Wanganui going for HB’s scalp
After a record win over Wairarapa-Bush last weekend Wanganui will be after the scalp of the Hawke’s Bay Saracens at Marton Park on Saturday, a week from the start of the 2018 Mitre 10 Heartland championship.
Steelform Wanganui has shown good form in preparation fixtures including the impressive 61-14 (nine tries to two) victory over the Stags in Masterton last weekend.
It was the highest score by the Butcher Boys in any non-firstclass lead-up matches, easily beating 43-12 v the Taranaki Development XV at Hawera and 41-19 v the HB Saracens at Cooks Gardens, both in 2016, and 40-38 away v the Manawatu Development XV in 2010.
With success against the Manawatu¯ Evergreens (14-12) and a loss to first division Bay of Plenty (12-24) in the Taihape half game fixtures, a gutsy Ranfurly Shield loss to Taranaki (10-28) at Hawera, and a “cakewalk” over Wairarapa-Bush Wanganui will hoping to continue an unbeaten record against the Saracens.
Over the past three seasons the Butcher Boys beat the Saracens 33-14 in Napier last year and 41-19 in 2016 and 16-6 in 2015, both on Cooks Gardens.
This season the Saracens have beaten Wairarapa-Bush 57-14, at Featherston over Queen’s Birthday Weekend, King Country 45-15 and Poverty Bay 62-12 last weekend.
The signs point to a very even contest at Marton on Saturday. Apart from injured hooker Roman Tutauha and winger Cameron Crowley Wanganui should be at full strength.
Although the result does not count for anything officially — all squad members given a run — the coaches will be looking for a good all-round team effort.
A feature of Wanganui’s early hit-outs this season in the leadup to defending the Meads Cup has been the fitness of the players who have undergone their personal training schedules as well as squad training. The success of the fitness programmes helped the challengers stay in contact with the faster pace supplied by first division professional Taranaki during the Ranfurly Shield match.
Taranaki had visions of swamping Wanganui in the second spell, as they did against Poverty Bay in the first 2018 shield challenge, but the blue and blacks more than matched the hosts in the second half, shared 5-all.
Last weekend Wanganui’s superior fitness was clearly evident in Masterton.
It will be interesting to see the strength of the Saracens team on Saturday because the Magpies are away in Invercargill playing Southland in the opening round of the Mitre 10 Cup on Sunday.
The Bay, who managed only two wins last season, has named 18 new caps including six members of the 2017 national champion Hastings BHS 1st XV, in a 36-man squad for the Cup campaign.
Hunterville Revival
The return of Kelso Hunterville as champions for an eighth time since 2007 was the feature of the Tasman Tanning 2018 Wanganui senior club rugby season.
It is the 13th successive year that consistent Hunterville qualified for the play-offs with the title coming after finishing runners-up to Speirs Food Marton in 2017 and Ruapehu in 2015 and third behind
Nga¯ matapouri and Marton in 2016.
Hunterville, who beat Marist Celtic 23-10 in the final, suffered two away qualifying round defeats this year — 16-38 to Celtic and 17-18 to Counties who won the Stihl Shop Wanganui Challenge Shield despite missing the play-offs and finishing fifth overall.
Defending champions Marton drifted to fourth place behind Hunterville, Celtic and Border who finished third, the highest ranking in eight years in the grade.
Hunterville scored the most tries (95) and conceded the least (31) ahead of Celtic (73 and 35).
There were three individual points centurions — A J Newton (Counties) 128, Ben Toyne (Celtic) 127 and Jake Lockett (Marist Bufflalos) 119 with Leigham Harding (Hunterville) on 98 and Tyrone Albertt (Border) 96. Top try scorers were Peter Duxfield (Hunterville) 18, Neihana Parks (Border)14, Tiari Toko Talu-Mumby (Hunterville) and Jake Lockett 13 each.
A statistical look at the 2018 Tasman Tanning Wanganui senior club rugby Top Six championship with * denoting Stihl Shop Wanganui Challenge Shield fixtures:
Kelso Hunterville — Champions: Record — Played 17, won 15, lost 2. Points for 604, against 219, differential 385. Tries for 95, against 31.
Qualifying — v Ruapehu Won 52-10 (H).v Celtic Won 19-6 (H), Lost 15-38 (A). v Utiku OB Won 50-5 (A).v Taihape Won 55-5 (H) and 26-14 (H). v Border Won 36-10 (H) and 15-14 (A). v Buffalos Won 37-0 (A). v Kaierau Won 32-29 (A). v Marton Won *32-9 (H) and 45-5 (H). v Counties Lost *17-18 (A), Won 45-17 (H). v Pirates Won 78-12 (H). Semi-Final — v Border Won 27-17 (H). Final — v Celtic Won 23-10 (Cooks Gardens). Top points scorers — 98 Leigham Harding, 90 Peter Duxfield, 71 Scott Parkes, 67 Tiari Toko TaluMumby, 53 Guy Percy, 35 Jamie Brett. Most tries — 18 Duxfield, 13 Talu-Mumby, 11 Parkes, 7 Brett, 5 Harry Bull. 24 try scorers. Placings since 2008: 3 1 1 11112321(2018).
Action Drainage-Ali Arc-SJP Builders Celtic — Runners-up
Record — Played 17, won 14, lost 3. Points for 489, against 236, differential 253. Tries for 73, against 35.
Qualifying — v Taihape Won 24-17 (A) and 33-19 (H). v Buffalos Won 34-17. v Hunterville Lost 6-19 (A), Won 38-15 (H).v Pirates Won 45-10. v Counties Won 27-6 (A) and *33-5 (H). v Kaierau Won 37-10 (H). v Ruapehu Won 54-10 (H). v Border Won 18-7 (H), Lost *20-23 (H). v Marton Won 27-17 (A) and 17-7 (A).v Utiku OB Won 45-17 (H). Semi-final: v Marton Won 28-14 (H). Final v Hunterville Lost 10-23 (Cooks Gardens).Top points scorers — 127 Ben Toyne, 52 Bronson Tumai, 45 Josh Couchman, 35 Wineti and Maikara McDonnell, and Eruera Milner-Skudder. Most tries — 10 Tumai, 9 Couchman, 7 Wineti and Maikara McDonnell and MilnerSkudder, 5 Karl Battersby. 22 try scorers. Placings since 2008: 5 6 3 24634432(2018).
Border — Third
Record — Played 16, won 9, Drew 1, Lost 6. Points for 351, against 250, differential 101. Tries for 55, against 38.
Qualifying — v Marton Won *15-13 (A) and 41-5 (H). v Pirates Won *53-0(H). v Taihape *Won by default (H) and *36-7 (H). v Kaierau Lost *26-27 (H). v Utiku OB Won 39-10 (H). v Hunterville Lost 10-36 (A) and 14-15 (H). v Celtic Lost 7-18 (H), Won *23-20 (A). v Counties Won 13-7 (H), Lost *11-23 (A). v Buffalo’s Drew 22-all (A). v Ruapehu Won 24-20 (A). Semi-final: v Hunterville (A) Lost 17-27. Top points scorers — 96 Tyrone Albert. 83 Neihana Parks, 30 Ricky Goff. Most tries — 14 Parks, 7 Albert, 6 Goff. 19 try scorers. Placings since 2011: 10 11 12 5 12 7 8 3 (2018).
Speirs Food Marton — Fourth Record — Played 16, Won 8, Lost 8. Points for 289, against 295, differentil minus 6 pts. Tries for 46, against 42.
Qualifying — v Border Lost *13-15 (H) and 5-41 (A) v Kaierau Won 27-7 (A). v Ruapehu Won by default (H). v Pirates Won 29-7 (A), v Buffalo’s Won *42-5 (H). v Utiku OB Won *15-7 (H). v Counties Won *15-12 (A) and 26-15 (A). v Hunterville Lost *9-32 (A) and 5-45 (A). v Celtic Lost 17-20 (H) and 7-17 (H). v Taihape Lost 20-37 (A), Won 45-7 (H). Semifinal; v Celtic (A) Lost 14-28. Top points scorers — 41 Manahi Kimura , 40 Francis Siagafo, 37 Liam McAleese. Most tries: 8 Siagafo, 7 McAleese, 5 Isaac Greer. 15 try scorers. Placings since 2013: 7 7 5 2 1 4 (2018). Counties — Fifth Record — Played 15, Won 8,.Lost 7. Points for 288 against 262 differential 26. Tries for 35, against 38
Qualifying — v Kaierau Won 29-0 (H).v Ruapehu Won 22-0 (A). v Utiku OB Won 20-10 (H). v Taihape Won 35-6 (A) and *43-23 (A). v Celtic Lost 6-27 (H) and *5-33 (A). v Pirates Lost 18-27 (H).v Marton Lost *12-15 (H) and 15-26 (H). v Border Lost 7-13 (A), Won *23-11 (H), v Hunterville Won *18-17 (H), Lost 17-45 (A). v Buffalo’s Won *18-8 (A). Top points scorers — 128 A J Newton, 42 James Hughes. Most tries: 8 Marshall, 5 David Hughes.14 try scorers. Placings since 2010: 4 12 4388565(2018). Bennett’s Taihape — Sixth Record — Played 15, Won 5, Lost 10. Points for 304, against 426, differential minus 122 pts. Tries for 47, against 68.
Qualifying — v Celtic lost 17-24 (H) and 19-33 (A), v Utiku OB Lost 21-22 (H). v Border *Lost by default (A) and *7-36 (A). v Counties Lost 6-35 (H) and *24-43 (H)..v Hunterville Lost 5-55 (A) and 14-26 (A).v Pirates Won 26-20 (H). v Kaierau Won 44-26 (H). v Buffalo’s Won 44-17 (A). v Ruapehu Won 33-14 (H). v Marton Won 37-20 (H), Lost 7-45 (A). Top points scorers — 46 Aaron Chapman, 30 Florent Jalenques. Most tries: 6 Jalenques. 22 try scorers. Placings since 2008: 6 — 12885910846(2018).