Skipper a trump card as Clive returns to women's rugby oval office

It got out to nine points when fullback and goalkicker Thamsyn Newton scored Clive’s last try with eight minutes to go, and when Tech first five-eighths and Blues Super Rugby Aupiki player Kristen Cottrell, converted her side’s last try it made for potentially a tense last few minutes, which were, however, spent mainly at the reds’ end of the field.

Mum-of-three McIllroy, daughter of club president Jim McIllroy, had played rugby since the age of six and has experienced several cup triumphs since first playing in the women’s grade in 2013, including the last time Clive had won the final, with a win over Tech, in 2021.

The club first won the title in 1993, and has now won 18 times, many of them experienced also by such veterans as player-coach Te Maari MacGregor, who was at second five-eighths on Saturday, and Deidre Hakopa, who was on the open-side flank.

Tech had beaten Clive 45-15 and 26-24 in games earlier in a season in which MAC had been the top performer, with just one defeat until beaten 34-20 by Clive in a semifinal.

McIllroy said Clive, who was beaten 33-17 by Tech in the 2023 final in Napier, started 2024 “looking for players and trying to get all our mates back.”

There was some emotion as the players welcomed teammate Olivia Knight to the on-field presentation, in a wheelchair two weeks after breaking her back.

Meanwhile Taradale carried on their barnstorming way towards the men’s Premier rugby’s Bayleys Commercial Maddison Trophy final with a seven-tries-to-two 59-12 home-ground win over defending champions Napier Tech Old Boys at Tareha Reserve.

It was Taradale’s 15th win with four tries or more in 15 matches this season, including vanquishing Tech in both the Nash Cup round and the Maddison Trophy rounds.

The maroons led 31-0 at halftime, including 21 of the 25 points scored in the match by first five-eighths Trinity Spooner-Neera, one of the try-scorers.

With premier ground McLean Park ruled by the Napier City Council to be still unavailable after turf resowing and maintenance in April-May, Taradale will host next Saturday’s final against Napier Old Boys’ Marist who beat Napier Pirate 30-27 in a dramatic extra-time result at Park Island.

The hero of the darkening day was OBM coach Ellery Wilson who slotted in at first five-eighths, kicked a conversion and a penalty goal to help his side lead 15-0 after 23 minutes, the conversion of substitute loose forward Pouvi Fatialofa’s try to tie the game up after Pirate led 27-20 with three minutes to go and then the 96th-minute dropped-goal which won the game.

Taradale will be playing for a third Maddison Trophy final win in five finals since OBM’s last appearance in the final, a win in 2019. OBM was ousted by Taradale in the semifinals in both 2022 and 2023.

In Division 1′s Hepa Paewai Memorial rugby the final will be in Waipukurau with Central having beaten Dannevirke side Aotea 19-15 in one semifinal, in Waipukurau, against MAC, who beat Clive 25-16 at Flaxmere Park.

Otane, who turned down the opportunity to step-up to Division 1 mid-season, won the right to a Division 2 home-final with a 25-22 win over MAC’s reserve side at Otane Domain, and will play Napier OBM, who beat Waipawa Country United 21-18 at Park Island.

Taradale will also host the Colts final, after the club’s rising stars beat Napier OBM 41-14, while Havelock North also made it to the final with a 32-21 win over Napier Pirate.

The Senior Division 2A final will be between Napier Pirate, who beat Tech 32-27, and Eskview, who beat Hastings Rugby and Sport’s only semi-finalists 21-17.

Meanwhile, the Poverty Bay Rugby Union’s grand finals day is expected to be played in Wairoa next Saturday, with Wairoa teams reaching the showdowns as the highest-ranked finalists in all three grades.

Tapuae extended an unbeaten 2024 Premier grade record with a 32-10 win over Te Karaka side Waikohu in one Lee Bros Shield semifinal in Wairoa, and will play defending champions Gisborne YMP who beat Gisborne OBM 62-5 in the other semifinal in Gisborne.

Wairoa Athletic maintained their unbeaten record in the Senior grade with a 41-17 win over Tapuae’s second team and will play Nuhaka, who beat Gisborne side Ngatapa 47-0 in the other semifinal, at Nuhaka.

In secondary schools Super 8 first-fifteens rugby 4th-placed Napier Boys’ High School was awarded an injury-time penalty try to beat 5th-placed Rotorua BHS 33-32 in Napier, in the only game played on the first Saturday of the school holidays.

Defending near-perennial champions Hamilton BHS was beaten 20-18 by Tauranga Boys’ College on Thursday. Hastings BHS, in third place, play Tauranga away on July 27 and Hamilton on August 3 in Hastings in their bid to reach the final.

Scorers:

Premier (Maddison Trophy) semi-finals:

Taradale 59 (Nick Biss, Trinity Spooner-Neera, Hunter Morrison, Majella Tufuga, CJ Mienie, Kusitino Savea, Henry Williams tries; Spooner-Neera 4 penalties; Spoorner-Neera 4, Henry Williams conversions) Napier Tech OB 12 (Tamati Samuels, Trent Boswell-Wakefield tries; Ryongtee Oh conversion).

Napier Old Boys Marist 30 (Kere Penitito, Pedro Bezanilla, Dylan Homan, Pouvi Fatialofa ties; Ellery Wilson penalty, dropped goa, 2 conversions) Napier Pirate 27 (Andrew Tauatevalu 2, Hugh Taylor, Jarryd Broughton tries; Sheridan Rangihuna penalty, 2 conversions).

Division 1 (Hepa Paewai Me morial Trophy) semi-finals:

Central 19 (Semi Vodosese, Mokau Lambert, Joel Hintz tries; Jordan Soli 2 conversions) Aotea 15 (Te Rangi Williams, Jone Tuikoro tries; Hoera Stephenson penalty, conversion).

MAC 25 (Maika Fehoko, Donovan Godinet, Meni Manase, Mefiposeti Tupou, Damarus Hokianga tries) Clive 16 (Marcus Moat, Witana Sullivan tries; Flynn Gallagher 2 penalties).

Big Barrel Women’s Championship final: Clive 31 (Turuhira McIllroy 3, Shaylee Tipiwai, Thamsyn Newton tries; Newton 3 conversions) Napier Tech 29 (Monique Clark 2, Teilah Ferguson, Michaela Baker, Caterina Poletti tries; Krysten Cottrell 2 conversions).

Premier and Division 1 leaders:

Top try scorers: Kere Penitito (NOBM) 16, Semi Vodopsese (Central) 15, Elia Bari (MAC) 14.

Top points scorers: Jordan Soli (Central) 128, Benidito Vakaruru (MAC) 120, Will Cole (Havelock North) 112, Sheridan Rangihuna (Napier Pirate) 110, Izaiah Tuliau (Taradale) 102.

Doug Laing is a senior reporter based in Napier with Hawke’s Bay Today, and has 51 years of journalism experience, 40 of them in Hawke’s Bay, in news gathering, including breaking news, sports, local events, issues and personalities.