SOS: Taihape Seniors race to support their Prems
There was a side story that didn’t get much press in last Saturday’s amazing upset by Byfords’ ReadiMix Taihape of Waverley
Harvesting Border at Memorial Park.
With injuries leaving them light on the reserves bench, Taihape needed some more bodies and, more than 90km away in the middle of a tough battle themselves, three players from the Bennett’s Taihape Seniors answered the call — and thus got to experience winning two games with an hour’s drive in between.
Despite voluntarily depleting their squad, the Taihape Seniors pulled out a tight 29-20 victory over Tā mata Hauhā Rā tana Brotherhood at the pā .
“The boys stayed for an extra 20 minutes, instead of [leaving at] halftime. Then I thought, ‘We should be right’,” said team manager Arthur Kauika.
“We brought our play back from the first half.”
The Rā tana game had its own drama as an injury to the assigned referee in the opening stanza meant the game was officiated by two different locals, either side of halftime.
“The dynamics of the game changed — they started scoring,” Kauika said of the home team’s comeback.
“We started off really good; our boys started better than them.”
After getting the advantage back in the second 40 minutes, playercoach Tane Martin was able to jump in the car with a couple of lads to dash back home, with one of them — Saul Abernethy — getting to make his Tasman Tanning Premier debut, coming on to the wing.
“It’s good that we’re able to do that for our Prems if we need to. It’s been like that for the last three to four years,” said Kauika.
Now with a 3-2 record and sitting fifth after banking some priceless competition points under difficult circumstances, both the Taihape Seniors and their Premiers are pleased to at least be in close proximity to each other in Whanganui this weekend.
With games in the next three weeks against sides currently outside the top eight, they have the opportunity to go on a bit of a run to entrench themselves in the playoff group.
Key in the tight five alongside Martin have been Jack Robinson, Josh Hanson and Harry Johnston.
Joseph Cowley was part of Saturday’s car ride, while the standout backs have been Connor Walters and Tyrese Payne.
Kauika praised captain Brendon Craw for all his efforts in the past few weeks.
Women’s competition
At the halfway point of the 2024 WRFU women’s competition, there is a chance for one of the Metro teams to run back the closest game of the competition so far.
Coming off the bye, Speedy Signs Kaierau (1-3) desperately need to make up lost ground on the likes of current second-placed Byfords Construction Taihape (3-1).
Taihape rebounded from their loss to defending champions AGC Marist Clovers (4-0) to hold off Silks Audit Rā tana 12-5 in a tough game last Friday night at Memorial Park.
The Taihape team will now make the trip to face Kaierau at the
Country Club tonight at 7.30pm, with Kaierau looking to avenge their 15-12 away defeat in the competition opener on April 12.
There will be the next Rangitīkei derby game tomorrow at 1pm as Rā tana (2-2) take on Marton Queenbeez (0-4).
It was a tough club day for the Queenbeez last Saturday, as they took on a Marist team starting to reach the height of their powers, the visitors winning 81-5 before their bye week.
To expand the player base of local women’s rugby, with the addition of Rā tana in 2024 as part of their club’s 100th anniversary, the presence of the Marton side in their second season remains a vital component, with Marist paying respects to them after the match for their continued commitment in what is a difficult campaign.
Rā tana were comfortable winners at the pā in their first derby game on April 12.