16 March, 2023

Takapuna stars otherwise occupied as season looms

Defending North Harbour club rugby champions Takapuna start the season missing close to an entire starting line-up of players who are either overseas or have been selected for higher honours.

Fine and Lotu Inisi (Moana Pacifica) and Bryn Gatland (Chiefs) are playing Super Rugby; promising first-five/halfback Jack Heighton is playing in New York; Moses Leo is with the New Zealand Sevens team; and former All Black prop Karl Tu’inukuafe left at the end of the 2022 season to take up a contract in France.

Prop Jay Fonokalafi and lock Harrison Mataele are playing in Sydney’s Shute Shield – a professional club rugby competition. Wing Tika Lelenga is trying out for the Warriors.

Promising young players just out of Westlake Boys High School Tristyn Cook (who made the New Zealand Secondary Schools team in 2022) and Jack Lee are in the Blues under-20 squad.

Coach Aaron Katipa says: “I’m facing one of my biggest challenges in the year ahead to be honest.”

It was fantastic Takapuna players were good enough for higher honours, but “we get the life stripped out of us,” Katipa said.

Takapuna travelled to Hamilton last Saturday for the first of its preseason matches, facing other top sides from around the country such as Petone, Mt Maunganui, Mid-Northern, Manukau Rovers and Hamilton Old Boys.

Takapuna took a squad of 21 to Hamilton but it “included a lot of Bs players in the group”, Katipa said.

“It’s massively challenging at the moment with so many players being able to be paid to play club rugby in Australia and the US.

“Our team will be younger than ever with the average age dropping by probably two to three years.”

Even Takapuna’s director of rugby, Paul Feeney, is temporarily off the scene, working as assistant coach for the Chiefs.

On the positive side, Takapuna has recruited promising lock Finau Paea from East Coast Bays.

“I’m hoping for some great things from him this year,” Katipa said.

And in his late 30s, first-five Jon Elrick is back training with the premiers, after a season with Northcote.

A point-scoring machine over more than 15 years with Takapuna, Elrick was hoping to notch 250 games for the club, Katipa said.

The North Harbour club season starts on 1 April, with Takapuna playing a massive local derby against North Shore on 8 April to mark Shore’s 150th anniversary celebrations.

While Takapuna should make the top six of the competition, how many of its star players will return for the business end of the season remains to be seen.

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