2023 Hawke's Bay Club Rugby
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Especially for you @Magpie_in_aus
I was able to get to Ellwood Road after a late change in plans and for a very long time was thinking about the wiseness of that. After thirty minutes of play it was Hastings 17 - 00 Altherm Tech and my guys were giving thanks that it was still that close. Hastings must have had over 80% of possession whilst my guys had not even crossed halfway with the ball in their possession. It was so onesided that we were already writing things off and hoping that the final result would not be too embarrassing. Well bugger me days the Texans finally got their mits on the ball and crossed for two late tries completely against the run of play to close the gap to just 7 points at the breather.
As it eventually turned out it was Hastings that needed the breather more than my guys as even though they crossed for a converted try as the half time orange peels were still being deposited into the sideline rubbish bin it had become apparent that the home side was tiring little by little and things were becoming slightly less one sided. It was not all plain sailing as even though the Altherm Texans got a converted try back four minutes later it was only another seven minutes before Hastings was in yet again and after 52 minutes it was Hastings 31 - 19 Altherm Tech and we were almost ready to adjourn to the bar! My pen ran out of ink at that point but the Texans started really grinding things out down the far end of the field and eventually had two tries (one of them a thoroughly justified penalty try) to somehow find themselves leading by two points with about five minutes to play. At that the Texan Army were making plans to attend morning sermons in the morning to give thanks only to have things trumped with a penalty goal conceded and it was back to despair at the one point deficit and only a minute or so to play.
We need not have worried as the ball was regained after the kick off and my guys hammered away at the defence with some fierce one off charges hoping for something like a penalty to be awarded. There was much advice given to the referee about Hastings' infringements clear to our supporters that he had somehow missed. And then it happened, his whistle blew and his right arm was raised 45 degrees in our direction about thirty metres from the gaol line and a few metres to the right of the posts. I was too nervous to watch but those around me leaped skyward and I just knew that the touch judges flags had been raised skyward. The Army did not really know how to react given the astonishment of what had happened. From going to facing a real towling forty five minutes earlier to a miraculous win.
One must give thoughts to whether there is something floating above that generally sees clubs that include Marist in their name somehow benefit from unexplainable happenings get it badly wrong just this once when the side that contains the remnants of the old Hastings Celtic club could be on the receiving end!!!!! -
Posted on Tech's FB page:
Tim Farrell is a diehard Texan. He came through our junior club before he went on to NBHS, where he followed his Dad and former Texan and Magpies prop, John 'Mixer' Farrell, into the front-row club. As a youth player, Timmy was a guy known for being a 'year-young', making the First XV and representative grades ahead of the usual expectation, and that's especially impressive of a front-row forward.
Back then, as he is today, Tim was a worker. He never rested on his considerable natural abilities, he was someone who set himself high standards and strived to attain them with the daily grind. That work ethic and ability to impress both on and off the field earned him a berth in the top pathways of NZ rugby, including: Provincial (HBRU) age groups, NZ Secondary Barbarians, NZ Secondary Schools, Hawkes Bay Academy, and Hurricanes Development. And in 2017, ahead of his 19th birthday, Tim was named in the Baby Blacks squad to represent NZ in Oceania, and again defied the expectations by earning and securing a squad position for the World Championship in Georgia.
In Hawkes Bay, Tim won the coveted Graeme Lowe Award for HB Rugby Academy Player of the Year in 2017, an honour which has an illustrious recipient list and includes four players who went on to be All Blacks. That year he secured a contract with the Magpies. Now, here is where we would expect to be saying that Tim went on to the highest heights of the sport we love (and we're certainly not counting that prospect out for the future), but he suffered a sharp U-turn when a series of ill-timed injuries ruled him out of consecutive seasons at some of the most critical playing times.
Being forced to the sideline took Tim off the rugby track he'd been laser-focused on since childhood. And instead of moping or complaining, he took the opportunity to look seriously at the different potential paths that lay ahead of him. What he knew for sure was that he is someone that is driven by progress, by achieving his goals and by moving his life forward. And with that in mind, he made the courageous decision to put rugby in the backseat, focus on his home-life with partner, Sumer, and strive for a career that he knew he would also love and that would long outlast his playing days. Tim is now a qualified Plumber who works for long-time Tech sponsor, Tech Mechanical.
Mentor, mate, and fellow-prop, Cracker, had this to say about Timbo - 'He's a bloody good prop, he's got everything you look for. He's the kind of guy who pushes for those small gains that make a good player great. He's switched on and knows his stuff. He'll always share what he knows with the guys around him too, he's a team-man who wants to see everyone do well. I've got a lot of time for Tim, he's a good bloke to have around, and on the field he's an absolute beast,'
Timmy's playing days (just shy of his 25th birthday) are far from done, and he's a player that has quickly earned top status in club rugby. His career is measured in prop-years, and as any lover of the game knows, those buggers get better, stronger, and gnarlier with a bit of age. We have no doubt that if Tim chose to get back on the rugby track, exposed to the high-performance environment fulltime again, he'd be on his way to those upper echelons in no time. But for now, and for however long he chooses to stick around and be that club-man he's been growing into since his youth, we'll happily continue to see his count go up for the mighty Texans. The Army is exceptionally proud of Tim, he is the kind of person and player that embodies the heritage, ethos, and culture of our proud club.
This Saturday we join with Tim's family and friends, his partner, Sumer, and their baby daughter, Elle Jay, in celebrating Tim on this long-awaited milestone for his beloved Tech. Congrats Timbo - we can't wait to see you in that Blazer, buddy! ❤
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Scorers:
Premier – Maddison Trophy
Taradale 22 (Andrew Gardner, Flynn Allen, Iakopo Mapu tries; Trinity Spooner-Neera penalty, 2 conversions)
Napier Tech Old Boys 17 (Liam Udy-Johns, Falealii (Gibson) Popoalii tries; Sheridan Rangihuna penalty, 2 conversions).Central 30 (Trei Nepe-Apatu, Siosiua Kaifa, Sam Cavanagh, Jeri Kavekai tries; Jordan Soli 2 penalties, 2 conversions)
Napier Old Boys Marist 20 (Duff Penitito, Jonty Stewart tries; Bain Champion 2 penalties, conversion; Jonty Stewart conversion).Hastings Rugby and Sport 38 (Oscar Sowman 2, Vikta Tevita, Danya Tulou, Neria Fomai, Ausage Fomai tries; Danny Toala 4 conversions)
MAC 19Points” Taradale 14, Central 12, Napier Tech OB 9, Napier OBM 7, Hastings R&S 7, MAC 2.
Division 1 – Hepa Paewai Memorial Trophy
Havelock North 34 (Samuel Smith, Oliver Tomalin, Alex Philip, Teihana Brown, Epeli Tanadroga tries; Tawhiri Gifford-Kara penalty, 3 conversions)
Clive 16 (penalty try; Jayden Falcon 3 penalties).Napier Pirate 37 (Noa Laisenia 2, Pomare Samupo, Tione Hubbard, Lincoln-Blake Bowman trophies; TipeneMaxwell 2 penalties, 3 conversions)
Aotea 10 (Trent Conway try; Hoera Stephenson penalty, conversion).
Taradale take lead in race for third Maddison Trophy title
Prolific try-scoring loosie Iakopo Mapu scored the match-winner in a 22-17 thriller.
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As an Altherm Tech supporter it was certainly disappointing at Whitmore Park on Saturday. Taradale rolled out a physically large starting side and even when they ran on their replacements they were just as big, and in some cases even larger than those being replaced. I only arrived about midway through the first half after my Metro Direct Colts side had a somewhat unspectacular outing against Clive at Farndon Park and the score had just become 3 all after Taradale had kicked a penalty.
Not long after that debutant fullback Sam Wilkins made a scintillating break through midfield from inside his own 22 before the ball eventually made it to the inform Liam Udy-Johns and it had me rubbing my hands together with glee as it looked all over a certain try until some Taradale brute pulled off a damned inconsiderate tackle to somehow snuff out the danger. After a bit of kicking the stantions holding the crowd control ropes in disappointment, I thought ah well that's ok as Taradale had had the benefit of a reasonable breeze behind them so I settled in for a big Texan second half points scoring display with the benefit of the decent breeze. Alas it was not to be with Taradale having a large territorial advantage and probably about a possession lead of something like 60% - 40%.
The second half was very close as well, at least on the scoreboard which read 17 all with not much time left. Tech on the back foot but defending stoutly, whilst also throwing in some exiting attacking runs through the backs from time to time. Taradale eventually coughed up possession near the Tech line (think it might have been a knock on) so phew Higgins breathed a sigh of relief, that was until I refocused and saw the ball sitting in the back of the Taradale scrum. That sigh of relief became a grumble of curses under my breath once their strong and powerful number 8 picked it up and despite looking away trying to pretend it might not happen, the referee awarded the try. The conversion missed so we were still in with a chance, albeit not being able to rely on a penalty to get my guys out of the poop.
The Texans did threaten a couple of times but things went wrong at the wrong time and the ball did not bounce kindly for the home side allowing Taradale to get way back down into our 22, and that's where they stayed, playing a Canterbury style of play where they were never going to let my guys get within a sniff of regaining possession. Then with time all but up another penalty was awarded to the visitors but thanks to my magical hexing powers being called upon to protect the close loss bonus point I was able to persuade the normally reliable kicker to put the ball to the right of the posts and into the hands of my guys. A quick shuffle out wide to the left hand side found a big space and the Texans were in with a chance but still 95 metres away. Somehow or other the chairman of the Taradale Hexing Committee then pulled off a masterstroke and we were left dispairing at the unfathomable sight of the ball lying on the ground and it was all over just as we were about to celebrate a possible runaway try.
Can't really say Taradale were not worthy winners as they were but any loss is still hard to take, especially at home as it also resulted in the surrender of the HB Challenge Shield that had been so gloriously taken from Napier Old Boys earlier in the season.
Some of the Tech guys continued to press for inclusion in the HB Magpies NPC team, none more so than Liam Udy-Johns who must surely have done enough by now to earn his spot ahead of that guy that came up from Wellington last year and was included without exactly setting the world on fire. Udy-Johns is not the only Texan in with a better than even chance of Magpie selection with a couple or three others in with a real good chance of making it in through club rugby performances. Still, as we have seen in the past selectors can sometimes be looking for other things and obvious candidates get overlooked. Hopefully it won't happen in this case.
Next week the Altherm Texans are at home to @Stockcar86 's Napier Old Boys mob, the winner of which will go a long way toward securing their spot in the semi-finals. Sadly it is not being livestream so, being in Wellington again for a period, I will not be available to give my somewhat Napier Tech centered viewpoint of what happens.
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@Higgins Interesting to see on the team list that former Magpie Billy Ropiha is back in the Bay and playing for Taradale. He came off the bench. I can't remember seeing his name on team lists earlier in the season, so I assume he's just returned from France?
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I see that the HBRU hasn't just split Division 2, but also Division 3 for the second round of club rugby.
Clive, Maraenui, Pirates and Taradale are in Div 3.
Havelock North, Flaxmere, Tamatea and NOBM in Div 3A.It would be really nice if the HBRU and also the media would give a clear overview of the club competition format each year, because it keeps on changing.
I also noticed that the women's competition has only one round, this year. With the women's competition being really small with so few teams participating, I'm not sure how they have a good preparation for the FPC, especially because there's such a gap between the last club game and the first FPC game.
Also the Premiers Reserve winners NOBM weren't eligible to be promoted to Div 1 Hepa Paewai Memorial Trophy, I assume because they already have a Premiers team in the Maddision Trophy competition, but also Otane (the runners up in the Town/Country grade) chose not to be promoted to Div 1 Hepa Paewai Memorial Trophy. I found part of that info in one little sentence in an HBT article, which said nothing about the consequences of Otane's decision.
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