2023 Hawke's Bay Club Rugby
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From the Central HB Rugby Facebook page:
Central Hawkes Bay Rugby Sports Club is stoked to announce the appointment of Sam McNicol as head coach for the Premier rugby team for 2023.
His experience as a player and game knowledge as a coach is going to be invaluable to Central Rugby going forward. A huge thank you to Frank , Tom & Joel for their efforts in recruiting Sam.
What a career Sam has had to date.
Playing Career:-
NZ Sec Schools 2013
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Wellington Lions 2014-15
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Hurricanes 2015
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Chiefs and Hawkes Bay 2016-2020.
Coaching: -
Rugby Devlopment at Hawke's Bay Rugby 2022
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Magpies Assistant Coach 2022-23.
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& now, CHBRSC Premiers 2023
Nau mai, haere mai ki te whanau o CHBRSC Sam.
They forgot to mention he was also coaching at St John's College in 2022.
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Club rugby starts Saturday March 25 with the Nash Cup.
The same 11 teams from last year's Maddison Trophy will play a full round robin (each team gets one bye) and includes one midweek round - Wednesday April 12 (the Wednesday after Easter).
The top six advance to the Maddison Trophy.
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@stockcar86 I note, without a great deal of surprise, that the draw makers have managed to deprive Napier Tech of their rightful home ground advantage in their clash against the combined Napier Old Boys-Marist outfit!
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@Higgins The game is not even on the main field at Park Island either
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@Stockcar86 That's because it is a 6.30pm kick off and presumably will need the floodlights near the end of the game. Obviously neither the floodlights at Whitmore Park and wherever you combined mob train are adequate. I know Whitmore Park are pretty much third world but there is some sort of bureaucratic reason why they are not being allowed to be upgraded, at this stage anyway.
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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!
