Victorious road trip for quick-learning Athletic

The significance of Wairoa-Athletic’s fifth Poverty Bay Senior 1 club rugby win last Saturday cannot be overstated.

Two-time defending champions Charteris Choppers Wairoa-Athletic beat fourth-placed Pango Productions Uawa 14-7 in Tolaga Bay.

Athletic (24 competition points), third-placed Nuhaka V8s (20), Uawa (19), LVD Farm Services Young Māori Party Bumbles (10), Horouta Te Waka (9), Ngatapa Harvest Matawhero Transport (6) and Enterprise Cars OBM (-4) are all chasing unbeaten Roseland Tavern Tapuae (29).

The manner of Athletic’s win against Uawa was timely proof of their top-tier skill, coming after a 21-point victory over a game Ngatapa mob and 80-point defeat of Horouta.

The clash with Uawa, a powerhouse of club rugby, was as tough up front as anything Alex Little’s outfit has  encountered bar Tapuae in the Wairoa derby.

Tapuae’s 29-10 win in that top-of-the-table on April 29, according to Tapuae captain Gabriel Doull, owed all to the green and blacks’ hunger and fitness.

Athletic, ever the quick learners, took that lesson to heart and produced plenty of both on the road in Week 6.

On a fine day and in front of a bumper crowd, the visitors opened the scoring against Uawa with a penalty kick to centre George Twigley eight minutes in and he repeated the dose in the 21st minute.

Uawa tighthead prop Semisi Akana then scored the first try of the day and centre Josh Dearden’s conversion put the home team in front 7-6.

Twigley kicked his third penalty to give Wairoa Athletic a 9-7 advantage at the break.

The status quo remained until the 68th minute when  tough No.8 Aaron Ioane scored the match-winning try .

Vice-captain and halfback Joe McGregor was Athletic’s Most Valuable Player — he played a fine hand for them tactically.

Reserve flankers Tanira Nepia and Cairo Reihana were Uawa’s MVPs.

Uawa were more than a match for their guests at scrum-time and the rookie lock Rani Moran won quality lineout ball — not a bad effort, considering Athletic and Poverty Bay second-rower Adriaan Brits is arguably the tallest player in the country.

It was a day for Uawa where passes which might have turned the tide didn’t stick. They came as close as can be imagined to scoring without reward — Athletic reserve blindside flanker Jack Phillips, left-wing Douglas Vehikite and fetcher Ollie Rhodes making try-saving tackles.

Uawa skipper fullback Mohi Bartlett identified composure as a factor in a contest which saw the Big Blue Crew query referee Toby Taylor three times as to the grounding of the ball for possible tries. Taylor was in good position to make his calls.

Tapuae continued their scintillating form to run out 71-12 victors at home over Ngatapa.

The green and blacks led 40-0 at halftime and ran in 11 tries — centre Iowane Filimoni, left-wing Ruka Hailey and No.7 Atonio Vukicicakaudrove each scoring twice.

Fullback Kyoni-Tyrese Te Amo-Poki converted five of the tries.

Veteran rake Wayne Hema, who did not play because of injury told The Herald: “That was free-flowing rugby. We created some good phase play and kicked when we had to.

“Our MVP,  lock Paul Quesnell — in only his second season — took ownership at the line-out and his all-round game was solid.”

Hema complimented the visitors on their intestinal fortitude and set-piece play.

Ngatapa’s MVP and scrum anchor Chris Kaa and try-scoring wingers Atua Nepe-Apatu and Jordie Smith were their best in a side that never gave the game away.

The LVB Farm Services YMP Bumbles are feast or famine, which is what makes them so much fun to watch.

The Tony Barbarich-coached Bumbles bounced back from their 68-0 loss to Tapuae with a 47-0 defeat of Horouta .

Tuhakia Stewart and Reihana Wyllie scored two tries apiece in a game played in good spirit. Waiti Tamatea converted six of their seven tries.

Lavelle Rangihuna was the Bumbles’ MVP while player-coach Richie Matenga took that honour for Horouta.

Horouta manager Renata Maraki said: “Take nothing away from YMP — they’ve always been a solid club and maybe every local club could learn a thing or two from them.”

OBM defaulted to Nuhaka.

PB Senior 1 club rugby

Ngatapa Harvest Matawhero Transport 12 (Atua Nep-Apatu, Jordie Smith tries; Smith con) Roseland Tavern Tapuae 71 (Iowane Filimone 2, Ruka Hailey 2, Atonio Vukicicakaudrove 2, Leroy Taiapa, Eneriko Tupou, Jeke Fatafehi, Kingi Te Amo, Kyoni-Tyrese Te Amo-Poki tries; Te Amo-Poki 5 con, Taiapa 3 con).

HT: 40-0 Roseland Tavern Tapuae.

Pango Productions Uawa 7 (Semisi Akana try, Josh Dearden con) Charteris Choppers Wairoa-Athletic 14 (Aaron Ioane try; George Twigley 3 pen).

HT: 9-7 Wairoa-Athletic.

Horouta 0 East Coast Farm Vets YMP 47 (Tuhakia Stewart 2, Reihana Wyllie 2, Dom Wilson, Tharin Cox-Peratiaki, Taina Ngatai tries; Waiti Tamatea 6 con).

HT: 26-0 YMP.

Nuhaka V8s def Enterprise Cars OBM by default.

Most Valuable Players: Chris Kaa (Ngatapa), Paul Quesnell (Tapuae), Tanira Nepia and Cairo Reihana (Uawa), Joe McGregor (Wairoa-Athletic), Richie Matenga (Horouta), Lavelle Rangihuna (YMP).