ROUND-UP: Three wins for Hautapu as senior rugby season gets underway

The 2024 Waikato Rugby season is underway with three Hautapu Sports teams returning with wins on opening day.

The Premier A, Colts and Women’s Championship sides all won on the road, while the Development side lost to Hamilton Old Boys.

Premier A team start season with win

The Premier A side started their defence of the Breweries Shield with a 32-24 win against Hamilton Old Boys at Fred Jones Park.

It was a back and forth battle with Hamilton Old Boys who, as usual, fronted the new season with a strong team.

It was a hot start by both sides, but it was halfback Rui Farrant who broke the line the first time Hautapu entered Old Boys’ red zone, scoring the side’s first try of the season after five minutes.

After Old Boys converted a penalty for three points, they scored a try under the sticks to put themselves ahead 10-7.

Late in the first half, Farrant converted a penalty to tie the score.

With some outstanding line breaks from second-five Paula Wolfgram and wingers Quentin Hill and Jese Ravunacagi, Hautapu came out firing in the second half, leading to a penalty try.

Old Boys responded to tie the game, before Wolfgram scored a try of his own.

Hautapu kept applying pressure, and a Scottish link-up from Hamilton Burr and Archie Falconer led to Falconer scoring under the sticks.

With eight minutes to go, Old Boys scored seven more points, making the score 29-24 to Hautapu.

Hautapu held their ground on defence.

The Hautapu forward pack applied late pressure and were rewarded with a penalty that halfback Quinton Ngatai converted to put the game out of reach for Old Boys.

*The Hautapu women’s team go through their paces for their first game.*

Women’s team create history

Hautapu’s women’s team made history with their first appearance in the Waikato Women’s Championship, a nine-team competition.

Though the club had a women’s team in the early 1980s, this is a different generation, and the game for women is entirely different.

The 2024 Hautapu women stared the new era in style, beating United Matamata Sports 22-17 at Bedford Park.

It took only 12 minutes of the season for Hautapu’s Bella Cranston’s name to go into the history books as the club’s first try scorer. Hayley-Marie Church converted.

Hautapu threatened to run away with the game with tries in quick succession to Emily Brunton, and a second to Cranston.

Hilary Quinn was the scorer of Hautapu’s fourth first half try.

The home side fought back in the second half, and reduced the final margin to five points, but the Hautapu defence held firm.

Next weekend, the women make their home ground debut, hosting Pirongia who were first round losers to Hauraki in a high-scoring game.