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Otago Daily Times
10-07-2025
- Sport
- Otago Daily Times
Another home semi against Alex
Upper Clutha's Sam Masterton grapples with Wakatipu halfback Xavier Sadler during a White Horse Cup fixture in Wānaka last weekend. PHOTO: SUPPLIED Having lost their semifinals the past two seasons, the Wakatipu Premiers rugby side's amped to go one better this Saturday. And, in a repeat of last year, they'll be home again to Alexandra, who surprisingly tipped them over 24-21 after Waka had beaten them 27-0 in their own backyard the week before. Wakatipu secured their second place on the table this year after losing to top-of-the-table Upper Clutha in a White Horse Cup challenge in Wanaka last weekend. They were down 12-3 at halftime, coach Jordan Manihera suggesting his players didn't adjust to playing 90 minutes earlier than usual. However, for most of the second half they were in the ascendant, needing only a converted try to win, till reserve Paulie Tuala was yellow-carded for not wearing a mouthguard and they conceded a late try. "We had two tries disallowed and we were creating opportunities but we just weren't managing to finish them," Manihera notes. He says they're excited to play Alex again — they thrashed them 31-3 at home to start their season then beat them 31-29 at Molyneux Park after trailing 29-12 with 29 minutes to go. "We proved our resilience when we played them over there in round 2. "We know Alex's game, we know what they do, we know how to shut them down. "I think it's a massive opportunity for us to not only right some wrongs from last year, but if we get through it, it'll be a first final for [co-coach] Kapa [Te Rangi Moeke] and me, and we're wanting to go all the way." Wakatipu welcome back Anton Huisman and Don Lolo who were away last weekend, though that's counter-balanced by season-ending injuries last weekend to Josh Aperahama-Paenganui and Adam Fleming. Meanwhile, Arrowtown defaulted to Maniototo ahead of their last round-robin — the former finish with only two wins this season, while the latter, after finishing fourth, play Upper Clutha in the other semi this Saturday.
Otago Daily Times
03-07-2025
- Sport
- Otago Daily Times
The ‘Steam Train' is stoked
Tom Ria scoring the first of his two tries against Cromwell last Saturday. PHOTO: SUPPLIED Ahead of their White Horse Cup challenge this Saturday, and finals the following two weekends, the Wakatipu Premiers rugby side's longtime no.7's in a confident mood. "We've definitely got the cattle this year, just a good mix of young and old and all sorts," says Tom Ria, who's co-captain for the first time this season. Having left school in Tokoroa, the 28-year-old — nicknamed the 'South Waikato Steam Train'— first played for Wakatipu in 2016 when they finished a disappointing seventh in the Central Otago competition. Under coach Justin Pewhairangi, however, they won the next year. Ria then brought up his 50th game in 2019. A wrist injury took him out the following two years, but he was back in the team, under Brett 'Big Show' Anderson, for their next comp win in 2022, and is now chasing his third. Somewhat of a tackling machine, the veteran of 80-plus games for Wakatipu says he's blessed this season with "big fellas around me so I don't have to carry the ball". However, he was delighted to dot down twice against Cromwell in the Queenstown Rec Ground mud last Saturday. "I just stand on the wing so I just catch the ball and fall over the line. "I probably ran five metres for both combined, and then Anton [Huisman], he got two tries as well and he probably ran 100m for his." He's full of praise for coaches Jordan Manihera and Kapa Te Rangi Moeke. "They're a bit of yin and yang, like Jordan obviously talks a lot, he just keeps the boys ticking over, and Kapa doesn't really talk much — when he does, it's going to be pretty important what he says." As for co-captaining the team, Ria says it's "super-easy" sharing the load with Rube 'Smokey' Peina. "When your best player is also the captain, it makes everybody's job pretty easy." He also praises the selflessness of the club's Wanderers coach, Tom Cunningham. "If we're ever short, he'll just offer up their best players straight away." Ria's certainly got no plans to retire any time soon. "I'll just keep going until I can't any more. "When you see some of the players still playing, and they've got 10, 11 years on me, it's no real excuse not to keep going." Table-topping the main aim Beating Upper Clutha in Wanaka to top the table's even more important than reclaiming the coveted White Horse Cup, Wakatipu co-coach Kapa Te Rangi Moeke says. Wakatipu's three points behind leaders Upper Clutha ahead of Saturday's final round-robin fixture, so, should they win, they'd play fourth-placed Maniototo at home in the semis next Saturday. Upper Clutha would only still stay ahead if they lose by less than seven points and score four tries. Moeke says his team's "grown a lot" since losing 17-10 to Upper Clutha on May 10, and in addition to their attacking threat "it's been our defence that's been doing it for us for the last sort of three weeks". Meanwhile, Arrowtown will be aiming for their third win of the year when they wrap up their season with a home game against Maniototo this Saturday.
Otago Daily Times
20-06-2025
- Sport
- Otago Daily Times
Our Michael wings it in Japan
Michael Collins at last weekend's game between the Wakatipu Premiers — whom he's played for just once, when they lifted the White Horse Cup off Arrowtown in 2019 — and Maniototo. PHOTO: PHILIP CHANDLER What a time to play your first game on the right wing. Usually a centre or fullback, longtime Queenstown rugby pro Michael Collins wore the No14 jersey for the first time this month — for his Toshiba Brave Lupus Tokyo team in the final of Japan's League One comp in which they beat Kubota Spears 18-13 to claim back-to-back titles. The 32-year-old, who's just finished his second season with the team and has signed on for two more, says he'd only played wing once before, for the same team last year, in his 14-year professional career. He took the spot due to injuries to a couple of good Japanese wingers, and because they had a spare place for a foreign player. As in his first season, Collins played more games off the bench than he started in because teams are restricted to four foreigners. He notes Toshiba's already blessed with three internationals — including former All Black stars Richie Mo'unga and Shannon Frizell — "and then often there's a foreign lock because that's where you get your height from". "You sort of just bide your time, and when you get the chance to play you play." He confirms Mo'unga, man of the match in the final despite a broken right hand, and Frizell "are a big part of why the team's had success". Collins, who's formerly played for Otago, the Blues, the Highlanders and two Welsh clubs, says the standard of the Japanese comp is "really high". "It's impressive how physical Japanese players are." Most teams also field strong overseas talent, he adds — "you get to test yourself against top athletes in the world". Collins says he still enjoys rugby, and Japan, and lives in "sort of central-ish" Tokyo with his partner. He was also thrilled his dad Kelvin and brother Rhys could make the final, which drew 50,000-plus to Tokyo's National Stadium. He says his body's still "there or thereabouts, obviously not what it was when you were 22", and, touch wood, he's been lucky with injuries. "Hopefully we'll try to keep playing as long as we can."
Otago Daily Times
19-06-2025
- Sport
- Otago Daily Times
Arrowtown's timely return to form
Wakatipu Premiers hooker Thomas Hulsman, pictured in action against Matakanui Combined recently, is among a group of young players the team's successfully blooded this season. PHOTO: SUPPLIED Following a convincing away win over Cromwell last weekend, the Arrowtown rugby side's fizzing for this Saturday's home-ground 'Battle of the Basin' game against Wakatipu. Arrowtown beat Cromwell 29-7 to clinch just their second win of the year after their season-opening thrashing of Matakanui Combined in March. It also came after the teams had drawn their first-round fixture. "The boys showed a bit of grit on Saturday," says captain Ryan Egerton, who didn't play due to a "buggered" knee. "She was one of the better 23-man performances I've seen from the Arrowtown Bulls. "Everyone that came on from the bench played a good role and, yeah, we scored some pretty good meat pies, to be fair." Coming after a deflating loss to Alexandra, "it's definitely given the boys a bit of confidence," Egerton adds. "We definitely needed it for morale, because, yeah, the boys were hurting after loss after loss." He was also expecting the prospect of a Battle of the Basin game to provide "a bit of fizz" at training this week. "I'm sure we'll be up for it, and hopefully we can get a heap of people down at the Jack Reid and put on a good show." Wakatipu Premiers coach Jordan Manihera, whose team touched up Arrowtown 48-19 in the first round, says he's pleased to hear of Arrowtown's good result "through the gorge", and certainly won't be taking them for granted despite their 7-2 win-loss record this season. "It's a great rivalry to have, and how the comp's been this year, anything can happen if one team turns up and plays better than their opposite number on the day. "So we're treating this game, as we do every week, with some good preparation. "We're back to a full contingent, so back to getting the old migraine with selections, but, you know, it's a good problem to have, so we're really looking forward to ripping into it." Manihera's also hoping for good ground conditions after playing on a heavy track at the Queenstown Rec Ground these past two Saturdays — Waka last weekend beat Maniototo 29-13, but only after upping their intensity over the final 20 minutes. They're deliberately bringing some experienced players like Don Lolo and Paulie Tuala off the bench, the coach says. "We've kind of found we were staying in the fight for a good 50 to 60 minutes every game, but then we're just sort of losing a bit of composure and experience towards the end." With Wakatipu third on the table, one point behind Alexandra, and with just two rounds to go after this weekend, expect them to be chasing a bonus point win this Saturday to try to nail down a home semifinal.
