March 20, 2023
Storm damage disrupts rugby plans
The road for Ngāti Porou East Coast rugby to build on last year’s Heartland Championship win has got a lot tougher as the region region cleans up after cyclones and floods that have destroyed scores of homes and cut State Highway 35.
East Coast Rugby chair Val Morrison says Tolaga Bay’s Uawa club has been given leave to play in the Gisborne Poverty Bay competition.
Players stranded in Gisborne may turn out for clubs there.
He says one bright light is tamariki rugby.
“They started a couple of weeks ago. So that’s quite exciting for our kids. From Ruatoria right up around Whānau-a-Apanui, those kids are playing right now – which is absolutely wonderful,” he says.
Mr Morrison says roads may not open until May at the earliest, so the draw could be a series of local club match-ups.