Waitete number eight Amber Karipa scored the winning try the last time Waitete played United Matamata Sports last month. Photo: Laura Adams
Waitete will host their first women’s semi-final this week after comfortably seeing off Hinuera 67-0 in the Waikato Women’s Championship quarter-final in Te Kūiti last Saturday.
They will take on United Matamata Sports at Rugby Park on Saturday. Matamata won their quarter-final against Pirongia 43-10. Kihkihi travel to play Taupiri-Te Kauwhata in the other semi.
It is set to be a beauty and Matamata will have revenge in their sights after their narrow 24-22 last-minute loss to Waitete in Te Kūiti on May 16.
Despite injuries to key players like Matewehe King, Chanelle Macrae and Tauvalea Law, Waitete went about their business in relentless fashion to bring bottom-placed Hinuera’s season to an abrupt end.
The 10-try rout featured a hat-trick to rookie number 10 Shayla Turner, a double to number eight Nelly Te Tawhero and tries to Amber Karipa, Paea Perawiti, Tara Kingan, Abbe Putaura and Kylah Stockman.
Co-captain Katelin Warren said Waitete is excited about the weekend, but know the team will need to be at its best to beat Matamata.
“We’re expecting it to be a very hard game against Matamata, a real fight-to-the-end kind of game where it could go either way,” Warren said.
“It means the world for us ladies to host a semi-final considering a couple of years ago we were the team at the bottom. I’m very proud of our team and how far we have come, and hoping being on home turf we will dig deeper and give everything in our tank,” she said.
In Te Kūiti in King Country premier men’s club rugby action on Saturday, Piopio caused arguably the upset of the season to down Waitete 30-26 to not only take back the JR Shield, but also make amends for their disasterous 76-7 loss to the blue bellies on April 25.
Things were looking a whole lot worse for Waitete when they trailed a rampant Piopio 17-0 at half-time, but the home team stormed back in the second half to pull ahead 26-23 with 10 minutes to go.
Waitete number eight Amber Karipa scored the winning try the last time
Waitete played United Matamata Sports last month. Photo: Laura Adams
Off the back of consecutive penalties, Piopio piggy-backed their way into the scoreboard corner of Rugby Park, winning the lineout and mauling over to score the winning try in over-time.
It was almost a coming-of-age moment for the young Piopio chargers, winning the intense local derby to celebrate Stormy McCarthy’s 150th match in style.
For Waitete, things won’t be getting easier any time soon with unbeaten competition leaders Taupō Marist up next, followed by a crucial last-round match against Taumarunui Eels which is likely to decide who fills the fourth semi-final spot.
Taupō Sports continue to make their march to the finals, dismantling Taumarunui Districts at home 40-12 to go level with them in second place on the ladder, while Marist saw off Waitomo 81-0 at the caves.
In the penultimate week of the regular season, Waitomo is at home agains the Eels, Waitete welcomes Marist to Te Kūiti, while Districts and Piopio face-off at the Taumarunui Domain.
In King Country under-13 rugby, Waitete (1) has finished top of the table at the end of the regular season and will host Piopio (4) in one of the top-four semi-finals, while the Taupō Sports Vikings (2) will play Ōtorohanga (3) in Taupō in the other semi on Saturday.
In the bottom four, Taumarunui (5) plays Taupō Marist (8) in Taumarunui, and Tongariro (6) take on the Taupō Sports Spartans (7) in Turangi.
King Country premier men’s club rugby standings (after 12 weeks): Taupō Marist 52, Taupō Sports 39, Taumarunui Districts 39, Waitete 33, Taumarunui Eels 29, Piopio 21, Waitomo 5 (all teams received five points for a default win against Tongariro United in the first round).
B team wins
Ōtorohanga Sports B beat Melville 34-17 at Island Reserve in their premier B championship WRU Trophy clash on Saturday.
The premier men’s golds side were awarded a 50-0 win over Melville, which did not field a team in the premier competition.
Right winger Gabriel Simpson scored a brace of tries in front of the blues’ home supporters. Other try scorers included halfback Zach Coles, number eight Jayden Whitiora-Te Uira and lock Zinzan Coop. Coles added two conversions off the kicking tee, for a tally of nine points.
In the women’s premiership division clash, the table-topping Hamilton Old Boys Huskiez beat Ōtorohanga Sports 39-5 at home.
Former Black Ferns front-rower Grace Houpapa-Barrett scored the sole try for Ōtorohanga.
Ōtorohanga sit in fifth spot on the table, clear of Putāruru and the winless Hamilton Marist/University.
This Saturday the men’s sides venture into Hamilton to face Hamilton Old Boys. The women will also head to Hamilton. They will take on third-placed Fraser Tech at Elliott Park.
