Chairpersons Update

Well, what a day the Chook house went off for the Tukapa Old Timers and Sponsors day. It was great to see so many people out and supporting Tukapa. Special mention to those who travelled from outside the region.

A successful weekend with wins for all our senior teams, two centurions added to the history books, and a pumping clubroom on Saturday night!

Also a special thanks to NZ Forestry for your support with the live band ‘Playin Up’ who put on an awesome performance Saturday night!

I can say that the bar taking was one of the best we have had in recent years.

With all the support the Boys have off the field, all three teams are doing well on the field. All teams are in the top four and looking to stay there given we stay injury-free.

This Week Games

This week our Pacific Fuel Haul Division one and Egmont Seeds Premiers are away to Coastal at Rahotu with kick-off times of 1.00pm and 2.45pm.

Our Gardiner Plumbing Division two team is at home to Coastal with a 1.00pm kick-off.

It looks like the weather should be fine and a great day of rugby is on the cards.

Supporters Bus for Coastal

Due to the great support over the bar and from our Sponsors we have decided to run a couple of buses down to Rahotu. If supporters are keen to come on these it will be $10 at the door of the bus.

1^st Bus leaves with the Div 1 team at 11.00am from Tukapa

2^nd Bus leaves with the Premiers at 12.00 noon from Tukapa

There is only one bus returning leaving Rahotu at 6.30pm and back at Tukapa at 10.00pm with a couple of stops on the way home.

Craig Eaton Remembrance Cup

The Craig Eaton Remembrance Cup, which is to be competed for on Saturday at Rahotu,  is named in honour of Craig Eaton who died in 2018 aged 52. The Cup was donated by Craig’s widow Lianne and their three daughters Rebecca, Courtenay and Olivia.

Craig played 27 consecutive seasons of afternoon grade rugby for Tukapa before he retired from the game in 2010. He began straight out of school in the Under 17 grade, then moved up through Under 19’s, Colts and Senior B’s to become the Senior A pivot in the late 1980s/ early 1990s. From about 1996 onwards, Craig played first five eighth for the highly successful Tukapa Senior Thirds team which won eight Taranaki championship titles between 1998 and 2010.

During his time as Tukapa’s Senior A first five Craig was also a regular in that position for the Taranaki B team.

One of Craig’s last wishes was a trophy in his name be played for at Premier level between his beloved Tukapa club and Coastal, firstly because there was no existing trophy between the two clubs but mainly because Craig’s family, including his dad Kelvin, were originally Coastal people.

Junior players needed

WANTED: keen and enthusiastic junior players to join a second Tukapa under 11 team!!

The competition starts 25th July 2020. If you know anyone who may be interested, please get them to contact Junior Convener Leigh Werder 027 768 8725 or Club Chairman Scott Siffleet 021 317331 ASAP.

We are also still taking players in all other grades.

Chairpersons update

The third week is upon us and all Tukapa teams are sitting at or near the top of there pools. The clubhouse has all the hooks full of trophies except the main trophy above the bar.

Sponsors and Old Timers Day

This week brings our biggest day of the year with Sponsors and Old Timers Day. Please join us to thank our Sponsors for backing us on a year that is one out of the box.

The following is the program for Sponsors and Old Timers Day:

11.45am            Tukapa U13 vs FDMC U13

12.00PM            Meet and greet upstairs bar, Sponsors and Old timers day

12.30pm            John McCullough from Egmont Seeds to speak

12.45pm            Finger food Served

1.00pm              Tukapa 3rds vs NPOB 3rds Field 2

1.00pm              Tukapa B’s Vs Inglewood B’s Field 1

2.45pm              Tukapa Premiers vs Inglewood Field 1

5.30pm              After match speeches and presentations

7.30pm              Band Starts playing for a night of Entertainment

This week we are also celebrating a good mate of mine, playing 100 games for Tukapa. Leighton Price has been a huge part of Tukapa and I am sure you all agree this is well deserved. If you are a retired player of Tukapa and have a Tukapa blazer it would be great to See you in the clubhouse wearing that blazer as we present one to Leighton and also Jayson.

Leighton Price 100 Games

Chook House Cafe Open

This week also sees the Chook House Café open for the 1^st time selling Proof and Stock coffee, pies, chips, drinks and all your other sweets. All profit from the café goes straight back to the club, so be sure to buy your lunch when you get there and give the kids $5 as well.

Lindsay Thomson Honoured

I would like to make mention of Lindsay Thomson being honoured with Life Membership at the TRFU AGM last night along with John eagles and the late Sue Mitchell. This is well deserved for the amount of work these people have put into rugby. There is more to Come on Kai’s award in the next Newsletter but well-done mate and we look forward to having you around Tukapa a bit more.

Chairpersons update

As we head into week two after a close win for the Egmont Seeds Premiers, a close loss for the Pacific Fuel Haul Division one against New Plymouth Old Boys and a big Win for our Gardiner Plumbing Snr 3rds over Clifton the boys are all looking forward to trying to win back the Dan O’Brien Shield against Spotswood United this weekend. This year we have no colts and Spotswood United has no thirds so to win back the Carbine Shield we need to win 2 from 2 games. Our Snr 3rds also have a big game against BellBlock which is always a great game that could go either way.

The Premiers are looking fit and have got through week 1 with no major Injuries so we are hoping to put out our strongest line up to go to battle with last year’s Champions.

Locations for this weekend games

Spotswood United vs Tukapa Division 1                 Yarrows Number 4 ground           1pm kick off

Tukapa Snr 3rds Vs BellBlock                       Sanders park Number 1 ground                1pm kick off   

Spotswood United Vs Tukapa Premiers                 Yarrows Number 2 ground          2.45pm kick off

We hope to see you all on the sidelines and back at the Chook House for a beverage afterwards. The Tukapa Bar will open at 12.30pm Saturday and the Café will not open until next week.

Next week we are at home for Old timers’and Sponsors Day with all teams at home. We also have a band playing from 7pm to Dance the night away. Be sure to book a babysitter and do not miss a great night at the Chook House.

Blue and White for Life

                                                Scott Siffleet

History of the Dan O'Brien Shield

Virtual Raffle Winners

Thank you to everyone who supported the rugby club by buying a ticket for the virtual raffle! The raffle was drawn last Saturday night at the clubrooms, with the winners as follows...

$300 Mitchell Green ?
$200 Rusty Gilbert ?
$100 Lachlan Jones ?

Sponsors and Old Timers Day next weekend

All Sponsors and Old Timers are invited to attend the clubrooms at 12.00 midday 4 July 2020 to enjoy nibbles, refreshments and listen to a guest speaker before our first home game of the season against Inglewood United at 2.45pm. Tukapa B's vs Inglewood and Tukapa 3rds vs NPOB are the earlier home games.

Throwback Thursday!!

In April 2009 New Plymouth Boys High School played the Tukapa Colts in a first-round clash. Almost half of the starting XV were former Tukapa Junior players! Left to right: Lagen Kumeroa, Mark Atkins, Baxter King, Sam Thomson, Ben West, Joel Meuli, and Josh Sandford.

Chairpersons Update

Well, guys here we are at the 1^st round of Club rugby after a long wait. On Wednesday I was lucky enough to be invited to lunch with a group of Tukapa Men and Women who met and discussed the upcoming season. These young ones don’t like to be known as old-timers and are more the wise men and women of Tukapa. We ran through the players and talked about the upcoming games that our boys need to win to get through to the semifinals, it is the look in their eyes and smiles on their faces that make me want to carry on this great clubs history, and the reason we have such a strong club is because of the work these men and women did before we stepped in. This year our club goal is to have all three teams in the semifinals and with the squad numbers we are getting, I can see no reason why this will not happen.

Jayson Potroz 100 Games

This week Jayson Potroz will run out for his 100^th game in the Egmont Seeds Premier jersey. Jayson has been a corner stone of the Premiers for a long time now and I personally have been the team manager for over 70 of Potty’s 100 games and I found him to be as valuable off the field as he is on the field. Jayson is always keen to help all players around him improve so the team can lift to the level they need to be at. Jayson’s secondary schooling was at Francis Douglas and when he left school, he went to play for his hometown of Stratford playing 28 games before moving to New Plymouth to live and work. Naturally being an ex-college lad, in 2013 he came to Tukapa to carry on his rugby, and now 7 years later and 100 games he is still the 1^st name on the coaches’ team sheet each week. Last year playing for the Taranaki Bulls he was named Taranaki Bulls Back of the Year.

I am sure we will see Jayson running around in the blue and white hoops for a few more seasons yet. Well done Jayson.

Be sure to come back to the chook house for some storytelling after the away game vs NPOB, I hear a rumor that Jayson is shouting the bar.

This weeks games.

This week we are away to NPOB's with the Tukapa B's vs NPOB B's as the curtain-raiser and Tukapa Premier vs NPOB Premier at 2.45pm. I look forward to seeing all our supporters decked out in blue and white, lining the sidelines over at Whitehouse.

Also, our snr 3rds had a good pre-season win against Clifton last weekend and this week we take on Clifton in their backyard, Hopefully the boys can get up again.

Your Chairperson, Blue and White for life.

                                                                                      Scott Siffleet

Dates to put in your diary.

All Sponsors and Old Timers are invited to attend the clubrooms at 12.00 midday 4 July 2020 to enjoy nibbles, refreshments and listen to a guest speaker before our first home game of the season against Inglewood United at 2.45pm. Tukapa B's vs Inglewood and Tukapa 3rds vs NPOB are the earlier home games.

Streamline Tukapa Junior Rugby

Streamline Tukapa Junior Rugby gets the green light to start after the Covid19 pandemic. The season will run from Saturday 25 July 2020 - Saturday 26 September 2020.

Registrations can be completed online with visa and online banking payments accepted. There will be a registration day on Wednesday 24 June 2020 3.30pm - 5.30pm if you are unable to register online.

Club Registration & Membership

All club membership is now due. You can join the club via our website. Click on About Us and then Membership and then select the registration group you require or click on the link below.

Senior Registration

Junior Registration

Social Membership

Hey guys not a full on Newsletter today but just a few quick updates about Level 2 and where we are at with Tukapa. 
The 1st one is not Good news as our bar is counted as Primarily Alcohol and we dont do set down meals, we have to keep it closed for now until the government opens bars. But hey we have been having alot of great chat on the Friday night Zoom beers so please feel free to log in and help us sort the big issues over a Ale.
As for Rugby we are no Closer to a start date and at this stage there will be no rugby training until at least after the next Government announcement on the 25th of May. Please read the full media release from TRFU below. 

Cheers Scotty 

12 May 2020 - Further time needed until rugby can begin in Taranaki

Taranaki Rugby is urging clubs and stakeholders to continue their patience before concrete plans are made regarding the start of rugby in New Zealand.  

The TRFU is continuing to work with New Zealand Rugby who are following Government guidance and formulating directives on what health and safety processes will look in Alert Level 2.

Taranaki Rugby Chief Executive Laurence Corlett said appropriate measures, that meet the Ministry of Health guidelines, need to be clarified and consistent across all clubs nationwide. These include the responsibility of clubs and schools, hygiene, contact tracing protocols, crowd management and health and safety plans.

“We really appreciate the patience shown by all of our clubs and stakeholders during this fast changing situation. We are unlikely to have any rugby for at least another two weeks, and we will continue to update clubs and stakeholders as new information comes to hand.”

“Given there is still a risk of the virus spreading in our community, we want to make sure we have everything in place to avoid a cluster. New Zealand Rugby and Sport New Zealand are working with the Ministry to ensure the safety of our players, coaches, referees and volunteers is looked after – which is our priority,” he said.

In the meantime, players can train at the gym from Thursday, with restrictions in place, but there are to be no club trainings nationwide until at least May 25 when the Government announces any changes to Level 2 restrictions.

Some Entries so far 
Please Keep supporting all our Sponsors and send us the pictures to win a bar tab 

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Latest Club News

Hey guys as we all get ready to move out of Level 3 and head towards level 2 to get some more space back and hopefully get closer to Rugby getting played. At Level 2 it looks like we may be able to open the bar at Tukapa on Friday and Saturday as long as we are seated and under 100 people, So we look forward to this and I will put an email out when this happens. 
As for Rugby being played, we need to get to Level 1 to allow this to happen. At this stage, we will look at getting the boys back to Non-contact training at Level 2 so we are ready to take on the possible start to club rugby. 
There is a TRFU meeting on the 12th of May for all Chairs to try and nut out a plan going forward. I will report back as soon as we know anything. 
We have started reaching out to our Tukapa sponsors and will carry this process on in the coming days, So far the ones we have spoken with are still happy to stay with us and help us recover from the Covid 19 issues, we thank you very much for this, without you we would not be able to run our great club. To the members, I ask you to take a look at the list of logos below and anywhere we can please buy from these guys to also help them through this time.   
 We would love to see some photos of you and your bubble supporting our Sponsors where you can, lets see who can be the most creative, we will even reward the best with a $50 bar voucher to enjoy when we are back up and running. Post your photos to our Facebook page, (or send to me) info@tukapa.co.nz have a bit of fun and show our sponsors how much they mean to us.

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Tukapa faithful we need you to support our Sponsors

Hey Guys, I hope everyone is finding enough things to do without Sport and not much else on TV. Personally, I have got back into my home butchery making Sausages and Salami, and dinners in our household have got a lot better due to having all day to prepare. But all in all, my isolation is not going too bad with the highlight being the Zoom beer with the Tukapa crew on a Friday night at 4pm.
This brings me to my 1st topic - ways we can support the people that help Tukapa. Let’s ensure we support our sponsors as they have supported us. They need us right now, and we can do our bit for them in these unprecedented times.
Last Friday while having a beer on Zoom with the crew the topic of helping our sponsors during this challenging was discussed, and a concerted effort from the Tukapa faithful will enhance our ability to retain the support from our sponsors into the future. One of our biggest and longest standing Sponsors is Lion Breweries, and we can all support them when you, or your designated shopper, go to the Supermarket make sure you are buying Lion Product. I know some of our younger generation get confused about what is a Lion product………. As a guide if we sell it at Tukapa it is all good, Lion Brown is Lion - Double Brown is NOT. 

Check out all our sponsors below and help us support them. 

To mention just a few that we can support during the Lock down:
Lion Nathan        -        Buy their product from the Supermarket 
Egmont Seeds      -       Shop online for all your seeds 
NP Physiotherapy   -     Are still doing Zoom consults and helping you through recovery 
Riddlez Interactive   -   Get that Web site updated or adverts out on Social media 
Baker Tilly Staples   -    These guys are still helping a number of Businesses though this time 
Liquorland, Fitzroy  -    Amy is now doing home deliveries, Check out Liquorland on Facebook 

We would love to see some photos of you and your bubble supporting our Sponsors where you can, lets see who can be the most creative, we will even reward the best with a $50 bar voucher to enjoy when we are back up and running. Post your photos to our Facebook page, (or send to me) info@tukapa.co.nz have a bit of fun, and show our sponsors how much they mean to us.

TRFU Chairmans Meeting 

Last Wednesday we had our 1st Zoom Chairmans meeting with all clubs attending online. the main points of this meeting was all clubs still want to see rugby this year and we all agreed that more than likey we are looking at a one round Comp with semi and finals to follow. As to when this will start we would hope to know this in the next couple of weeks. With alot of the other clubs being rural there is concern with rugby clashing with the calving season. 
NZR are in talks with the government and are hoping to update all unions on Friday with more information. Then TRFU and chairman are looking at another Zoom meeting on Wednesday. 

For a full report go to https://www.trfu.co.nz/newsarticle/89092?fbclid=IwAR3TlaE2oxkn9nlPfYUZfagpQGNZcRviiso-mGXKXNwTU-4XO-h1fOjr990

Today we head into Day 8 of the lockdown And as Grant pointed out that I 'Scott Siffleet' have taken over as Chairman going froward of our great club, I thank Grant for his great service over the past two years, he has brought a lot of Professionalism to the club, with his passion for Tukapa has made a positive impact and left us in a good place going forward.
I remember a few years back when a round of club rugby was postponed just before we were about to get on a Bus and head to Stratford for ruff weather, I thought at the time this will be a once in a lifetime thing. Now we are in the middle of Covid-19 and we are not sure if we will even get Club rugby this year, We are again hopefully a once in a lifetime event. I am sure we all agree that even though we love Club rugby our Health has to come 1st in this trying time.

You guys properly already clicked that a Tradesman has been writing this Newsletter for a while now due to the poor English but my Main goal is to keep all you informed on anything going on at the club or Rugby in general. If you have anything you would like to include please email me.
To start with on a non-rugby related topic I have had offers from members of Tukapa that can help get Groceries to any members that may not be able to get to the supermarket or any other place they need Essential items from.
Also making sure that all our players still have jobs, I have a few contacts coming back to me with some short term work leads. if any of the above interests you please email me at info@tukapa.co.nz 
At this stage, we are no closer to working out if and or when we may get a shot at the CMK Club rugby title for 2020. The TRFU has called a meeting next Wednesday through Zoom for all club Chairs and key members of club rugby to see if we can come up with some ideas of how it could work for 2020. If anyone has any ideas on this please feel free to flick me an email at info@tukapa.co.nz.

The Tukapa Executive will Zoom Meet on this as well before Wednesday but these are the topics for Conversation 
Please discuss within your clubs:
1. How much time is required before a start is possible
2. Who is positioned to host restricted games (some venues will not allow for this)
3. Is there a point of time that a season (in a traditional sense) becomes not viable
4. Any ideas or suggestions around modified tournament formats 
5. Any other concerns or ideas 

News From NZ Rugby 

To help secure the future of the sport, New Zealand Rugby (NZR) and Provincial Unions have today cancelled all provincial representative rugby tournaments below the Mitre 10 Cup and Farah Palmer Cup. The cancellations include the 2020 Mitre 10 Heartland Championship, Jock Hobbs Memorial National Under 19 Tournament, TECT National Sevens Tournament and all Provincial Union representative rugby tournaments, excluding the Mitre 10 Cup and Farah Palmer Cup.NZR Chief Executive Mark Robinson said rugby had worked together to make these difficult decisions for the best interests of the game. 

New Zealand Rugby and Super Rugby Clubs working together to sustain the game

1 APRIL 2020

New Zealand Rugby (NZR) has announced an emergency grant will be made available to New Zealand’s five Super Rugby clubs to ensure the clubs and competition are in the best position possible for when the Investec Super Rugby competition resumes.NZR Chief Executive Mark Robinson said: “An emergency NZR grant of $250,000 each is to be made available to all Super Rugby clubs for the next three months which is seen as a critical supplement to other financing options or levers being considered by the Clubs.Super Rugby is a vital part of our rugby eco-system and has a solid 25-year track record as a strong and admired rugby competition that has valuable intellectual property and a legacy of world class rugby.“These decisions are about protecting the core capability of the Super Rugby clubs so that they are ready to hit the ground running if Super Rugby resumes later this year, and also be in a position to revive and participate in Super Rugby in whatever shape it takes in 2021 and beyond.Robinson also added that funding for New Zealand’s Provincial Unions would also continue.“Provincial Unions receive approximately $30 million in funding per annum, and all will receive their funding payment in full for quarter 2. However given the challenging circumstances with Covid-19, beyond this time we will keep a watching brief as things develop.“Super Rugby clubs normally earn all their revenue through commercial and gate activities. All Clubs are doing a range of things to keep their organisations viable through this challenging time.“In addition, just like NZR, Super Rugby Clubs have also made necessary changes because of the Covid-19 crisis, including budget cuts and staffing changes. The emergency grant is necessary so that Super Rugby Clubs can survive and be ready to grow their revenue once we are through the pandemic.Mark Robinson added: “The Super Rugby clubs and NZR have also agreed to pause the negotiation of Super Rugby franchise licenses and use this time to review the business principles and governance of the competition so that the future of the clubs is sustainable, and they are match ready.Robinson also announced that NZR was forming a working group made up of representatives from Provincial Unions, Super Rugby clubs, the New Zealand Rugby Players Association, commercial partners, NZR and other key stakeholders to look at the structure of all domestic competitions in 2020 across all levels for when rugby starts again.“The working group will be looking at developing the best possible rugby for players, fans and stakeholders for 2020 and it is a hugely positive signal for the game that stakeholders are coming together to do what is in the best interests for rugby.”