Barbarians show plenty of fight

Outstanding loose forward Maxim Riley couldn’t have done much more to try and get his Waimea Combined Schools side home on Saturday. The WCS captain scored two tries against the Christchurch Boys’ High School 2nd XV in front of a very vocal crowd at Sports Park, Motueka.

His first was from short range while his second was a solo stunner as he weaved his way through the opposing backline from at least 30 metres out.

“It started from the scrum. It was a team effort. I took the opportunity and backed myself,” says Maxim.

That took his side to a 21-0 lead after totally dominating the first 30 minutes against the visitors. Motueka High School prop Daniel Pongipongi muscled over for the other try. But three yellow cards in 12 minutes saw things unravel for the home side.

“We sort of dropped our heads. Discipline has been an issue, and the penalty count a bit high. It is something we need to work on as a team,” admits the No.8, who lives in Motueka but drives in to Waimea College.

With a strong second half wind behind it, CBHS took charge and won the fourth-round match 26-24. The margin could have been higher but for a brilliant defensive play by vice-captain William Stillwell who charged down a conversion attempt.

“I saw the goalkicker was quite close to the posts. He had a bit of a slow movement so I thought I would just run up and jump and see what happened,” explains the second five from Hope, who also attends Waimea College. Fellow vice-captain Gordie Langford is one of five Golden Bay players in the side.

“There were just two of us last year and the other one has gone to university, but four others are coming over the Tākaka Hill with me now,” says the prop. While Gordie is loving the road trips, the last one to Timaru meant he didn’t get home till 2am the following day. Murchison and Tapawera are also represented in the big squad assembled by head coach Shayne Huhu, who played over 300 club games for Nelson.

While many teams in the Tasman region struggle for numbers, it is the complete opposite for Shayne, who had 31 players stripped and ready to go on Saturday although only 22 were allowed to take the field.

“We had the whole squad here so that was a thank you from me. Those guys are making my selection job tough,” confirms Shayne.

“It is good to have the wider regions coming in. My first year in 2023, there was just me and one other player from Motueka. With that expansion, we are getting bigger each year. We are family. We are brothers. It is quite special,” says Maxim, who has knocked back approaches from Nelson College.

“I am loyal to the team,” he declares. The feeling is mutual. “Maxim was an easy pick for captain this year. He is a great player,” says Gordie.

The team is fourth on the ladder in the Miles Toyota Championship after two wins and two losses, including a demolition job on the road against Christ’s College 2nd XV 66-12 last month. The Barbarians are heading to Ashburton this week and Shayne can’t wait to get back on the bus.

“I enjoy the road trips as I can get around the players and have chats. There is a lot of fun on the way down on the bus and time for a lie down as we make our way home,” says Shayne, who has brought his Ngāti Porou passion and traditions to the squad.