Te Puke Sports are celebrating after seizing the BOPRU Premier First Round trophy when they beat arch rivals Tauranga Sports 40-10, at the Pirates headquarters on Saturday.

The first round prize has been presented infrequently since Te Puke Sports won the trophy in 2019, due to Covid-19 and format changes.

The home side led 16-3, at the halfway stage of the match, before kicking on to post a thirty point victory. Te Puke fullback Fletcher Carpenter scored 18 points with two tries, two penalties and a conversion.

Mount Maunganui, are destined for the second tier Championship division, in spite of defeating Whakarewarewa in a thriller at Blake Park. Mount Maunganui opened the scoring from a bomb kicked 40 metres out, and added a second touchdown, to lead 12 nil after twenty minutes.

The Whaka first reply was the try of the game, with winger Cameron Dombroski snatching the ball from a Mount player and scampering 40 metres to dot the ball down.

Whakarewarewa led by two at the break, before the two sides traded five pointers in the second spell, with Mount Maunganui having the last say in taking out the close fought battle, 31-28.

Greerton Marist finished second in the preliminary competition after defeating Te Puna at home, 43-12. Rangataua ensured a place in the Premiership title race with a 58-5 win over Marist St Michaels, with Judea taking out their first victory of the season, 34-21, from Ngongotaha.

Greerton Marist tasted their first defeat of the season in the Western Bay of Plenty Sub-Union Championship when Te Puna controlled the action throughout for a 48-12 victory.

Mount Maunganui ran over Matakana Island 78-7, however the islanders never gave up and were rewarded with the last touchdown of the encounter.

Other Western Bay sides to win were Tauranga Sports who beat Te Puke Sports 31-5, Arataki defeated Judea 74 nil, Papamoa came out on top in their clash with Rangataua 39-33 and Katikati got past Eastern Districts 27-17.

New season Colts/Under 85kg recruits Papamoa came back from a 10-14 deficit at the halftime break, to beat Rotorua visitors Kahukura 34-21, to notch their fourth win of the season.

Greerton Marist re-inked their credentials in the top four after defeating Te Puke Sports 43-28 with Mount Maunganui beating Te Puna 45-7.

BOPRU AR Plus Club Rugby Results June 8 2024

Premier

Rangataua 58 Marist St Michaels 5 (HT 20-5) Mount Maunganui 31 Whakarewarewa 28 (HT 19-21) Te Puke Sports 40 Tauranga Sports 10 (HT 16-3) Greerton Marist 43 Te Puna 12 (HT 31-0) Judea 34 Ngongotaha 21 (HT 24-0)

Points Table: Te Puke Sports 39, Greerton Marist 34, Te Puna 33, Tauranga Sports 33, Whakarewarewa 30, Rangataua 25, Mount Maunganui 23, Marist St Michaels 10, Judea 6, Ngongotaha 1.

BOPRU Colts/Under 85kg

Greerton Marist 43 Te Puke Sports 28, Papamoa 34 Kahukura 21, Mount Maunganui 45 Te Puna 7, Tauranga Sports the bye.

WBOPRSU Championship/Baywide Promotion

Mount Maunganui 78 Matakana Island 7, Tauranga Sports 31 Te Puke Sports 5, Te Puna 48 Greerton Marist 12, Arataki 74 Judea 0, Papamoa 39 Rangataua 33, Katikati 27 Eastern Districts 17, Rangiuru the bye.

Correction – 1 June: Te Puna 40 Matakana Island 15

Jordan Cup 2024 (WBOPRS Challenge Trophy)

2023 Holder – Mount Maunganui

20 April           Greerton Marist 39 Mount Maunganui 22

27 April           Greerton Marist 32 Judea 0

4 May              Rangataua 33 Greerton Marist 24

11 May            Tauranga Sports 61 Rangataua 28

18 May            Greerton Marist 28 Tauranga Sports 27

8 June              Greerton Marist 43 Te Puna 12

Next Challenge 15 June 2024

Greerton Marist v Tauranga Sports, Tauranga Domain

BOPRU AR Plus Senior Club Rugby Draws June 15 2024:

BOPRU Baywide Premier (Home teams first) 2.45pm

Premiership: Tauranga Sports v Greerton Marist, Whakarewarewa v Te Puna, Rangataua v Te Puke Sports.

Championship: Mount Maunganui v Judea, Ngongotaha v Marist St Michaels.

BOPRU Colts/U85kg – 1pm

Mount Maunganui v Papamoa, Te Puke Sports v Tauranga Sports, Greerton Marist v Te Puna, Kahukura the bye.

WBOPRFS Development/Local Rugby – 1pm

Arataki v Mount Maunganui, Rangataua v Matakana Island, Tauranga Sports v Greerton Marist, Te Puke Sports v Eastern Districts, Rangiuru v Te Puna, Judea v Papamoa, Katikati the bye