The reigning national secondary schools Top Four rugby champion, Hastings Boys' High School, has bowed out of this year's contest after a dramatic and muddy home-ground loss to Napier Boys' High School.
With 90 per cent of the match played at the school end of the field, Hastings landed an early penalty and scored two first-half tries to lead 17-3 at halftime.
It was still 17-3 with 16 minutes to go when Napier struck with two converted tries in three minutes and a penalty to take the lead at 20-17, then withstanding seven or eight minutes of mainly Hastings attack before claiming the victory in the National Top Four Hurricanes Region playoff.
Napier Boys' High School is now chasing its third Hurricanes region title in the last four championships and will play Wellington side St Pat's Silverstream in the Hurricanes Region final on Friday night on neutral ground in Palmerston North, in the curtain-raiser for the Manawatū-Tasman NPC match.
St Pat's Silverstream, having beaten St Pat's Town, in the Wellington schools final last week, beat Feilding AHS 16-12 in the other regional playoff on Saturday and, with Napier, now plays for a place in the national Top Four playoffs at Massey University on September 9-11.
With the championship cancelled for two years, Hastings has held the title since beating Auckland's King's College in the 2019 final, the fourth time in a row that either Hastings Boys' High School or Napier Boys' High School had been in the final.
With a penalty goal and two tries, scored by Vikta Tavita and Tali Ioasa, Hastings looked to have gone to a safe lead at halftime.
But with only a penalty to first five-eighths Cory Berkett on the board in the first 50 minutes, Napier produced several special heroes in the second half, with two off the substitutes bench in wing Adam Curran, who scored the first try, and first five-eighths Luke Thomas capitalising from young lock George Prouting's charge-down just moments later. Thomas also converted the third try, scored by hooker Tyrone Chrystal.
An all-Hastings Hawke's Bay Secondary Schools Division One final for the Unison Shield was played as the curtain-raiser to the Hawke's Bay-North Harbour Ranfurly Shield and NPC match at McLean Park in Napier, won by the Hastings Boys' High School Third XV with a 36-12 victory over the Second XV of defending champion Lindisfarne College.
Hawke's Bay senior development side the Saracens again folded in dramatic second-half fashion when beaten 40-19 by the Manawatū Evergreens in Palmerston North, after leading 17-9 at the break. The Bay side, including four from the Magpies NPC squad, scored two well-structured tries early in the first half but was overtaken by superior pace in the second.
Te Matau a Maui Hawke's Bay continued its winning revival of representative Māori rugby in the Bay after a 29-22 win over Hawke's Bay Samoa in the first Tamatea Arikinui taonga match between the sides at Farndon Park, Clive.
The Māori had opened the season with a last-minute-try to beat Hawke's Bay Samoa 26-25 at the park on August 13, and followed up with a 47-31 win over Manawatū Māori last week. They'll now prepare to play for a new trophy produced by master carver Taka Walker, highlighting the historical connections between Hawke's Bay Māori and Samoa via the waka Takitimu.
Captain and flanker Kaleb Whakataka scored two of the Māori XV's five tries, the others going to midfield backs Nathan Ramsay, Braydon Cunningham and substitute Jackson Waerea, while fullback Tianu Poto landed two conversions.
The Hawke's Bay Samoa tries were scored by wing Johnny Safiti, props Alfred Tuliaupupu and Dennis Tupuola, and flanker Povi Fatialofa, one converted by first five-eighths Sage Fomai.
Having fielded about 32 players in three games, Māori coaches Murdoch Paewai and Mutu Ngarimu now have to pick 25 for the four-team first division of Wellington Māori Rugby's Te Upoko o Te Ika Māori Invitational Tournament, opening with a match against Canterbury Waitaha on September 9.
