Chairpersons Update

Two weeks of the season left before we head into the Semi-finals.  This week sees our Premiers, Division 1, and Colts all in Stratford. We have buses leaving Tukapa at 11:00am and 12:00pm both returning to watch the Super Rugby Final at Tukapa. The buses are free for anyone to jump on.

Our mighty Lion Brown Snr 3rds have a grade-wide bye weekend and will go into camp on the Golf Course for a well-led team-building day. 

True Country Club Spirit

Last weekend I had the privilege of joining our thirds boys on their bus trip to Toko. What a place to go and watch rugby. When we arrived we got off the bus and walked across the cattle stop, up the hill, and saw over 100 kids playing rugby and their team photos done outside on their old raised seating. We went inside their club rooms to grab some sponsor's products and they had half the bar set up for selling Brown Gold with the other half set up with Orange juice and Savs. Outside the changing rooms, both teams mixed and mingled and had a yarn about the past week’s rugby before both teams started to prep for the big game. We had a chat between club leaders about where each team would stand then shook hands, looked each other in the eye and the deal was done. 

During the game, I think I counted over 200 utes parked all around the club with people lining the sidelines and filling their deck. Our thirds played well but went down by 2 points, it was a great game of rugby that was then followed by the custom undie run for the Tukapa lads that hadn’t scored a try. While the boys were off doing the undie run the rest of both teams stood around outside again chatting rugby and having a laugh together before heading inside to a packed clubhouse. 

A man that we all know well, Mr Steven Needham, was our tour guide and made sure the boys didn’t miss out on a round of drinks. The speeches were had followed by Toko boys singing their song which was answered loud and proud by the Cast Iron Chicken led by Ned. Moving through the night we had some good chats with some good buggers and also bid well on their club auction - I still need to go back and pick up a slab of Macrocarpa that I won.

The long story short of this is, the passion that is shown in a great country club for their club and the game of rugby is second to none, and as long as we have a 3rds rugby division and a whole lot of good buggers involved, rugby is still alive and well in Taranaki. Next year I strongly suggest if you want a good day out at the rugby be sure to jump on the Snr 3rds bus to a country club and you won’t regret it. 

For our other three teams, it's now a numbers game. Our Premiers need to beat Stratford or NPOB to stay in the top 4 with Clifton and Coastal hot on their tail. Our B’s have had a rough season and are now out there to see if they can upset someone else’s apple cart.  Our Colts sit in 3^rd and should hold this spot then book a semi. If they win one or two games this will be a home semi and our thirds will play Kaponga at home next weekend in their Quarterfinal.

Collective First National Day

Next weekend sees all teams at home and is the Collective First National Day to thank First National for their five years as an overall club sponsor.  You will see these guys being hosted up on the deck, be sure to have a chat with them and thank them for backing Tukapa. These guys do a lot of good things around Taranaki and are always first back on board backing Tukapa. If you need a Real Estate agent, be sure to back the guys that back our club. 

Club Prize-giving

This year we are having a sit-down meal followed by a band for our prize-giving to get the best of both worlds.  Be sure to save the date - 22^nd July 5:00pm start. 

Team Photos

And lastly, team photos are this coming Thursday starting with Juniors and moving to Seniors.  Keep an eye on social media for time slots.

See you all in Stratford for a great day of rugby, bring your gumboots and enjoy. 

Your Chairman Scotty Siffleet, Blue and White for Life 

Chairpersons Update

With the season moving towards the pointy end of the stick we see all teams in must-win games this Saturday.  The tables for all comps are tight and we need to push forward to pick up the valuable points on offer. This week all teams are on buses with the following leaving times:

Colts/B’s              Leave Tukapa 10:45am         Return by 7pm

Premiers              Leave Tukapa 11:45am         Return by 7pm

Thirds                   Leave Tukapa 11:00am        Return by 9pm 

All supporters are welcome on the buses and the aim is to have the two Southern buses back to Tukapa to watch the Super Rugby Semi final. Gav will be waiting to serve you.

Passing of Patron

This week I attended the funeral of our Patron, Bryan (Hooks) Hunger which made me stop and think. It’s the guys we play rugby with, socialize in the club rooms with, coach and manage. The banter with friends from other clubs and the mates we meet in the Blue and White hoops that are with us for life. It was awesome to see all the Tukapa members at Hooks funeral in their Tukapa Number Ones (from various Decades) paying tribute to a great Tukapa man who had become a life long friend of many. So with this being said, a message to our players is enjoy your rugby both on and off the field and build those life time mates who will always be there for you. That’s the Tukapa way.

NZ Barbarians U85 Club Cup

This Sunday sees our Nz Forestry Tukapa Bantams kick the season off finally, after a false start a few weeks back. On Sunday on Yarrows Number 1 they will take on Wellington U85 Axemen which I am sure will be a great game of running rugby.  Following this game there will be an after match at Tukapa with the bar open. Be sure to come out and support our fellas as they start their journey. 

Good Buggers

On Sunday I got sent an email about our Gardiner Plumbing colts and their Captain Paddy Butler, the email read as follows:

Hey mate, 

Just wanted to say, what a great bunch of men you had on the field today. Patrick was a bloody great leader and nothing negative from the boys (both teams) all day. Just thought I’d share how much of a pleasure it was to ref the game.

John

This is a great testament to our Colts, thank you boys for all being good buggers.  It means a lot to Tukapa and the Board.

Upcoming Dates 

17^th June              Away Games Southern and Toko

18^th June              Round 1 U85kg Bantams at Yarrows 2pm kick off

24^th June              Away games Stratford Eltham, 3rds have a bye

1^st July                  Collective First National Day 

                              Home Games Colts, Div 1 & Premiers

                              Thirds Quarter Final, TBA against who

                               DJ after party 

8^th July                  Club Semi Finals 

15^th July                Club Finals 

22^nd July               Tukapa Prize giving (sit down Meal & Band)

29^th July                Taranaki Bulls Pre Season in Manaia 

                               Bus package leaving from Tukapa - more info to come 

This week I will be on the bus to Toko to watch our mighty 3rds take on a good Toko side in what I am sure will be a great day both on the field and off.  

Be sure to follow our teams as we hit the road two weeks in the row and also come back to the chookhouse for the aftergame chat and celebrations. 

Your Chairman Scotty Siffleet Blue and White for Life

                                

Chairpersons Update

The last week of round 1, man does time fly when you are having fun. This week we see our Premiers, Colts, and Div 1 head across to the Whitehouse to take on our friends NPOB which should see three great games of rugby. Our unbeaten Snr 3rds head to Bell Bock which should also be a great game with both teams running big squads.

Our Gardiner Plumbing Colts find themselves in a top-of-the-table clash and if you want to see a great game of rugby be sure to be there for a 1:00pm kick-off.

I was talking to Nathan at training on Thursday and he told me that the fellas trained the best they have all year with intensity and focus. Hopefully, we can flush the last couple of weeks away and put on a good showing.

It was a wet Thursday training made a lot better with the Greg Miles world-famous Mussel fritters and chips.  If this doesn’t fuel the boys I don’t know what will.

We are on the road for the next two weeks but don’t forget the bar is open each Saturday from 2:00pm with the Premier game live-streamed and usually stays open until at least 7:30pm but sometimes a lot longer depending on how many players are hanging around. The only thing better than watching Tukapa play is talking about it with a drink in hand afterward.

Remember our next big night at the club is the Tukapa Netball & Rugby Party on Saturday 27^th of May with DJ Jordy and a mechanical Bull for a western-themed dress up.

See you all at the game on Saturday.

Your Chairman Scotty, Blue and White for Life

Chairpersons Update

One of the biggest Saturdays in the Tukapa Calendar for 2023 is upon us.  This week we see all teams at home against Southern and the start of Junior rugby with over 200 kids taking to Sanders Park from all over Taranaki. With all this rugby on we also have Old Timers Day with the bar opening at 12:00pm, followed by David Macleod speaking about his time on Taranaki Regional Council and how he built his company Line Power up over the years. A little-known fact about David and Line Power is that without this man we would not have our new LED lights.  He saved us 10’s of thousand dollars with his gear and guys that stood the poles up for us. Please show him the respect he deserves and listen to what he has to say.

Southern has been playing some great rugby across all grades and is up near the top of each table, but I am sure our Tukapa fellas are up to the task to bring home some wins. I do have a slight side wager with the fellas that for wins across the club, the Chairman will shout a keg on Saturday.

Live streaming this week

The Riddlez Live Streaming team is back to full capacity this week so we are expecting a quality production. You can view the Live Stream on the Tukapa Facebook page or TRFU Ch3 on youtube. The broadcast starts at around 2:35pm.

Post Match

After the games at 5:30pm we will have the speeches followed by the presentation of the Harry Boswell award for Volunteer of the Year, followed by Life Members that we added at our AGM in November.

I hope to see you all at Tukapa on Saturday for what will be a great club day.

Netball

Also on Friday night at 6:30pm see both Tukapa Netball Premier teams playing on Court 1 & 2 at the TSB Stadium - be sure to get up there and support our ladies.

Your Chairman Scotty, Blue and White for Life.

Chairpersons Update

Another Friday and the countdown is on for the games this Saturday. We have our Snr Thirds starting their season off with a bus trip to Okaiawa. The boys have put in the hard yards off the field in their pre-season training and have all turned up the shape of great thirds players and will be looking to make the semis this year. Big thanks to Rebo and Greenie for once again rallying the troops together. Also, we welcome James on board as Manager.

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Our other three teams all head to Inglewood. The Colts have a top of the table clash with Inglewood and will be keen to start well. Our B’s are building well with only the one loss to Clifton and have named a strong lineup. Our Premiers welcome Brad from Southland who will come off the bench and we will also see Josh our South African lock back from concussion. We are very pleased as well to have Jacob released from the Blues and able to start in the midfield. Thank you Jacob for always making yourself available for your club.

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This weekend Greenie and I are away with the cooked chooks bbq team in Matakana above Auckland so will be watching from the trailer and through text messages. Good luck to all teams.

Next week is Old Timers Day and we want to see you all at the club. If you know of anyone that should be there and won’t see social media or email please pass on the message. We also encourage you to bring your wives, partners, and girlfriends along as this is a “Club Day” and we want everyone to come along and enjoy themselves. We will also welcome our two new life members at the after-match speeches.

Your Chairman Scotty Blue and White for Life

Chairpersons Update

Sorry guys the world is a busy place and I have been slack on the Newsletter side of things but here we go with our weekly update.

After two weeks of games and some great rugby played the Gardiner Plumbing Colts had a bye the first week and a good win last week over Clifton. The Colts have great numbers this year and are working hard at trainings. Their culture is strong and I can see this year they will be near the top. Well done to Zinny and Jared on getting these boys to where they are and we can’t wait to see how the season will pan out.

Our NZ Sparky B’s are still trying to round up players to get a strong 22 out there each week. They have 34 registered but need all 34 to start showing up to training. With a big win over Spotswood United in week 1 and a close loss to Clifton in the last 20 mins last week these boys are also looking to back up last year and go one better. Be sure if you are keen to play B’s you get along Tuesday and Thursdays at 6pm or talk to Bailey Walsh or Jack Deluca. These fellas have given a lot of time to the B’s and let’s support them.

Our Lion Brown Snr 3rds are yet to start the season but have been training well both on the field and in Ash’s - be sure to come for a trot with them on Thursday at 6pm and a can afterwards.

Our Egmont Seeds Premiers had a strong game against Spotswood United to lock up the Dan O’Brien Shield and then a loss to Clifton but they played a much better second half and we can see their young backline once clicked will cut a few teams in half. The Clifton game was Lucas Halls last game for Tukapa as he has signed a deal with Carina Tigers in Aussie. We thank Lucas for the service he has given to the club. It all started with a crayfish and 5 years later two Championships and a rookie of the year award. I am sure one day we might see him back in the blue and whites.

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This week sees a big milestone for our Dependable Prop who Loves Tukapa. Not many guys who are only 24 have won 4 Championships as a player in Premier rugby and now also notched up 100 games. Our Man Brendan Dent will do this on Saturday as he runs out for his 100th against Coastal.

Brendan left school during 2015 and started working life as a chef. Before long he joined Tukapa as a young 18 year old under the guidance of Laurence Corlett. Some people say Denty may have even been Laurence’s son, but truth be told Denty is the son of Paddy, a hard working and one of the toughest players to come out of Eltham Rugby club. Be sure if you shake Paddy’s hand, you hold on tight. Denty’s 1st year at Tukapa saw him start regularly in the front row and the year of 2016 Tukapa was written off by a lot of people because of all the young Francis Douglas players we had starting. Going into the final against an unbeaten NPOB team at Yarrows Stadium and a tackle from Ice Tuifua gave Denty his 1st Championship as a 18 year old. The party went on for a few days with Denty there every step of the way. 2017 Denty went through a Skater boy stage but that’s ok he still had a love for propping and again featured most weeks in the front row. Again another final on Yarrows against Coastal saw Adrian Wryill crash over in the 83rd minute to give Denty his 2nd championship at 19 years old. From here Denty held the scrum up well and his ball runs with those crazy eyes and exhaling were a pleasure to watch. Denty has played for Taranaki under 19’s and Taranaki B’s and in the 2018 season pushed hard to be included in the Taranaki Academy being the form prop in club rugby. Denty has become a real leader of the Tukapa Premiers and was a huge part in both championship wins in 2020 and 2022. Denty is that man you write down 1st on the team sheet, he is Mr Dependable. I touch wood as I say it, but Denty goes week in and week out with little to no injuries. And hand on heart I reckon Denty is no where near done playing for Tukapa. He is a man that could go 150 games for his club that he loves. We thank Denty’s family for letting him come to our family at Tukapa and also Renee for becoming part of our family. If you are looking for the family during the game they can always be found just past the green containers usually with Tukapa beanies on and cheering our fellas at the top of their lungs. Enjoy Saturday Brendan I am sure we will all be with you to help celebrate the 100.

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Ok so this Saturday we play for the Eaton Cup for the 1st time at home and I know there are a lot of Craig’s ex rugby mates who will line the deck and toast to Craig. Tukapa are yet to lose this cup to Coastal and hopefully this Saturday is no different. Come and Celebrate the Eaton cup, Denty’s 100 games and then stay around for the Premiers Crab racing fundraiser. The beer will be flowing, the soft drinks are loaded and we are in for a big night Saturday, be sure to stay around and support your club over the bar. Hit Jan up and get those Social memberships paid as well. Every bit counts to keep Tukapa on top as the club every one wants to be.

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It’s my first home game given Myself and Greenie were away cooking for the Spotswood United games and we can’t wait to catch up with everyone and have a great night.

Cheers Scotty Siffleet your Chairman and Blue and White for life

Chairpersons Update

Well here we go, the bus is loaded and we are off to Poneke. With a mixture of A’s, B’s and Colts we will see the following boys pick up their first cap for the Egmont Seeds Premiers:

Josh Platford	Arrived from South Africa
JC Smit	Had a few years off rugby and a top CrossFit Athlete
Jono Scherpens	Moved to New Plymouth for Work
Jacob Morrison	A stand out in Tukapa B’s Last year
Ethan Lobb	A standout utility back from the College
Patrick Howlett	A young up and coming Prop from NPBHS
Reegan Aarsen	1st game last week for Tukapa Colts and showed some real skill, from Matamata
Thomas Stokes	Been in our Colts set up and really starting to kick on

Zemba Cup

As most long serving members would know, the Poneke game is a long standing tradition that has been played for many years, and the Zemba cup is a very sought after cup that both clubs always want to hold.

The Zemba Cup, is contested between Tukapa and the Poneke Club (from Wellington) at Senior A level, and its origins go back to 1939 when Mick Zemba, a Wellington-based former Taranaki resident donated the trophy as a prize for what was then the new pre-season fixture between the two clubs. The interruption caused by WW2 meant it was only played for twice before resuming after the war on an annual basis. The Zemba Cup match was then played pretty much every season on an alternating home and away basis until 1992, usually at Easter Weekend before club rugby competitions got underway.

After the 1992 Centenary match (won at home by Tukapa 19-7), the match was played on only a handful of other occasions in the mid to late 1990’s before the fixture lapsed. It has been revived as a fixture spasmodically in recent decades. Until revived again recently, the final Zemba Cup match for many years was played at the Rugby Academy in Palmerston North on 17 March 2009. The discontinuation after 2009 was largely due to changes in the club rugby structure which saw club competition matches beginning in late March rather than late April, with the result that the pre-season window for traditional fixtures became a lot more constricted. Weekend work requirements as well as cost factors also played a part in pre-season away trips becoming a thing of the past.

As a result of Tukapa deciding to cease attending the Spillane Cup tournament, the Zemba Cup fixture was reinstated in 2019 when Tukapa once more hosted Poneke at Sanders Park, with Poneke running out the winners in a very close match. Last season Tukapa travelled to Wellington for the match but again Poneke prevailed in what was another close encounter.

For the record, the Zemba Cup has been contested on a total of 51 occasions, with Tukapa winning 21 matches and Poneke 30.

Paul Meuli

The game is sure to be a great test leading into the season and I am sure with Bryan Boulton and myself leading the after-match activities, we should go well in the off-field games too.

Keep an eye out on social media for updates and there is also talk it will be live-streamed on the PONEKE facebook page.
Kick-off is at 2.10pm at Rugby League Park.

Our Colts are playing a three-way game at Inglewood’s TET stadium against the Southern Colts and Inglewood Colts with kick-off being 12:30pm.

The following week sees the 1st round get underway for Premiers, B’s and Colts with a big one first up with Dan O’Brien day at home. As we all know it's one we don’t like to lose. Our Snr 3rds don’t start for another 4 weeks but have been training hard on a Thursday.

We are now heading through Stratford with just Mikey to pick up in Hawera then a straight trip to the Cambridge Hotel. Keep an eye on social media for all the weekend’s updates.

Your Chairperson Scotty Siffleet, Blue and White for Life

Chairperson's Update

Pre-Season Game Update

The kegs are full and we also have Steinlager NZ Ultra on tap now. Be sure to come and watch our Gardiner Plumbing Colts take on FDMC 1st 15 in a friendly. Our Premiers take the week off after Pio Pio pulled out. See you all at 12:30pm for Kick off.

Premiers Wider Squad Named

Below is our Premier Wider group, we currently have 2 too many forwards so that will decrease before the season starts. We are still hoping to have one more midfielder join us.  

Tom Edwards
Brendan Dent
Scott Mellow
Patrick Howlett
Ricky Riccitelli
Liam Bernet
Luke Dravitski
Patrick Syme
Shay Hill
Mike Nyssen
Alex Perry
Josh Platford
Josh Keech
Chris Jollands
Mairenga Laapo
Nathaniel Peters
Josh Hopkins
Christian Faave
Jacob Morrison
Campbell Woodmass
Cullen Luckin
Jono Scherpens
Keahn Tipu
Mason Porteous
Lukas Halls
Cameron Campbell
Luke Taplin
Rory Ward
Reegan Aarsen
Ethan Lobb
Lagen Kumeroa
Brendan White
Jacob Ratumaitavuki-Kneepkens

Looking forward to catching up with you all this Saturday at 12:15pm

Your Chairperson Scotty Siffleet, Blue and White for Life