The Reece Robinson era got off to a flying start as Copthorne Wairarapa-Bush weathered the heavy rain and strong easterly wind to trounce Central Hawke’s Bay [CHB] 74-12 in Waipukurau yesterday.
Big prop Tupou Lea’aemanu crossed for an early double, opening the scoring with a try after seven minutes, and adding a second 10 minutes later as the ‘Green and Reds’ asserted their early dominance.
CHB bounced back for the first of their two tries, only for Wai-Bush to respond almost immediately, eventually running in six first-half tries. Coach Robinson rung the changes at halftime, giving everyone in the 25-man squad good game time in the preseason opener.
In the end, Wai-Bush crossed for 12 tries. They also locked away the Stu Smith Memorial Cup for another year, having won the first match between these two sides last year.
There will be a full report and reaction in tomorrow’s Times-Age.
