist Buffalos saw them sneak past Kaierau 21-19 to move up into second place.
The Buffalos had previously lost under lights at the Country Club, 29-8 on May 17, but took advantage of the home side playing risky football inside their own 30m when leading 19-18 coming into the final minutes.
Pirates winning in Division 2 means the Border Senior team are the only side remaining without a win in 2019, and that looks set to continue after Speirs Food Marton travelled up to Dallison Park to hammer them 57-0.
■ Results, June 22.
Tasman Tanning Division 1, Week 9.
Kaierau 29 (Fa’afetai Siona, Tim Goodwin, Ace Malo, Karl Pascoe tries, Shandon Scott pen, 3 con) bt Marist 27 (Luke Foster 2, Gordon Karaitiana, James Lee Robertson tries; Ricky Alabaster pen, con, Sean Brown con). HT: 12-5 Marist. Grand Hotel Challenge Shield — Border 25 (Te Kepa Grindlay, Kieran Hussey, Veneniki Tikoisolomone tries; Nick Harding 2 pen, 2 con) bt Ruapehu 7 (Troy Brown try, Mitchell Millar con). HT: 8-0.
Taihape 66 (Dylan Gallien 3, Jaye Flaws 2, Tyler Rogers-Holden, Dane Whale, Tremaine Gilbert, James Barrett, Jeff Haldane tries; Whale 8 con) bt Ratana 0. HT: 28-0.
Division 2, Week 2.
At Spriggens Park: Pirates bt
Ngamatapouri 22-19. HT: 12-10
Ngamatapouri.
At Spriggens Park: Taihape bt Marist Celtic 29-27. HT: 21-5 Celtic. At Memorial Park: Utiku OB bt Counties 36-13. HT: 15-6.
Division 3, Week 2.
At Kaierau C.C: Marist Buffalos bt Kaierau 21-19. HT: 12-11 Kaierau. At Dallison Park: Marton bt Border 57-0. HT: 14-0.
At Spriggens Park: Hunterville bt Pirates by default.
Bye: Counties Brothers.