Greytown’s Michael Te Whare on the charge against Masterton Red Star. PHOTO/JADE CVETKOV
RUGBY
Gary Caffell
Big winning margins were the order of the day when matches in the Wairarapa-Bush Rugby Union’s Tui Cup premier division competition continued on Saturday.
Over the four games a massive 323 points were scored with three of the four winning teams topping the half-century mark and the other being only eight points short of it.
Carterton routed Marist 81-17 in their match at Carterton with the home team’s slick backline making full use of the wealth of quality possession won by their forwards.
For the second successive weekend, pacy outside back Trent Hopwood scored a hat-trick of tries for Carterton while the impressive Nick Mason managed a brace.
Other try-scorers for the maroons were Chester Rothery, Brock Price, Hone Vella, Isaac Bracewell, Cheyenne Harmon, Conan Gray, Isaac Dalton and Jacko Hull, while Daryl Pickering kicked four conversions and Utah Walker landed four penalty goals.
Marist did come up with three tries through Paddy Gluck, Sam Siaosi and Pua Tafa, and Bon Wilson kicked a conversion.
Gladstone kept their unbeaten record intact with a 54-14 success over East Coast.
The latter were typically industrious but simply didn’t have the scoring potential of a Gladstone side which ran in eight tries, three of them to hard-running midfielder Cameron Hayton, two to Eddie Cranston and one each to Andrew Smith, Tim Griffith and Andrew McKay.
Seven conversions were added to their scoreline by Jeremy Osborne.
Tries also came thick and fast for Greytown in their encounter with Masterton Red Star at Greytown, the home side totalling 12 in their 74-12 success.
Matt Henderson , Tavita Isaac and AJ Manley each scored a brace with others going to Rihi Brown, Shaye Harmon, Kingi Kaiwai, Michael Te Whare, Ginn Yeats and Ray Oakley. Moo Moo Falaniko kicked seven conversions.
The closest match of the day was between Martinborough and Eketahuna but it was, as expected, unbeaten Martinborough who called the tune, winning by 42-24.
Senior reserve scores:
Carterton 36, Marist 17; Featherston 31, Martinborough 20; Gladstone 36, East Coast 10; Tuhirangi 44, Greytown 12; Puketoi 24, Eketahuna 11; Pioneer 52, Pioneer Old Boys 19.
