Marist, Waimea pick up first round wins

Six club rugby teams were in action tonight for the first round of the Tasman Trophy, Nelson and Marlborough's premier club rugby competition. Nelson App reporters Jack Malcolm, Andrew Board and Peter Jones were at the games.

Marist v Stoke by Jack Malcolm at Trafalgar Park

Marist has kicked off its Tasman Trophy campaign with a bonus point win against Stoke at Trafalgar Park tonight.

Marist's 29-14 win was a strong statement of their intentions for the season, but with closer inspection, the game was much closer than the scoreline.

Two late tries saw the tables turn after Stoke had clawed themselves back into the game, only for their chance at earning the privilege of lifting the Baz Leary Trophy for the first time. The trophy is played for between the two teams and has been held for Marist since its inception.

It took just seven minutes for the tides to part for number 8 Te Puoho Stephens, as he found himself one-on-one with the wing defence as Marist pushed the ball to both extremes of the sideline.

Marist controlled large portions of the first half, with a dominant early scrum that earned several turnovers and ultimately another five-pointer as winger Finn Kilworth found the tryline off the back of a strong set piece lineout from a poor clearance.

The 10 point scoreline would be taken into half time, with Stoke coming back in the second half looking like a different team.

They found multiple line breaks on both flanks, working the way down the field before wave after wave in the 22, which saw Joseph Scott ultimately dot it down for a self-converted try.

Marist would answer back, recollecting their kick-off and capitalising on the field position to see lock Netani Baleisomosomo reextend their lead, but Stoke had the wind in their sails.

Despite ferocious Marist defence, constant pressure saw reserve back Jamie Hampson find space out wide after pressuring through the forwards to bring in the outside markers to make it a three-point game with seven minutes on the clock.

But, that was where the steam ran out as both teams ran themselves into the ground in a high paced game.

Marist would recollect their kick-off again, with Netani getting his second try before Adam Schwass crossed the line again to end the game as Stoke looked to push the pressure and force a turnover.

Coach Joe Kirker says he was happy with the performance in a first-up game for the season.

“We had patches, but small mistakes kept them in it, or us out of it is probably more accurate.

“We never sort of panicked with it, and we had a lot of new guys out there.”

He also gave credit to Marist for their performance, saying it was a good contest despite the scoreline.

Marist captain Leopino Maupese says he was grateful to get the win.

“We always knew the first game of the season was going to be the hardest.

“They gave us a little scare, but we managed to hold on.”

He says the team prides itself on their defence, which was tested but held firm for long stretches.

“We like to keep that green wall strong. If you breach it, you’re one of the good ones.”

Waimea Old Boys v Nelson by Andrew Board at Jubilee Park

Waimea Old Boys got its season off to the perfect start with a 34-19 win over Nelson in Richmond tonight.

Waimea showed their intent early, turning down a handy penalty shot at goal to take a quick tap instead. The endeavor paid off with Theo Simone crashing over for the game’s first try inside 10 minutes.

That set the tone for the match. Nelson had phases of good play but Waimea were more clinical and were rewarded with four tries to Nelson’s three.

Sam Briggs, playing his first game for Waimea, was handy at first five, directing play and kicking four conversions and two penalty goals. While the Waimea pack was more than solid, aided by the return of Ben Coman at lock.

Waimea coach Scott McKenzie says he was thrilled with the start to the season.

“That's a great start for the boys actually and I felt we still lift some points out in the pitch.”

Scott says the team has a nice balance this year between older and younger players and between strength in the forwards and backs.

“Having a couple of more experienced players has made a big difference and I think we still have plenty to work on, I think we’ll start to click even more over the next few weeks.

“There were a few sloppy things today like kick offs and our handling at times.”

Central v Moutere by Peter Jones at Lansdowne Park, Blenheim

A compelling first quarter performance saw Central open their 2024 Tasman Trophy premier rugby campaign with a 19-10 win over Moutere tonight.

The two-time defending champs were grateful for a fast start which saw them race out to a 19-0 advantage after just 16 minutes. At that stage it would have been a brave individual to suggest that would be the extent of their scoring for the remaining 64 minutes, but that is exactly what ensued.

From the opening whistle the Blues tore into their work, led by rampaging forwards Jesse MacDonald, Wayden Smith, Dusty Foley, Matt McCormick and Jack Powell, with powerful midfielders Ben Filipo and Jake Cresswell carrying hard out wider. Added to this was a dominant Central scum, forcing turnovers at set piece time and creating some serious go-forward.

The Magpies had no answer as Central ran through the phases, catching them out wide after just three minutes as McCormick surged over. A couple of turnovers later they were in again, this time through winger Koloa Fotu in the same left-hand corner. Their third try came from a regular source, player/coach Quentin MacDonald on the tail of an unstoppable lineout drive. Two of the tries were converted from out wide by first five Mitch Smith, propelling the Blues to a handy lead.

To their credit, the early onslaught merely stiffened Moutere’s resolve. They had the better of the latter stages of the first half, creating pressure on Central’s line and producing some timely turnovers of their own. Leading the Magpies’ comeback was loose forward Sekope Moli, his brother Monu Moli, hooker Johnny Vakaloa and lock Charles Tupoutoa, while the inside back combination of Bray Taumoefolau and Ben Finau began to dictate proceedings and midfielder Dylan McManaway and fullback Clyde Paewai also stood out.

Although Moutere were unable to reduce the deficit before halftime, they did not have to wait long after oranges to claw their way back into the game.

After just three minutes, player/coach Ben Finau, always an opportunist, snapped up a loose Central pass around the halfway mark and sprinted away to score in the corner. Although the conversion was unsuccessful, Moutere were buoyed by their first five-pointer of the new season and added their second six minutes later, some slick passing creating space out wide for replacement loosie Jack Burdon to gallop over. Again, the conversion was astray but Moutere were very much in the ascendancy, their ball carriers and tacklers both hitting harder than their opponents, and an upset looked on the cards.

However, Central know how to dig deep in this competition and did so, slowly reversing the momentum. Late in the match they had several golden opportunities to ice the game completely, plus pick up a bonus point for a fourth try but, through a combination of inaccuracy, impatience and early-season rustiness, failed to do so. They will be keen to smooth over some of the rough edges from their opening hit-out while figuring out how a side that can look so dominant for 20 minutes can become so disjointed soon after.

Moutere can take plenty of heart from their opening effort, especially against the defending champs. They showed they have the personnel and the game to take on anyone in the competition. Some tinkering up front, plus the return of a couple of key players, and the Magpies will surely become a force to be reckoned with.