Ōpōtiki Sports Club

Our Premier Men delivered a thrilling 24-21 victory over Whakarewarewa in a contest that lived up to every expectation, with both sides battling fiercely for the full 80 minutes.

The match was packed with relentless attacking phases, bone-rattling defence, and moments of gritty scramble defence as neither team was willing to give an inch. Our boys took a narrow 17-14 lead into halftime thanks to tries from halfback Cole Scott, winger Braeden Elmiger, and lock David Whyte, with Tane Howe adding a conversion.

The second half was an intense arm wrestle, with both teams searching for a breakthrough against resolute defensive lines. Whakarewarewa struck in the 66th minute, crossing for a converted try to edge ahead 21-17 and set up a tense finish.

Refusing to back down, our boys continued to grind away through patient build-up and powerful go-forward carries. Their persistence paid off when quick service from Cole Scott found veteran ho**er Andre Biddle, who fired a long pass out to centre Mana Howe. Unmarked, Howe crossed the line to restore the lead. Kiovi Magalogo calmly slotted the conversion, pushing the score out to 24-21.

With three minutes still remaining, the game was far from over. Our players remained composed, strategic, and disciplined, denying Whakarewarewa any opportunity to strike back. Then, with only seconds left on the clock, a crucial penalty allowed Mana Howe to find touch, bringing the match to an end and sealing a hard-fought 24-21 victory.

The game was a fitting showcase of two proud Māori clubs going toe-to-toe right until the final whistle. A fierce, physical contest played with passion, intensity, and commitment from both sides, it was a match that truly lived up to the hype.

💙💚 SEMI-FINAL FOOTY COMES TO PRINCESS STREET RESERVE 💚💙

E te whānau, e te hapori whānui, it's time to stand behind our wāhine toa as they prepare for one of the biggest games of their season.

Having earned the right to host this Sunday's semi-final, our Ōpōtiki wāhine will welcome Te Puna to Princess Street Reserve for what promises to be an unforgettable battle between two proud Māori clubs with rich histories, strong whakapapa, and immense pride in their communities.

From the first whistle to the final ho**er, expect 80 minutes of uncompromising rugby. Skill, determination, physicality, resilience, and mana will be on full display as these wahine leave everything on the field for the chance to advance to the final.

This is more than just a game. It is whānau supporting whānau. It is community backing community. It is our wāhine carrying the hopes and pride of the blue and green jersey onto their home turf.

Now it's our turn to do our part.

Fill the sidelines. Bring your voices. Bring your signs. Bring your tamariki, pakeke, kaumātua. the whole whānau. Let Princess Street Reserve be awash in blue and green as we create an atmosphere worthy of a semi-final.

📍 Princess Street Reserve, Ōpōtiki
📅 Sunday 21 June 2026
🕐 Kick-off: 1:00pm
🎟 Gate entry fee applies

Te Puna are coming ready for battle. Our wāhine will be ready too.

Kia kaha. Kia māia. Kia manawanui.

UP THE BLUE AND GREEN! 💙💚
UP THE WĀHINE TOA! 💙💚

🏉 HOME GAME DAY | SATURDAY 13TH JUNE 2026 🏉

Our Opotiki Sports Development and Premier Men return to home turf at Princess Street Reserve to take on the RED & BLACKS of Whakarewarewa Rugby Club.

These two proud and hearty Māori clubs will go head-to-head in what promises to be a fierce and physical contest, with plenty of pride on the line. Expect passion, intensity, and commitment from both sides as they battle it out for 80 minutes.

🕐 Development Team Kick-Off: 1:00PM
🕝 Premier Men Kick-Off: 2:45PM

We encourage all our whānau, supporters, sponsors, and community to get down to Princess Street Reserve and get in behind the boys. Your support makes a difference and helps create the atmosphere that makes home games special.

Let's pack the sidelines, make some noise, and proudly represent our club and community.

💙💚

PRIDE IN OUR CLUB.
HEART IN OUR COMMUNITY.

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The Bay Rugby Boil Up Podcast Catch up with Pat Rae, Craig McFadyen and Tim Smith as they talk about all the rugby across the Bay of Plenty and beyond, with moments from last weekends act...

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Did you capture anything exciting over the weekend? We want to see it! Send your grassroots rugby clips through to [email protected] or to any of our social platforms, and your clips could be featured on this week's edition of Sportlight! We release new episodes of The Bay Rugby Boil Up Podcast every Thursday Night, so mark your calendars!

🏉 SUPER SATURDAY OF RUGBY IN OPOTIKI 🏉

It’s a full day of footy this weekend, and we’re calling on all our supporters, whānau, and wider community to get behind our local club! 💙💚

The day kicks off bright and early with our Opotiki JAB hosting this weekend’s EBOP JAB Hub at Memorial Park.
With teams from across the region coming to town, the first games get underway from 8:30AM — so get down early and support our future stars of the game! ⭐

Then the action shifts across to Princess Street Reserve, where our Opotiki Sports Development & Premier Mens Teams host Te Puna Rugby Club in what promises to be an epic clash between two proud and formidable Māori rugby clubs. 🔥

🕐 Development Mens Kick Off — 1:00PM
🕝 Premier Mens Kick Off — 2:45PM

🎟 Gate Entry at Princess Street Reserve — $4 per Adult

Expect physical rugby, passion, pride, and community spirit throughout the day.

Bring the whānau, grab a spot on the sidelines, and make a day of it supporting local rugby in Opotiki. Let’s pack the grounds and show our teams the support they deserve! 🙌

📍 Memorial Park — EBOP JAB Hub from 8:30AM
📍 Princess Street Reserve — Senior Rugby Fixtures

Tough day at the office yesterday for our Opotiki Sports Rugby teams against the Te Puke Sports Pirates, with both our Development and Premier teams going down in their matches.

While the results didn’t fall our way, the scorelines certainly didn’t reflect the effort, heart, and grit shown by our boys across both games.

Our Premier Men faced an early challenge, with Te Puke crossing over twice within the opening stages to take a 14–0 lead after just 10 minutes. From there however, our boys dug deep, regrouped, and held Te Puke scoreless for the remainder of the first half through determined defence and improved control of possession.

The second half remained a tight contest, with Te Puke extending their lead to 17–0 through a penalty goal before our boys finally broke through. After some strong phase play and relentless pressure, Andre Biddle sparked momentum with two dangerous runs before slick ball movement out wide saw Braeden Elmiger dive over in the corner. Mana Howe added the extras to close the gap to 17–7.

The fightback continued.

In the 62nd minute, after a brilliant passage of play involving multiple phases, strong support lines, and tough carries through the middle, David Whyte powered over the line to score. Another successful conversion from Mana Howe narrowed the margin to just 17–14, and with 18 minutes remaining, it was truly anyone’s game.

Unfortunately, late opportunities and defensive lapses allowed Te Puke to capitalise in the closing stages, eventually stretching the final score to 32–14.

Taking nothing away from Te Puke Sports on their victory — they played well and took their chances when it mattered.

But once again, our boys showed they belong at this Baywide level. In their first season back in the Baywide competition after seven years away, they continue to prove they are no easy side to roll over. Their attacking passages, defensive resilience, and determination are forcing opposition teams to work hard for every point they earn.

The growth, belief, and fight within this squad continues to build week by week, and we know the results will come.

Thank you to all our supporters who continue to travel, cheer loudly, and stand behind our teams every week. Your support never goes unnoticed.






Photo Credit: Rick Moran, Kelly McGough

🏉 GAME DAY | SATURDAY 16TH MAY 2026 🏉

Our Opotiki Sports Premier & Development Men hit the road once again this Saturday 16th May 2026 as we travel to take on the Te Puke Sports Pirates at Murray Salt Stadium.

🕐 Development Team Kick-Off: 1:00PM
🕝 Premier Men Kick-Off: 2:45PM

We’d love to see our whānau, supporters, and wider community making the trip over to support the boys as they represent our club with pride.
If you can't make it, not all is lost as our games will be livestreamed by Local Gecko Productions

💙💚
PRIDE IN OUR CLUB.
HEART IN OUR COMMUNITY.

Yesterday’s clash against the Mount Maunganui Marlins was a true test of heart, grit, and character for our Premier Men’s & Development. 💚🖤
In both games the boys brought the mana and pride of the club from the opening whistle to the very end, never backing down and fighting for every moment.

With free-flowing flair and electric speed out wide, our Premier backline lit up the field, while up front the pack showed true Opotiki grit and mongrel in the tough exchanges.

A hard-fought battle that stayed alive right through to the final whistle — full of resilience, determination, and heart.

FINAL SCORE: Mount 30 - OPOTIKI 23

Proud of the effort, proud of the jersey, proud to be Opotiki. 👊🏽🔥

photo credit: Rick Moran