2023 Hawke's Bay Club Rugby
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Just caught the end of a brief conversation on Ross Holden's Sports Breakfast talk yesterday with someone from the HBRFU and it seems the Academy players are going to the usual outfits but will have to try and find the actual broadcast to relisten to what he had to say. Did hear that CHB have got a couple of Fijians in their ranks, not sure if they are RSE workers or "imported" wingers so will have to wait and see if there will be a write up detailing 2023 squads on some website (have given up on the local paper who seem to place sports at a very low priority when it comes to allocating column inches). Josh Kaifa was another name mentioned as a CHB player but presume he is still in some Super Rugby squad somewhere so appearance might be rather sporadic.
There is also the HBRFU website that does contain declared starting lineups but won't see that until Friday I guess. The radio pundit did say that Clive and Tamatea might struggle whilst Aotea is still an unknown force.
Have not managed to get to Whitmore Park to see who my guys have got donning the colours this year but expect that I will be able to self appoint myself to some sort of part time Assistant Managers position to one of the non Premier teams in due course. I know there are a few of last years team playing up in the UK so won't be expexcting to see them until sometime in May when the season up there finishes. Will be taking my boots along with me to Farndon Park on Saturday just in case. Last time there it was hopelessly one sided and about 50 nil to my guys at halftime when I had to leave to take in the Speedway action at Meeanee with @Stockcar86 and the same is likey to be the situation this week as well with the Raceway staging it's first meeting since the floods about six weeks ago. -
Competition setting Hawke’s Bay club rugby alight
More and more clubs and players are wanting games played at night.
A midweek round of night games has been scheduled in the Hawke’s Bay Rugby Union’s Nash Cup Premier Club rugby competition as the union battles issues over the number of weekends available for the grassroots game.
As a result, the draw packs an 11-team, 11-round competition into 10 weeks, starting this Saturday with the April 12 Wednesday night Round 4 matches, sandwiched between a round on Good Friday and the following weekend’s Saturday matches.
They have 6.30pm starts and include a game on the all-weather MacRae Field turf, primarily a training field for the Magpies and other representative players at the union’s Orotu Drive Complex.
Others will be at Bond Field (Park Island), Tareha Park (Taradale), Elwood Park (Hastings) and Central Park (Waipukurau).
The Ray White Nash Cup competition ends on May 27, leading into the six-team Maddison Trophy Premier championship, which ends in the club finals weekend at McLean Park, Napier on Friday and Saturday, July 14 - 15.
Provincial unions have had to consider possible earlier competition ends, as the New Zealand Rugby Union grapples with with some major venues not being available for national championship matches during the Fifa Women’s World Cup to be held from July 20 - August 20, and some considerations about the timing of the men’s Rugby World Cup in France (September 8 - October 28).
But the Hawke’s Bay union has managed to keep the Friday night and Saturday afternoon club finals to the third weekend of July. -
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Info from those instagram posts about players (not all clubs provided the info):
Pirates
Rookies: Quaid Hanna, Tipene Maxwell, Trae Edwards, Chaz Heke
Upcoming milestones: Hamish Wilis (15); Sean Morrison (100)Hastings
Rookies: Vikta Tevita, Hunter Yarrall, Koby Deacon, Bryson Pakoti-Crawford (HBHS), Puitrick Tuifua, Sean Pukofolau Lagikula, Brad Julisa (Lindisfarne), Josh Smith (St Peter's College)
Milestones: Dennis Tapusoa (97 games), Jardine Chung Ching (94 games); Neria Fomai (97 games)Havelock North
Rookies: Tom Allen, Rueben Allen Avian Rihia
Newcomers: Kees Brady, Gordon LangkildeNOBM
Rookies: Luke Chamberlain (Colts), Tuli Faleiva (NBHS), Michael Beech (St John's), Dylan Homan (St John's)
Milestones: Terry Marsh (193 games), Pouvi Fatialova (146 games), Pedro Bezanilla (43 games), Bain Champion (41 games)Tech
Rookies: Nathaniel Hauiti, Tane Hiha, Ben Te HauCentral
Rookies: Jordon Soli (Shirley Boys)
Newcomers: Semi Vodosese, Josh Kaifa -
@Stargazer Tane Hiha (No Eight) and Ben Te Hau (fullback) both started in the Pat Ryan Memorial Under 21s final won by my guys last season. Leighton Shaw was another that started that game, at first five, who I am very impressed with. They don't always play those positions though as a lot of times it is a case of slotting you uninjured players into the spots that they would be most beneficial to the team given the circumstances.
Nathaniel Hauiti propped for the HB Academy (at thighthead - Konradd Newland was the loosehead) against The 'Poo earlier this season and apart from that I know zero about him other than the played for Gisborne BHS firsts last season.Didn't get to the Park last night to see the Captain's run so unsure what the starting lineup for the Altherm Texans will be at this stage.
Incidentally Josh Gimblett is listed as starting for the combined Napier Old Boys-Marist outfit at blindside. Pirates is another side that has been declared at the time of writing this and they have a number of Fijian players listed amongst their ranks.
https://www.sporty.co.nz/hbrugby/Senior/register-to-play-4#modal
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A number of changes for last season but look at the openside! No Mark Braidwood (at this stage)
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@Higgins Ah, there he is. I knew Liam Udy-Johns had returned from Southland. He and his partner were very happy to go home, to say the least. Didn't know he was a Tech boy. Good addition, I think. I wonder whether Braidwood has hung up the boots, too?
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@Stargazer I read somewhere on social just before that Jacob Devery is playing HB Club Rugby this week. Good to see him back to full health.
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@Canes4life said in 2023 Hawke's Bay Club Rugby:
@Stargazer I read somewhere on social just before that Jacob Devery is playing HB Club Rugby this week. Good to see him back to full health.
Yes, Devery and Fomai both playing for Hastings, tomorrow.
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@Stargazer said in 2023 Hawke's Bay Club Rugby:
@Higgins Ah, there he is. I knew Liam Udy-Johns had returned from Southland. He and his partner were very happy to go home, to say the least. Didn't know he was a Tech boy. Good addition, I think. I wonder whether Braidwood has hung up the boots, too?
I will be watching the game with his Uncle who is coming up from Wellington to see the match. I knew I would always turn him into a member of the Tech Appreciation Society! Normally a meeting with said Uncle means a serious effort at the aftermatch function, particularly if it is at the Johnsonville Clubrooms but I have an appointment with @stockcar86 to critique the action (or lack of) on the track at the Speedway starting at 5.00pm so that will probably put a halt to any Higgins' participation in giving Clive's bar turnover a big season opening boost!
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Mostly about the premiers coaches and the lack of referees.
New wave of coaches as Hawke’s Bay club rugby starts
More than half the Hawke's Bay premier club rugby coaches have been recent players.
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@Stargazer Yeah, My Club's facebook has been running an appeal for the Club to provide Assistant Referees (touch judges) their for all their home Premier games. The HBRRA are holding courses/seminars to get those volunteers trained up to be able to provide those services. I am already one of the co-captains of the extremely inclusive but self appointed TMO team at Whitmore Park!
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Results week 1 Nash Cup:
Tamatea 12 - 38 Aotea
Clive 14 - 69 Tech
Hastings 20 - 12 Pirates
NOB Marist 35 - 34 Central HB
MAC 25 - 22 Havelock NorthLincoln McClutchie played for Tamatea.
As posted earlier, Jacob Devery and Neria Fomai played for Hastings.Josh Gimblett must have finished Uni as he's now playing club rugby for NOBM and not OBU in Wellington.
Tom Parsons hasn't completely hung up his boots as he played for Central.
Great to see Tom Iosefo still lacing up his boots to play premiers rugby for MAC.I'll go through the squad lists later to see where our Academy players and recent school leavers have ended up (as far as I recognise them).
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Went to the Hastings RS v Pirates match.
Neria Fomai played the whole 80 minutes for HRS while Jacob Devery (with well strapped-up right knee) played the first 40 only. Danny Toala was water boy.
Fomai scored two of Hastings three tries while Devery got the other.
Pirates, with the wind behind them in the second half, had just scored a converted try to close to one point behind at 13-12 and were on attack again in the Hastings 22 when Fomai intercepted and ran 80 metres for his second try.
Pirates conceded three yellow cards to Hastings one. At one point in the first half Pirates had 13 men.
When big tighthead prop Jarryd Broughton came on in the second half the Pirates scrum dominated Hastings, and towards the end of the game Hastings had a put in to a scrum in their own 22 and Pirates just shoved them right off it.
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Somewhat belatedly back from Farndon Park (via Whitmore Park) and can confirm that Tech gave Clive a big caning, at least on the scoreboard. I took a while to put names to faces of the Tech newcomers but what my guys fronted with gives me confidence that there will be way more wins than any losses this season. Apparently thanks to the cyclones mainly the Altherm Terxans did not have any preseason games but you would never have known it with a converted try to debutant 2nd five Mr. Popoalii (at my age I've forgotten his Christian name at this time of night!) who stepped and powered his way through the defenders. Ah good the Tech wiseheads nodded and things got even better with another three converted tries within the first twenty odd minutes. Clive then got their act together a bit and scored a couple of converted tries each side of halftime to make it 28 - 14 which sort of reflected a bit more accuracy to the performances displayed. From the 45th minute on Tech sort of strolled in for another five tries to take the score to 69 - 14 when Mr. Eden-Whaitiri blew for full time. That scoreline does not really give an accurate indication to the resolve and effort put out by Clive with at least three tries coming directly though dropped balls and Clive errors etc. Still I'll take the win no matter what, mistakes often are as a result of pressure or opposition attempts to try and catch up on the scoreboard.
A fair number of Tech players stood out and to single them all out would take too much time and space here but the Second 5 Mr. Popoalii clearly enjoyed his time out there, as witnessed by his drop goal from a Clive goaline dropout that took everyone by surprise, as did another debutant Liam Udy-Johns who certainly lived up to the big expectation his reputation from his HBHS days bestowed on him. To me he looked to be a class player and should be pushing for HB Magpies squad selection, giving Sam Smith reason to seriously look over his shoulder. Think he may even have banked the three points in the Player of the Day Awards but if not then he could count himself hard done by.
My three men from my last year's colts team all looked comfortable at the step up in level and hopefully they will continue to show greater things with the experience they gather in each game they play.
Still a number of last seasons squad to be back in action but all in all a good hit out for the opening game of the season and back home next week we await with eager anticipation at the damage that might be inflicted on whoever the opposition might be. Rumour has it another new midfield back will hit the field so we await with anticipation to see if the buzz about him is true. With a game under their belts the cohesion that was lacking a bit might be overcome as the games go on and someone (or two or three) will be punished big time at some stage of the season.
Hope this early season appraisal give you some confidence @Magpie_in_aus Without being too brash I predict Tech will win way more games than they lose.
