Whanganui Women top of the Heartland standings
By Jared Smith (Photos by Kiwi TV)
They were a little slow off the start line, but the Chesters Plumbing & Bathroom Whanganui Women’s team have shown they have a pretty deep fuel tank after their second win in the Heartland competition on Saturday.
Down 17-0 to Wairarapa-Bush, playing for the first time on Memorial Park’s unique artificial turf, Whanganui clicked into gear to score six unanswered tries, converting five, for a 40-17 victory.
“It was fast, very fast, but we knew it would be and we talked about the extra bounce,” said coach Junior Nepia about playing on the Memorial Park pitch.
“The girls were a little apprehensive, having heard all the horror stories.
“[Wairarapa] had all the ball and all the territory for the first 25 [minutes], we just had a real slow start.
“That’s the big talking point for this week [at training]. She was just all tempo from there.”
Whanganui scored back-to-back right before halftime to put their noses in front 19-17, and then ran in three more converted tries in the second stanza.
“The carries through the middle created the space out wide,” said Nepia, singling out forwards Becky Manu and Waimarie Rauhina.
Wingers Alice Ireton and Paris Munro both scored doubles, with Ireton slotting the conversions for a 20-point haul, while in-form centre Brooklyn Walker, like Munro, dotted down for the second week in a row.
Similar to the win over King Country Trailblazers where Whanganui scored two tries in the last 90 seconds from inside their own half, Wairarapa after their strong start were likewise unable to keep up with Whanganui’s speed later in the piece.
“Talking to their coach Scotty Collins, he said they gassed out pretty quick,” said Nepia.
“It’s something we’ve tried to work on – being the 80 minute team.
“But it was the accuracy as well, our accuracy was better than last week. Looked after the ball a lot more.”
The only concern for the side was the rolled ankle of reserve Te Amorangi Karaitiana.
Whanganui welcomed back 2022 Player of the Year Riana Tamati to run the cutter at first-five, and in an emotional moment, front rower Lavenia Nauga-Grey came off the bench for a solid 25 minute shift – her first rugby since being temporarily paralysed last year against the Thames Valley Vixens.
The Wairarapa-Bush team made a special acknowledgement to Nauga-Grey after the game.
Sitting top of the table as the only unbeaten team, next up for Whanganui is a home game but on the eastern side of the union’s catchment at Taihape’s Memorial Park, facing Poverty Bay’s Turanga Wāhine.
The visitors won 31-15 against the Vixens and lost 32-15 to King Country last weekend.
“They’ve got a big team from what we’ve seen on film – they like to carry,” said Nepia.
“We hope to move them around, wide pods, then find holes.
“Just got to sort that start out, that first 20 minutes.”
The opportunity to play on their home ground in Whanganui colours would be a big thrill for the Taihape squad members Walker, Trissina Hooper, Georgia Adams and Tayla Barrett.
HAPPENINGS
MEN’S NPC: The Manawatu Turbos with Whanganui expats Brett Cameron and Te Rangatira Waitokia scored their first NPC win since October 2021 after a try right on fulltime sunk Northland 31-30 in Palmerston North on Friday. Cameron kicked two conversions. Taranaki with the Whanganui expat combination of Stephen Perofeta and Adam Lennox in the halves could not overcome Bay of Plenty, losing 29-26 in New Plymouth on Saturday despite Perofeta scoring a try and kicking three conversions. Otago with Jona Nareki on the wing had to work hard to win their derby with Southland 31-21 in Dunedin.
WOMEN’S NPC: The Farah Palmer Cup Championship semifinalist to face the Manawatu Cyclones and their contingent of Whanganui players was confirmed on Sunday as Tasman defeated the Taranaki Whio and their Whanganui player Hayley Gabriel 45-20 in the quarterfinal in Nelson. The semifinal will be on Saturday in Palmerston North.
JUNIORS: The annual Bulls Junior Rugby Tournament hosted dozens of teams from Manawatu, Rangitikei, Whanganui and Taranaki on Saturday. The 10-a-side competition is for Under 8 to Under 13 grades. The youngsters of the Marton Rugby & Sports club did the colours proud by winning the Under 8 title, beating Palmerston North’s High School Old Boys in the final. The Kaierau Under 9’s came runnersup in their grade to Feilding Yellows. The Whanganui Marist Under 12’s fought their way to the final, but finished runnersup to a strong Feilding Yellows side.
