Staff Reporter

A haka before the final Wools of New Zealand Shearing Test may have spurred the Kiwis on to a dominant performance in Wales.

Although their win could not salvage the series, won 2-1 by Wales, King Country’s Jack Fagan and Northland’s Toa Henderson ended their tour in style.

They pair finished 4.05 points clear of Llyr Jones and Gwion Lloyd Evans at the Corwen Shears at the weekend. In the Open All-Nations final, Henderson was second and Fagan fifth.

“We had a good win,” NZ team manager, Neil Fagan (Jack’s cousin), said. “We go into each test hoping for a win, so the last test made for a positive end to the tour.”

In the test, Fagan posted the fastest time, secured best points in the pens and overall quality points, shearing 20 lambs in 11.23 minutes. Henderson, who was six seconds behind, had the best points in judging.

The Kiwis finished with a 3-3 record for their Northern Hemisphere tour, which also included a loss to Scotland and wins against England and France.

Fagan and Henderson secured numerous individual honours on tour.

Henderson won Open finals in France and at the Royal Welsh Show, was third at the Great Yorkshire Show and fourth at Lochearnhead in Scotland.

Fagan finished second in Yorkshire and France, third at the Royal Welsh Show, fourth at Cothi and Corwen. He also won four speedshear titles on tour.

“I’m very proud of them, they have shorn their best. It just goes to show they are both competitive over here,” Neil Fagan said.

Shearers finish  on winning note

Norris Woodbine

After a somewhat intensive build up for administrators, players and supporters behind the scenes, the Maniapoto Representative Rugby side will join forces with Waitomo District Council to officially open the new improved facilities on the oval at Centennial Park on Saturday.

The day will feature a clash between Maniapoto and Counties-Manukau Māori.

In some ways the event will be back to the future for many rugby followers as the Maniapoto side will feature descendants of local rugby legends from by gone eras and a swathe of instantly recognisable names.

One such name is that of the Coffin family and the mantle of leadership for this group has fallen on the shoulders of Kauri Coffin who was presented with the captain’s arm band in an emotional ceremony by coach Tanirau Manawaiti on Sunday during a cultural presentation.

Many will remember the legendary exploits of Hutana Coffin Snr for both Maniapoto and King Country along with Uncle Phillip Coffin who became an All Black after representing Maniapoto.

Kauri will be joined by his cousin Josh Coffin who has recently experienced Heartland Rugby with both King Country and Ngāti Porou East Coast and will be passing his experiences onto the younger brigade of players in the squad.

Murray Iti has represented The Mighty Mooloo colours at NPC level and will be following in the footsteps of his legendary father Clarry Iti when he suits up.

Campaign Manager Paul Senior-Partridge said it was “entirely fitting we are creating a little bit of history here at Centennial Park... many of our boys attended the Centennial Park School and over the years the focus for our community centred on the park”.

“There has been some negativity thrown toward our players that they are not really “local” players because they now play for clubs outside our region however this is just a natural progression for young men hoping to improve themselves”.

“The fact that they have put their hands up to represent our rohe and support their mates means they have my utmost respect and what a great chance for locals to get down to the park and enjoy the rugby entertainment they will provide”, he added.

Counties-Manukau Māori will arrive in Te Kuiti sure to be primed for a big performance having enjoyed a comfortable victory over Central Bay of Plenty in Te Kauwhata last Saturday.

The mere fact a representative team from a professional union will be gracing a little country town with their presence is a great boost and a great opportunity for local players to test themselves at a higher level, Senior-Partridge said.

Kick off will be at 2.30pm and the venue is Centennial Park Te Kuiti and will be preceded by a Waitomo District Council ceremony to officially acknowledge the improvements at the grand stand.

Rugby feast for new look oval

With the King Country Premiership Club Rugby season now behind us with Tongariro United crowned champions with a hectic 17–10 victory over Taupo Marist it is time for local rugby supporters to turn their attention to the representative season.

Disappointedly there will only be one Heartland fixture at Rugby Park Te Kuiti when old foes Horowhenua Kapiti come to town on September 6. The Rams’ other home games are at Taupo (twice) and Taumarunui. There are only eight games in the overall round robin programme.

As expected, there is a sparse number of players named in the Rams squad from the North King Country Clubs with three from Waitete and one from Piopio in the 27-man line up.

New Zealand Heartland 15 number eight Caleb Foote would have been one of the first names out of the hat after an outstanding club season and he will be joined by New Zealand Māori Under 20 rep Rico Bell from Waitete in the loose forward mix as he continues to develop.

Waitete’s star Baven Brown Jnr was another certainty. His try scoring exploits earned him a cult following and he will be joined by first five Callum Hedley who gained in confidence over the season and is a fine goal kicker.

Interestingly brother Patrick Hedley has been named as a loan player from Hawke’s Bay and these two will be battling for a starting spot which will spark local interest.

With the Rams looking to improve on their fifth placing last season hopes are high that natural improvement will see them push into the top four this year.

There is a better northern representation in The Big Horns (KC Development) with seven North King Country players featuring - four from Waitete, two from Piopio and one from Waitomo.

Slim picking for Rams

Hawkes Bay won the Division Four North Patterson Trophy at Te Kūiti’s Gallagher Recreation Centre by just half a point from King Country at the Interprovincial Championships at the weekend.

Nationwide, four clubs claimed a Patterson Trophy for topping their divisions and Hutt Valley secured the Welch Trophy, winning Division 1 for the first time in decades.

Hawke’s Bay has a shot at promotion while King Country will compete in an amalgamated Division 4 next year, against teams from the North and South Islands.

King Country’s Paul Walker said the team did not expect to finish as high as second.

“We started off well and three of our players were in the top four after the first round. We managed to maintain that position for, pretty much, the whole weekend and the result wasn’t decided until the last bowl of the event.”

Next up, King Country will take part in an inter-division contest at Waihi Beach which includes teams of 16 from divisions one, three and four from the Auckland, Waikato and Bay of Plenty regions.

“It will give us a chance to compete against some of the best players in the country,” Walker said.

Bowlers finish second

Jesse Wood

By Jesse WoodŌtorohanga basketballers Khloe Christison, Pianika Emery and Tiana Hill-Brown were part of the national championships bronze medal winning Waikato under-16 girls team at the Akau Tangi Sports Centre, Wellington this month.

The three teenagers attend Hamilton Girls’ High School and were previously Ōtorohanga South School students.

Competing with the best of the best, Waikato were pipped by eventual champions Canterbury A by just six points in the semi-finals.

There were 20 teams competing - four pools of five – and Waikato finished top of Pool A.

Taumarunui born head coach Celine Selwyn led them to victory in every pool match, beating Counties Manukau, Otago A, Taranaki and Gisborne. In that quartet of games, Waikato scored 392 points and conceded 155.

“The girls had a fantastic campaign. We knew we could go all the way and get on the podium if we stuck to our game plan and did all the small things well throughout the week,” Selwyn said.

After defeating Tauranga 103-62 in the quarterfinals, they fell short in a tight semi-final against Canterbury A, 70-64. Waikato then faced North Harbour A in the third and fourth playoff, taking an 87-79 win.

Bronze for Ōtorohanga trio

Jon Rawlinson

Welsh duo Gethin Lewis and Llyr Jones won the first shearing test against New Zealand with a clear lead of 6.1 points at the Cothi Shears last weekend.

Jack Fagan (Te Kūiti) and Toa Henderson (Northland) set a blistering pace – Fagan shore 20 lambs in 13m 1s in the Open final and Henderson claimed the best time points in the test in just 11m 48s. However Welsh quality trumped Kiwi speed in both the Open final and the test.

As this issue of The News went to print, Fagan and Henderson were aiming to level the three-match Wools of New Zealand series at the Royal Welsh Show. The final test is at the Corwen Shears this weekend.

The first test loss against Wales follows a strong performance by the New Zealand team over the course of their European tour to date. Fagan and Henderson shook off a first-up loss to Scotland with wins over England and France prior to their showdown against Wales.

Welsh take test lead

With the club rugby season winding down and just an all Taupō premiership final to be played this weekend, local rugby supporters can turn their attention to the Maniapoto rep side.

This side will represent the five North King Country clubs and have received an added bonus of a direct challenge for the revered Peace Cup and Stan Meads Shield against Central Bay of Plenty in Rotorua on August 9.

To mark the opening of the new oval facility and improved Centennial Park Grandstand, Maniapoto will play Counties/Manukau Māori representatives on August 2 as a final tune up.

Over the past six weeks the Maniapoto selectors have left no stone unturned observing all the local rugby, engaging with players and coaches at their trainings and liaising with club officials for support.

“Our group has a focus upon providing our local players and rugby supporters with a level of community rugby which is a step up from club level and at the same time resurrect some pride in representing the time-honoured history of Maniapoto Rugby,” campaign manager Paul Senior-Partridge explained.

“With an outstanding coaching group featuring the vastly experienced Tanirau Manawaiti joined by Craig Bell and Sheldon Coffin this provides our young squad with some great learning experiences,” he added.

He said there had been “great buy in” from the playing group and to have a direct challenge for the Peace Cup was a real bonus.

His fellow New Zealand Māori Under 20 rep Rico Bell will be joined by brother Delane who was a star of the campaign in 2024.

Peace Cup competition rules allow “Players of Origin” and the inclusion of the experienced Murray Iti and Josh Coffin and cousin Kauri Coffin will bolster the ranks considerably.

Players are expected to confirm their availability over the coming days and the team will meet up on July 27 for an iwi presentation and to perfect their haka before launching into training on three days later.

“ I believe the quality in this team is there for all to see and hopefully local rugby folk will get behind us and a big crowd will turn out to Centennial Park for our game against Counties/Manukau Māori”, Senior-Partridge added.

The initial squad is.

Props: R Joyes (Waitete), R Mulligan-Green (Waitomo), L Taitoka (Bush), P Astle (Piopio). Hookers W Harris (Waitete), N Crook (Piopio). Locks: J Coffin (Player of Origin), I Griffin (Piopio), S Wilson (Waitete), F. Hahn (Waitete), B Pye (Waitomo). Loose Forwards: I Wana (Waitete), M Iti (Player of Origin) K Muller (Waitomo), J Crosland (Waitete), R Bell (Waitete) T Proffit (Piopio). Halfbacks: K Reymer (Piopio), A Sneddon (Waitete). Five Eights: C Hedley (Waitete), K Coffin (Player of Origin). M Cumpstone (Kiokio Utd) Midfield: C Karaitiana (Waitete), S Daniels (Bush) D Tutaki (Bush) K Hodgson (Bush) D Bell Piopio): Outside backs M Reilly (Piopio), P Marshall (Waitete) J Jolly (Kiokio Utd). Fullbacks B Hedley (Te Kuiti)

Peace Cup bid

New Zealand shearers have secured wins against England and France in the latest legs of the Wools of New Zealand test series.

Te Kūiti clipper Jack Fagan and Northland’s Toa Henderson defeated a French pair at the French Shears in Boussac on Sunday.

Henderson and Fagan also finished first and second in the Open final and their positions were reversed in the speed shear.

Victory in France follows a test win for the Kiwis across the channel at the Great Yorkshire Show four days earlier. Fagan and Henderson defeated England’s Nick Greaves and Dean Nelmes by 4.3 points in Harrogate.

“It was good to have a win with Toa,” Fagan said soon after the July 9 test. “Both of us shore really well and we’re looking forward to the three tests in Wales.”

In the show’s Yorkshire Open final, defending champion Fagan was second to Welsh shearer Gethin Lewis with Henderson in third.

The duo is now set to compete against Wales at Cothi on Saturday, the Royal Welsh Show on July 23 and the Corwen Shears on July 26.

Test win in the shears

Surrounded by family and friends, June Fagan celebrated her 100th birthday at the Panorama Motor Inn restaurant, Te Kūiti, late last month. The following day she celebrated with fellow residents and staff at Hillview Home.

The Fagan family includes numerous champion shearers and June said she was equally proud of all of her children – Robin, John, Kenneth, Geoffrey, Helen and David – and her grandchildren and great-grandchildren.

Matriarch’s milestone

Black Ferns legends Portia Woodman-Wickliffe and Ruahei Demant were on hand to present Ōtorohanga players their grand-final jerseys ahead of the premier women’s final clash with Old Boys Huskiez.

“They told the ladies, regardless of what happens, you’ve made it. Just have fun,” Jodi Whitiora-Te Uira, said.

“Those little messages kept our ladies playing good rugby.”

The well-attended muddy finale was a culmination of a great season for Ōtorohanga.

Leading 7-5 at halftime, courtesy of a Libby Kearins-Te Whare try and conversion, the visitors were more than holding their their own.

Old Boys then kicked two penalties through Keira Russell and were up 11-7.

Ōtorohanga pressed and scored through former Black Ferns front-rower Grace Houpapa-Barrett.

But Old Boys, down 12-11 fought back as several penalties went their way and the visitors barely saw the ball again. The Huskiez then scored another try and sealed the deal on full-time with a third, for a 21-12 win.

Although Old Boys were crowned champions, rugby and family were the winners on the day.

Whitiora-Te Uira said the rugby community has been incredible.

“Every year we get higher and higher [on the table]. It was a huge achievement.”

“Hautapu’s physio volunteered to help with us in the final because we hadn’t had a physio all year. To have a volunteer put her hand up was huge. It was a big, warm heart feeling to have someone like her reach out to my ladies.

“The players said they felt the sideline support during the final. They definitely felt the presence of our community and they couldn’t be more grateful.

“Win or lose, that was something that they took away, to be proud. They played their hearts out because of that.”

The tale of the women’s final

With the King Country premiership club rugby season having completed the round robin format last Saturday we now have the prospect of semi-final action taking centre stage this weekend while the first division final will be played out at Piopio.

Over the past few seasons Piopio and Taumarunui Eels have fought out some torrid battles in what has become something of a traditional match up and the prospect of a continuation of their rivalry on Saturday offers rugby fans a mouthwatering contest.

Piopio have a 2-0 record over the course of the season but finals footy is another beast and the Eels have made steady improvement and are sure to arrive at Rukuhia Domain primed and ready for action.

With New Zealand Heartland number eight Caleb Foote leading the way and in superb form over the past few weeks the Piopio pack is a solid outfit and features former Ram Isaac Griffin who is a powerhouse.

Halfback Kyan Reymer has caught the eye of many good judges and can celebrate a call-up to the Maniapoto Representative side where he will be joined by Nathan Crooks, Josh Black, Matt Reilly, Griffin, and Jackson Hurley.

In the final week both these sides were defeated by Tongariro United and Taupo Marist respectively and these two sides have earned the right to host the premiership semi’s by completing the season in first and second place.

Taupo Marist will host Taumarunui Districts in a replay of last season’s final and in their last meeting only one try separated the teams at the final whistle.

Despite that Marist will start warm favourites as they are proving to be something of a juggernaut after posting some large scorelines over the season.

Waitete courtesy of a third placed finish will also have to perform on the road as Tongariro United wound up in second place by a narrow margin and did inflict the only defeat on Marist all season.

Both these sides have tasted success over the season having both won their home encounters and for Waitete the season has proved to be a marked improvement from their 2024 campaign.

The Waitete pack has been a formidable unit all season and will be looking to dominate up front before unleashing their exciting young backs.

Of concern is what appeared to be a serious injury to the strike weapon that is Baven Brown Jnr against District last week and the coaches will be sweating on his availability as he will be hard to replace.

Locals have the possibility of an exciting match at Piopio while we can be assured the Blue Army will descend upon Turangi to battle Tongariro United in force with an air of confidence a finals berth will be booked and on the horizon.

All games kick off at 2.30pm

Time for semis action

A packed sideline at Willoughby Park saw Old Boys win the Waikato women’s rugby premiership title on Saturday. But Ōtorohanga who came in as rank outsiders were within minutes of causing a boil over. Jesse Wood tells the story of a team which was just was the ‘Doc’ ordered.

Ōtorohanga women’s rugby side have built a family, a culture of support, and the fruit is now showing.

A magnificent chapter in their 2025 season came to a close on Saturday as they were pipped 21-12 by hosts Hamilton Old Boys Huskiez in the Waikato premiership final at Willoughby Park.

Under the eye of coach Murdoch “Doc” Whitiora-Reti and his assistant coach Murihiku Martell, aided by managers Te Arai Millar-Hetet and Jodi Whitiora-Te Uira, Ōtorohanga have become a strong unit.

They’ve stuck together for several years – three players received their 50 game blazers this season.

“Most of our players have been here over five years. There are long term players that come back after kids or play for another top tier club and come back,” Whitiora-Te Uira said.

“Doc probably has the draw in of 80 per cent of our team. They’re there for our coach. Lots of our players travel from the wider area. I suppose it’s a Ngāti Maniapoto thing.

“We have players from the coast, Taumarunui, Ōtorohanga, Te Kūiti - players from all those areas that want to play at premier level.”

The management are helping players become leaders and hope to inspire other women to represent Ōtorohanga.

“The whole team was amazing, but the likes of Grace Houpapa-Barrett and Rina Paraone’s leadership was great,” Whitiora-Te Uira said.

“Our number 10 Awa Whitiora, she’s the connection between our forwards and our backs. Without her mouth and her comms, the team folds.

“Superstars include our winger Ata Edwards and Libby Kearins-Te Whare who scored. She’s our kicker, our fullback and has just joined from Hamilton Girls’ High School. Those two play New Zealand women’s open touch. They’re from Kāwhia and they’ve come home.”

Whitiora-Te Uira believes support was one of the main secrets to success. The leadership from the players was also outstanding.

“It takes lots of getting to know your players. We have mainly mums and only a few players at school without children.”

“The secret is making sure the children are okay and making sure the relationship at home with the partners is okay. Without that, the mums won’t turn up.

“We have a lot of dads involved that cook for us. We’ve got about five dads that have given up their sports so that our ladies can get to play. I think that’s a bit of the key, the wrap around support.

“That’s what’s been our secret is making a family. Everyone’s wheels fall off but if the motor keeps rolling, they can always jump back on.”

Ōtorohanga finished third after the round-robin, winning six out of 10 games before beating the strong Melville side 13-10 in the semi-final.

After a tough semi-final loss last year, the team returned with fire in their bellies this season.

“It was always a challenge to play Melville. They’ve been one of the top two teams for about seven years now. Once we got that win, I think the whole Waikato was a bit shocked,” Whitiora-Te Uira said.

First seed Hamilton Old Boys had finished 21 competition points ahead of Ōtorohanga and previously beat them 46-0 and 38-19.

It was a completely different display in the grand final.

Lauding the ladies

Despite a strong stand by Kiwi shearing duo Toa Henderson and Jack Fagan, a Scottish duo claimed victory in the Joe Te Kapa Memorial Trophy test.

The first of the Wools of New Zealand team’s six tests in Europe saw Scotland finish on top by 2.9 points at the Lochearnhead Shears last weekend.

The Scottish pair made for formidable opponents – Calum Shaw is a five-time winner of the Scottish National title and Gavin Mutch claimed the NZ Shears Circuit final in Te Kūiti in March.

Jack Fagan’s father, Te Kūiti’s Sir David Fagan said the first test was expected to prove challenging.

“It was always going to be a tough gig in Scotland for Jack and Toa because the sheep are so different. You’ll only see the Scottish blackface in the islands of Scotland so the locals are very good shearing them,” he told The News.

In addition to the test, Golden Shears Open winner, Henderson, from Northland, and Jack Fagan finished fourth and fifth respectively in the Open.

However, New Zealand-based Mutch was the better shearer on the day winning the Open and scoring the highest individual points in the test.

King Country world record holder Sacha Bond and Wairarapa’s Bevan Pere were also in action in Scotland, both falling in the heats.

New Zealand team manager, Neil Fagan, Jack’s cousin, said he reminded Henderson of the challenges ahead.

“Getting to the final of the Open on his first day of competition in the UK was a big achievement,” he said.

The Kiwi duo will now focus on the second test against England at the Great Yorkshire Show, next week, followed by tests against France and Wales.

First test fall for shearers

The clash dubbed the King Country Club Premiership’s match of the round saw Waitomo fail in it finals effort to secure a competition win at Waitomo Domain last Saturday

After both sides slogged out a scoreless first half, Taumarunui Eeels kicked away in the second half, scoring six tries in a 38–0 victory.

Taumarunui won the toss and elected to play uphill in the first half in what proved to be a decisive decision as the fatigue factor for Waitomo later in the game saw field dominance play a vital factor.

Waitomo, in front of a large crowd featuring sponsors and past players produced probably their best first half of the season as they frequently turned away the Taumarunui attacks with last gasp defensive efforts.

Flankers Kees Muller and Brooklyn Pye were prominent, often turning up just in time as the try line appeared open with punishing tackles causing errors. The solid Waitomo pack also caused the visitors real problems at scrum time with Ratapu Winikerei, Rangi Mulligan-Green and Liam Fredrickson along with the father/son combination of Kenneth and Tipene Perawiti all featuring.

Veteran half back Gareth Owen played himself to a standstill while young Wetere Wehi made an outstanding debut in the unfamiliar first five position, demonstrating a solid kicking game and sound decision making. Reuben Dimond looked assured when he replaced Owen, while Freemin Te Whare and Vaughan Haylock tackled everything thrown at them.

There is a drop of many metres on the Waitomo Domain field and the uphill slog in the second half proved decisive as tired legs and astute Taumarunui substitutions opened holes appear in the defensive screens.

Finishing the season without a win saw the match draw down the season for Waitomo who sit out the final round with a bye while The Eels booked a first division final berth no matter last round results.

Piopio travelled to Taupo and proved to be no match for a rampant Tongariro United who ran away with a decisive 60–5 victory and in the process looked to have set in place a home premiership semi-final.

Also down in Taupō, home side Marist side turned back a determined Hetet Shield bid from defending champions Taumarunui Districts and remained in first place with a 34 – 29 victory. Of note was the non-result in the Waikato Women’s First Division bottom four competition which handed the title to the local Waitete side, a great achievement for the fledgling side.ctical way of learning,” she said.

Second half exposes Waitomo

Supporters and players can eye an August window with some excitement with the confirmation a Maniapoto representative team has been entered in the 2025 Peace Cup rugby competition.

At a recent meeting held in Cambridge delegates from Hamilton, the current holders of the cup, Piako - a combined Matamata/Morrinsville side - Central Bay of Plenty, based in Rotorua, joined Maniapoto with confirmed entries while Te Awamutu requested time to confirm.

The Peace Cup final will be played at Rotorua International Stadium as curtain raiser for the Pacific Cup test match between Fiji and Manu Samoa.

“To have players from the local clubs provided this exposure is hopefully a boon for the struggling community game in the North King Country area,” Peace Cup chairman Neil Macrae said.

The group organising the Maniapoto entry are finalising their coaching and management team and a pre-competition match in Te Kuiti against Counties Manukau Māori is confirmed for August 2.

The team will then have three or four qualifying games hoping to qualify for the big final in Rotorua.

August rep games on

Three points separate the top three in the King Country club premiership Tongariro United sat out the bye and Taupo Marist beat Waitete 22-19 at Owen Delany Park last weekend.

Although Waitete picked up a losing bonus point, the loss dents their hopes for a home semifinal as they now sit out a bye and must hope for an upset this week to keep their rivals anchored below them.

The game in Taupō on Saturday offered an intensity not seen for some time and the first half developed into a real arm wrestle as the solid Waitete pack exerted some dominance and the Marist backline continually looked the threaten.

With just 10 minutes left in the half it was Waitete who blew the game open when second five Carlos Karaitiana used deception and a beautiful short pass to put Jared Crosland in a yawning gap 30 metres out and he powered away to score under the posts.

Almost immediately Marist struck back when they drove Saxon Hunter over from a maul and Josh White levelled the scores with the conversion 7-7 at halftime.

After the break Marist speedster Apete Matai put Marist ahead finishing a sweeping back move for White to again convert and the home side was ahead 14-7.

Then Waitete put on the play of the day when Phayzen Marshall fielded a well-placed clearing kick before setting off on a counter attacking run beating several defenders with his speed and guile before timing a long pass to perfection and sending Riddick Rangitonga off on a 40-metre run to the corner.

Callum Hedley missed the conversion from wide out and soon after White slotted a penalty and Marist appeared secure soon after when Aporosa Duwai sped in for a touch down and a 22-12 lead with 20 to go.

Waitete thrive on a challenge and the last 20 minutes saw them take complete control but try as they might the defence proved impenetrable until with time on the clock the referee lost patience with constant infringements and awarded a penalty try.

Out at Piopio saw a real game of two halves with the home side up 24 nil at half time only to cling on for a 24–19 victory as the Taumarunui Eels stormed back.

At Taumarunui the struggling Waitomo again conceded over 50 points losing to Taumarunui Districts 54 – 8.

On Thursday night last week the Waitete women’s side enjoyed a 55–5 over Hinuera and remain on track for a top four finish.

This week Waitomo will host Taumarunui Eels as they look to snare their first win for 2 years, Taupo Marist host Taumarunui Districts in a Hetet Shield match while Tongariro United play Piopio down at Turangi.

Christen Dimond gambles again and opts for a Waitomo celebration this week – will he pick up a point on his three rivals?

It’s tight at the top

Former Piopio midfield back Jack Wiseman is gearing up to take on some of his sport’s brightest rising stars at the World Rugby Under 20 Championship.

Effectively a junior world cup, the tournament opens next week when Wiseman, 18, and the ‘Baby Blacks’ play host nation, Italy.

“It’s not every day I get to go to Europe, so I’m just going to soak it up and enjoy myself for the first little bit,” he told The News.

“The competition is a stepping stone towards playing professional rugby, but we’re definitely going there to try and win it too.”

Last month, New Zealand secured Under-20 Rugby Championship. After a win against Argentina and a draw with Australia, the Under-20s beat South African 48-45 – having trailed 19-0 after 14 minutes.

“After winning The Rugby Championship, we’re now confident heading over to Italy, but we know the challenge the World Cup will hold,” Wiseman said. “All the teams will be tough to beat and there will be no easy games.”

His provincial debut certainly wasn’t easy an easy game for some – he was in the Taranaki team which beat the King Country Rams 78-7 in a Ranfurly Shield challenge earlier this month. Wiseman also collected a try.

“It felt weird playing against King Country because I grew up there. I have plenty of respect for the province and a lot of people there have helped me in my rugby journey,” he said.

“But Taranaki has taken me in and nurtured my skills further and I’ve been enjoying my time down here.”

Wiseman was named the 2025 Chiefs Under 20s Player of the Year and credited with a ‘standout performance’ at the Super Rugby U20s tournament.

Wiseman was born in Rotorua and attended Āria School and Piopio College before heading to New Plymouth Boys’ High to pursue his rugby goals.

“I enjoyed playing with my mates and created plenty of memories in Piopio. I moved down to New Plymouth in 2020 because the rugby was more competitive and the competition pushed me further.”

Now in his first year at Waikato University, he is taking his studies seriously too, aware that sporting careers can be cut short and retirement comes early.

“It’s important to have another plan these days because you never really know when your last game’s going to be. Studying also takes my mind off footy for a while as well.”

Wiseman’s cousin is Hurricanes and Manawatū U20 halfback Jai Tamati.

“Yeah, it’s been pretty good playing alongside him. I didn’t really know him well until we went to South Africa but we’re pretty close now. He’s a good fella.”

“Because we’ve played together for the last wee while, it would be good to go against each other if we get the opportunity. But, yeah, I’d have to make the team first.”

Bull’s Jack is back in black

Rugby’s Peace Cup has traditionally had it tough – after some unsympathetic handling it is considered among the less attractive in New Zealand sport, it went missing for several seasons - and as a symbol of subunion supremacy has lost some allure in the last couple of decades.

But the annual planning meeting of the group responsible for the 2025 Peace Cup held recently in Cambridge came with a real boost.

Organisers revealed they had received an offer to play the final at The Rotorua International Stadium as a curtain raiser for The Fiji- Manu Samoa Pacific Cup test match.

This year will be 105th iteration of the time-honoured trophy and holders Hamilton have agreed to forfeit a home final to allow the competition to proceed with planning to schedule games around a Rotorua final on September 6. Peace Cup chairman Neil Macrae outlined a plan whereby the unions involved would spend four or five weeks of round robin play on a home and away basis throughout August. The top two sides would qualify for the final.

After the call for entries in the 2025 competition, delegates confirmed that Hamilton will be joined by Central Bay of Plenty, Piako and Maniapoto while the Te Awamutu sub union was given an opportunity to confirm entry as well.

Macrae explained that the tournament has remained stable now for several years and perhaps some consideration could now be given to expansion as other representative opportunities for players slowly shrink.

Hamilton delegate Doug Hawkins also suggested some consideration could be given to relaxing some eligibility rules for players to allow smaller unions to field competitive teams.This was received favourably and duly passed unanimously.

The Peace Cup competition remains a great opportunity for players to continue to play after the various club competitions are completed and the overall standard is truly representative quality.

Peace Cup gets boost

Te Kūiti’s Kiwa Rata and Te Awamutu’s Jaoquin Burke were recently part of the New Zealand Under-18 mixed touch gold medal winning side at the Asia Pacific Youth Touch event in Redcliffe, Queensland.

The last time New Zealand won a youth grade gold medal was 2010 at Trusts Stadium in Waitākere.

Rata went through primary school in Te Kūiti before moving to Hamilton Boys’ High School.

Burke is a former Te Awamutu College student that now plays rugby for Te Awamutu Sports.

He said making the squad out of all the youth players in New Zealand meant a lot to him, let alone beating Australia in the final.

“The win meant a lot, not only to me and the team but to the whole country and touch community back at home seeing us take home the gold for the first time in years,” Burke said.

“There were so many emotions going through me as the final whistle blew.

“There was a lot of talk about how Aussie are the best team in the world and haven’t been beaten for 16 years.

“It just shows that no one is unbeatable and if you believe, work hard and push that bit extra, anything is possible.

“But the best part of winning, was bringing that gold back home and back to our country and families.”

Rata and Burke were recognised by their high schools on social media alongside plenty of hype from friends and family.

Kiwa gets to touch gold

A thirty minute first half period of total domination proved to be enough to propel the Waitete premier rugby side into the King Country club semifinals.

But Tongariro United made it a close fought battle before losing 24–20 at the Maniapoto Rugby ground on Saturday.

After a 10 minutes opening stanza dominated by the visitors which saw Cam Robinson slot an early penalty to give his side a 3–0 lead it was Waitete who flicked a switch and launched an all-out assault for the remainder of the half.

From the restart after the penalty Phayzen Marshall counter attacked from a misdirected bomb and sent Baven Brown Jnr clear down the embankment touchline and when he kicked ahead a wall of blue attackers tore through in support and Rico Bell dashed in for a try.

Callum Hedley slotted the conversion and was called upon again soon after the resumption as the Waitete pack surged across beside the posts with Jared Crosland credited with the try at the bottom of the melee.

By now the Waitete pack had total domination with Ryan Joyes, Michael Lea and Livai Too’ofua out scrummaging a larger pack allowing their side to camp within the Tongariro 22.

The assault continued and when Brown Jnr crossed in the corner after 30 minutes and a big score looked likely when Hedley nailed the sideline conversion.

Only resolute defence from the visitors prevented further scoring as Marshall sent a raking 50-22 kick into their red zone and the half was completed with Waitete ahead 21 – 3.

After the break the game descended into something of an arm wrestle as Tongariro attempted a comeback and the zip seemed to go out of the Waitete pack.

Hedley slotted a handy penalty to extend the lead and when he missed a second from a handy angle Tongariro appeared to lift and surged up field.

Exciting winger Osea Tuibasa showed extreme speed and side-stepping skills to race away for a try which Robinson converted and soon after huge number 8 Kaharoa Takuira-Mita cut through some shoddy defence and suddenly the score was 24 – 15.

When Liam Rowlands latched onto a misfired Waitete defensive line out and dashed away for a try the game was on for one and all at 24–20 as Robinson missed the conversion.

The final five minutes was all Tongariro as they hammered away at the Waitete line and when on the stroke of full-time referee Jamie Bell declared the ball was held up and blew time the jubilation of victory favoured the home side.

Out at Waitomo Domain a solid performance from Piopio saw them run out 46–0 victory over the winless home side who remain anchored to the bottom of the table, while Taupō Marist maintained their number one ranking with a 27–17 win over Taumarunui Eels.

The Waitete women enjoyed a solid 31–17 victory over Pirongia to reinforce a solid place on the ladder.

This week will see Waitete undertake a massive trip to Taupō to play Marist with the number one ranking and the Hetet Shield on the line, Piopio will host Taumarunui Eels while Waitomo have an appointment with Taumarunui Districts down at Taumarunui.

Christen Dimond dropped a point by opting for Waitomo last week – but no one picked Waitete to topple Tongariro.

Waitete books semi place

All of the King Country premiership action took place at Waitomo Domain on Saturday as the inform Waitete side trampled over the locals 74–5.

In the process Waitete scored 12 tries to one and Callum Hedley converting six.

In what is developing into a hotly contested top of the table scramble the victory has the Te Kuiti club vying for the number one spot on the ladder in a three-horse war with Tongariro United and Taupo Marist.

Waitomo, on the other hand, are firmly anchored to the bottom and continue to cough up some large scorelines.

Meanwhile at the Island Reserve in Otorohanga, Cambridge side Hautapu defeated the home team 32-29 with Waikato winger Waisake Salabiau scoring two tries.

On Saturday the sides arrived at Waitomo Domain greeted by a superb winter’s day with a ground in immaculate condition thanks to the grand efforts of groundsman Crusty Dimond who works tirelessly.

Another feature of the day was the premiership debut of referee Dan Tasker and there could have been few complaints as he did an outstanding job.

Waitete opened the scoring through a Rico Bell try after just 3 minutes and many hearts sank. However, it took a further 15 minutes before Baven Brown Jnr extended the lead to 12 with the first of his five tries.

Waitomo then lifted with their pack gaining some dominance and appearing to rattle Waitete at set piece and with second five Freemin Te Whare putting in some fine attacking kicks they had field position.

Evergreen fullback Vaughan Haylock tore down the embankment touchline and slipped past Brown to dot down an impeccably placed Te Whare cross kick and suddenly 12 – 5 had the momentum swinging in Waitomo’s favour.

However just before the break it was Brown who crossed for two rather soft tries to put the game seemingly beyond the home sides reach.

After the break tries to Atholl Snedden, Shannon Yorke, Finn Hahn, Carlos Karaitiana, Phayzen Marshall and two more to Brown Jnr franked total domination of proceedings.

After the game the Waitomo officials remained somewhat upbeat as they look ahead to their last three games against opposition that should be a notch below the teams they have played in the second round so far.

The Waitete camp is happy as they continue to tick the right boxes and are look forward to a key matchup top of the table clash with Tongariro United in Te Kuiti this week.

The Tongariro side will be licking their wounds this week having lost out to Taupo Marist 25-20 last weekend and in the process surrendered the Hetet Sheild which will now go on the line against Waitete in a fortnight.

In Taumarunui the Districts team locked up fourth place with a 20 – 5 home derby victory over The Eels.

The Waitete women’s side travelled to Hamilton and turned the tables on Hamilton Marist 36-27 as they challenge for a top four spot.

This week the main game is in Te Kuiti will see Waitete play Tongariro United while out at Waitomo the home side face off against Piopio and Taupo Marist will look to continue their winning ways with a clash against Taumarunui Eels.

Craig McKellar’s perfect run was ended by the Taumarunui Eels last weekend, but he still remains clear of the pack. The wooden spoon spot will be held by Peter Hurley or Christen Dimond on Saturday afternoon.

Waitete maintain strong form

The King Country Indoor Bowls Centre played two Champion of Champions events in the last week.

At Otorohanga the home team of Gordon Lang, Peter Fisher, Yvonne Longman and Richard Beaumont prevailed.

On Tuesday at Waipa, the home team of Kevin Marshall, Olga Barnes, and Marion Christensen was the winning team.

Five players from the Centre are attending the National Championships in Ashburton. Play starts on Saturday and runs through to the following Saturday.

Liz Morrow, Paul Walker, Pat Waghorn, Marlene Walker and Susie Rushbrooke will be waving the King Country flag.

Walker has been selected as the male reserve for the Masters grade North Island team, which will play the South Island on Wednesday.

Bowls results

The Waitomo Rugby side’s miserable season continued on Saturday when a clearly under strength and casual Tongariro United side put on a clinical 16 try demolition for a 90–3 victory.

With the weather and track conditions making for a great rugby spectacle the home fans were hopeful that an improved performance would be forthcoming on the return to their home track.

Any hopes were however quickly dashed as it took the visitors just three minutes to score their first try and from there on encountered little resistance from a Waitomo side who appeared totally disorganised and at times disinterested.

One bright spot for the locals occurred just before the half time break when live wire flanker Kees Muller kicked a penalty goal to register their only points in a 40–3 half time scoreline.

The second half became more of a procession as the only time Waitomo could exit their half was from the regular restarts as they conceded a further eight tries as the Tongariro pack took complete control and the backs unleashed.

Down in Taumarunui Baven Brown Jnr celebrated his 75th game and his blazer performance for his beloved Waitete Club with three individual tries as they ran out 38–22 victors over Taumarunui Eels.

The win locked in third place on the ladder for the Te Kuiti based club who are enjoying a resurgent season based around a powerful forward pack and some exciting young backs.

Prop Livai Toofooa and his travel mate Michael Lea both franked outstanding seasons with tries while Liam Knight broke his drought with a touch down as the pack asserted real dominance.

Callum Hedley nailed four conversions to put the icing on the cakes.

In the other game in Taumarunui, Piopio appeared to have moved into top four contention with a hard fought 22–15 victory over Taumarunui Districts but following an appeal have lost their points due to fielding unregistered players.

Caleb Foote continued his try scoring exploits with two while Chay Havea also scored while Stormy McCarthy converted two.

This Saturday will see the local derby game out at Waitomo Domain as the home side will be looking for some magic to hold Waitete to a respectable scoreline while the men in blue will be looking to improve their for and against equation as they move to encounter the top two sides.

Piopio have the bye while the two Taumarunui teams will battle each other and the top two sides in Tongariro United and Taupo Marist will play Friday night in Turangi.

Space is up against us this week – but our rugby picks competition saw Peter Hurley fall a further point behind by picking Piopio, who won on the park but were docked points.

Craig McKellar continued his perfect run to remain clear of the field. Normal service will resume next week.

Brown’s milestone, and points lost

If King Country Club Rugby is in the doldrums someone forget to tell the 44 Waitete and Piopio players who took to the Rugby Park Te Kūiti field last Saturday as they turned on a most exhilarating display of rugby entertainment.

On an autumn day made for rugby and a field presented in exceptional state the scene was set with a huge crowd in attendance and the blue colours of the home side in prevalence.

The home crowd had to wait until time was up to celebrate a win.

The action on the field was only two minutes old when after storming on to the attack the Waitete forwards rumbled inside the Piopio 22 and big lock Aministai Rakoli crashed through the defence to score allowing Callum Hedley an easy conversion.

Down 7–0 the visitors pack gained ascendancy and after 16 minutes levelled the scores when their skipper Caleb Foote peeled away from a lineout beating several players before battling across for the try which Stormy McCarthy converted.

Back came Waitete and winger Kelvin Sopepa showed great pace when finishing a sweeping back and McCarthy then narrowed the gap with a penalty.

Play then settled into something of an arm wrestle until on the stroke of half time Baven Brown Jnr found the try line out wide.

Piopio took complete control up front and the start of the second half and Isaac Griffin finished off a stunning move after Foote was presented with acres of space in midfield and ran some 60 metres before off loading at the perfect time to the big man in support.

Centre Jeff Davis was next to get into the action almost from the kick off and with McCarthy accurate from the tee Piopio was ahead 24–17.

The home side appeared somewhat rattled and when skipper Sean Burr was dispatched to the sin bin things looked dire. With barely 15 minutes left Waitete centre Isaac Wana hobbled from the field and Jared Crosland was injected from the bench into the midfield in a match defining move.

Almost immediately from an attacking scrum it was Crosland who, celebrating his King Country Rams selection, proved to be unstoppable from close range and scored. The Hedley conversion locked things up 24–24.

Not to be out done Piopio shot back onto attack and Brock Gower silenced the large crowd crossing for a try in the corner and once again the visitors were in front 29 – 24 as McCarthy’s wide conversion was waved away.

Finally in a frantic final five minutes Waitete lifted as expected and with 80 minutes up on the clock Crosland tied things up inches in from the touchline.

Cometh the moment cometh the man and young Hedley soaked up all the pressure before slotting a mammoth sideline conversion and Waitete took the win 31-29.

In other results the dismal Waitomo season continued as they were defeated 128–0 in Taupo while Taumarunui Districts couldn’t contain the rampant Tongariro United 62 -15.

This week local action will centre on Waitomo Domain when they host Tongariro United while Waitete and Piopio both travel to take on the Eels and Districts respectively.

Piopio or Taumarunui Districts? Our tipsters got it all right last week – but are split on this one.

Waitete snatch last gasp victory

With the first round of King Country Premiership Club Rugby done and dusted the lop-sided nature of the competition is engineering much concern among club land as to the short-term future of rugby in this region.

Results on Saturday saw the Taumarunui Eels travel to Turangi for a Hetet Shield challenge, which should be a pinnacle event, and return home having been beaten 130–0 (I am reliably informed this was the final score)

Almost as bad was the “match of the round” result in Taupō where a rampant Marist side destroyed a reasonable Piopio side that included quality players in Caleb Foote, Isaac Griffin, Keyen Reymer, and Chey Havea with a 102–0 scoreline.

When in a seven-team competition the gap between top sides and the rest is the stark reality of century points tallies and one-sided affairs supporters begin to question the point.

This could lead to defaults and non-results as the cold foggy frosty King Country weather kicks in and player enthusiasm wanes and under strength sides find recruitment struggles mount.

The King Country Union has announced some radical changes to the make-up of their governing board including a new chairman and vice chairman and it is hoped the refiguration of club rugby is high on their agenda.

Rumours abound that the Taupo clubs are looking toward Rotorua for their future competition which would leave rugby followers in this region and Taumarunui with restricted opportunities.

The one bright spot is the rise of the local Waitete club. A disastrous 2024 campaign has been well and truly turned around and with victory over defending champions Taumarunui Districts last week the team has  locked down third place on the ladder.

After leaving Te Kuiti on a cold foggy morning, they were greeted by an outstanding autumn day at the Taumarunui Domain and although without Jared Crosland, Wiremu Harris and Isaac Wana still fielded a powerful side which included a debut for 18-year-old Api Williams.

Another positive saw NZ Māori under 20 rep Rico Bell take the field for the first time in 2025.

With the battle for third up for grabs the game began in frantic fashion and play swept up and down the field before in the 17th minute a sweeping backline move saw Waitete open the scoring when young Ivan Reid crossed in the corner.

Just three minutes later outstanding hooker Mike Lea ranged up in midfield smashing through defenders and showing real pace to surge across under the bar giving Callum Hedley an easy conversion and a 12–0 lead.

District fought back and scored a converted try before star centre Baven Brown Jnr extended Waitete’s lead to 17–7 as the half time hooter rang out.

The second half started much the same as the first as Districts attempted to exert some dominance however after 10 minutes Waitete sealed their lead as Phayzen Marshall completed another sweeping backline excursion scoring handy enough for Hedley to convert.

Down 24–7 Districts then struck back with a try before the superior fitness and cohesion of the visitors pack saw them take control and put replacement winger Shannon Yorke over in the corner to post the 29–12 victory.

For Waitete prop Ryan Joyes secured the MVP points and he is in outstanding form anchoring the powerful scrum, the classy Bell, who shone on both attack and defence, secured two points while Lea franked his form securing one point.

This week will see Waitete host Piopio in Te Kuiti, Waitomo is on the road to Taupo Marist and Tongariro United host Taumarunui Districts. 

Our tipsters are in agreement this week, and Craig McKellar with 21 remains a clear leader in the King Country match result contest.

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