Earlier in the afternoon, YMP beat Tapuae 19-12 in the women’s final, also at Lambton Square, while in an all-Wairoa sub-union match a kilometre or so away at Athletic Park home club Wairoa Athletic, also unbeaten in 2024, clung on to win the Lew Patterson Cup by beating Nuhaka 23-22.
Poverty Bay Rugby Union chief executive Ray Noble said it had been a great day for Poverty Bay rugby having all three finals in Wairoa, and all “could have gone either way”.
“It was a massive game – Athletic-Nuhaka – and with the women’s final there were only seven points in it,” he said. “With this game (Tapuae against YMP) it was always going to be fine margins, and the little moments that were going to win, and with all three games that is exactly what happened.”
“I think the supporters down here were massive,” he said. “These crowds were amazing, uniting the community and the community really needed it. Wairoa folk will have a smile on their faces and they deserve to.”
The games were held in Wairoa after the PBRU, with its main ground in Gisborne out of action, gave home-match rights to the top-seeded finalist in each grade, and in the main game the home team proved true to the words of strong supporter and sideline management Frank King, who was confident the team had the experience and stamina and would win.
Despite the heaviness of the conditions, both Tapuae tries went to the wing, the first to left-wing Iowane Filimone followed by a penalty goal kicked by second five-eighths Rana Hubbard, to make it 8-0 to the home side at halftime.
After two close calls early in the second half, YMP were rewarded with their try, which proved to be their only points.
Penalties were awarded to Tapuae leading to lineouts and right-wing Kyoni Te Amo scoring out wide to stretch and widen the gap again.
Needing to score twice to win, the pressure poured on to the visitors to score in the final eight minutes, at one stage surging towards the line after a lineout from a penalty.
Tapuae secured possession and cleared the ball, and in injury time another penalty was awarded to YMP with a tap and go, but again Tapuae seized on a loose ball to kick it out and take the premiership just as the wintry sun shone through on Lambton Square.
It had been the other way around when Tapuae fought back in the women’s final, down 19-6 in the 70th minute and scoring a converted try to provide an enthralling end.
It was a tense and changing battle in the all-Wairoa cup match at Athletic Park, Nuhaka at one stage leading, Athletic being up 15-14 at halftime and then by four points in the last 10 minutes, with prop Zane Wairau having scored two tries.
It was then that Athletic No 8 Jordan MacFarlane scored what proved to be the match-winning try, with Nuhaka missing a penalty in the last few minutes.
Live-streaming of the games at Lambton Square saw the women’s game attracting 1899 views by Sunday, and huge crowd support at both venues were a testament to the district-wide love of rugby.
Noble said it was an awesome game coming down to one point, and Athletic captain Joe McGregor said it was a battle and their side loved playing Nuhaka, who were a “great team”.
