Rugby locals feature at all levels

The representative rugby season is well underway with a strong contingent of players from Piopio pulling on the mighty maroon King Country jersey. At the time of writing, the Rams sit in the middle of the pack with three weeks of the Heartland Championship to go as they chase a spot in the top four.

Piopio club men Kaleb Foote and Te Ana Proffit have been regulars in the matchday 22 each week, although Footy did pick up an injury in round four against South Canterbury so he missed the West Coast game in Taupo last week.

It’s been another tough season for the King Country Development (aka the Big Horns), with a good mix of veterans, young talent and fringe Rams players making up the balance. Halfback Kyan Reymer has been the only regular Piopio man to feature in his rookie season for the Big Horns, and he’s been rewarded with selection in the short Chiefs Heartland U20s campaign, which finished on a high with a late 29-25 win against Hurricanes Heartland U20s in Taupo.

Other Piopio players to join Reymer with the Chiefs Heartland U20s were Jayden Pari and Keahrey Manson, while Pari has also represented King Country in the U18 boys’ team still searching for a win, although they went close against the Vikings from Northland last weekend.

A number of boys have been picked up in the respective King Country U14 and U16 boys’ teams, off the back of a strong school season that saw the Piopio U15s win the Waikato U15 boys’ premiership.
Connor Willison, Jayden Collins-Love, Jake Peterson, Levi Pari, Trey Mason and Ryshard Tapara gave the King Country U14s a strong Piopio flavour at the annual Heartland U14 Development Camp in Taupo in the July holidays. All of them commanded starting positions throughout the camp, where they beat Whanganui, Ngati Porou East Coast and Thames Valley, while losing 0-7 in a desperately tight game against Poverty Bay.

The U14s (team photo below) also got the rare chance to finish their season with a game outside of camp, beating New Plymouth Boys’ HS U14s 29-7 in Taumarunui in a curtain-raiser for the Rams.

Ngakau Gray, Corey Mason plus Hunter and Quinn Rogers have done themselves proud in the King Country U16s this year, despite results not going their way so far. They left things too late against a well-drilled Thames Valley, making a late comeback to lose 28-29 in Te Kuiti, and were competitive at the Heartland U16 Carnival in Turangi and against the Waikato Maori U16 the following week.

Finally, the King Country Schoolgirls, featuring Piopio’s Chloe Baird and Malia Bourke, have had a rebuilding year with a lot of younger players coming through after last year’s experienced group left school. The girls started with a tense 31-27 win against Thames Valley in Te Kuiti, before losses against Taranaki, Bay of Plenty and Whanganui.