Piri’s Tiki Tour stops off in town
A screenshot from the episode shows Piri taking up the head coaching role for Huia as part of his Tiki Tour around the country. Photo: Supplied.
Former All Black Piri Weepu has featured Huia Rugby Club in season six of his show, Piri’s Tiki Tour.
Piri was shown around the region by Shannon Thompson, who plays from the club alongside his son Malone, and went down for a Saturday of rugby at Motueka Sports Park.
Alongside watching the juniors play, they also met with the club’s coaches, Kendall Riley and Dion Iorns, to see if they could lend a hand.
Piri and his co-host, Paul Whatuira, each coached a team as Huia and Kahurangi played at the start of the 2023 season, with a free lunch on the line for the winner.
His message to the players was to have straight throws at lineout time and “the three t’s, tackle, tackle, tackle”.
When it was all said and done, Huia had won the match 15-7 and Piri had the bragging rights.
But he might have been feeling a bit worse for wear after taking the field for Kahurangi and helping them get over the line for a conciliatory try.
Piri even had a conversion attempt as he made the most of the day at Huia before they headed out the next day to go eeling.
As part of Piri’s Tiki Tour’s sixth season, episode four sees them also in the Wakatu region.
The episode description says they're hosted by Cyril Collier targeting Snapper, put to the test by Raniera Petersen with a Mau Rakau lesson and visit the Anatoki Salmon Farm.
Both episodes which feature locals can be streamed through ThreeNow.