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THAMES VALLEY SWAMPFOXES: 


The Thames Valley Swamp Foxes headed off to West Coast in difficult circumstances as they faced the following challenges:

  • The unavailability of key players- (prop, No.8 and five eighth) due to the Hamilton lock down.
  • Uncertainty surrounding their travel arrangements.
  • Getting replacement players up to speed in a very limited time frame.
  • Coming up against a team hungry for competition points and one which had never lost a Heartland match against Thames Valley at Greymouth.

In defeating West Coast 27-8 the Swamp Foxes overcame these challenges, kept their undefeated record intact, wiped out the Greymouth hoodoo and for the first time in the Heartland competition have opened the season with four consecutive victories. Thames Valley had a clear territorial advantage and a wealth of possession which enabled them to limit West Coast’s attacking opportunities. However, the “Coasters” never gave up on defence and prevented Thames Valley from scoring four tries thus denying them the all important bonus point to remain equal first instead of falling back into second place behind South Canterbury.

The coaches did well to recruit Sefo Moniati (Waihi Athletic) Matty Axtens (2019 Valley rep from Mt Maunganui) and Carlos Price (former NZ Under20 rep) as cover for Josh Kaho, Luke Masirewa and Tiaontin Raoren. It was a bonus to have Fred Kei Fotofili return to the side for the first time since the NZ Universities Game. All of these players proved their worth at Greymouth.

At half time Valley led 13-3. It was well into the first half before Thames Valley had finally strung several phases together and put Ben Bonnar over for a try by the posts. Carlos Price kicked the conversion to go with two penalties that he had earlier goaled. Sean McClure had also kicked a penalty for West Coast.

Early in the second half a great run and kick ahead by Harry Lafituanai almost saw him score but he was held up over the line. West Coast then had their best moments in the match when the Valley had no answer to a driving maul from a long way out and Coast hooker, Troy Tauwhare went over for an unconverted try. This narrowed the score  to 13-8. The Swamp Foxes replied when Joe Cooke counter attacked with some elusive running, and Fred Kei finished off the move with a sideline dash and cut across to score by the posts. Price converted to put Valley in a more comfortable position at 20 points to 8. Shortly afterwards replacement second five Sione Vakapuna Etoni crashed through to set up an attacking ruck. Quick passing saw Will Newbold receive the ball and he dotted down in a handy position for Price to convert. At the first break down after the kick off the referee blew the whistle for full time and there was no opportunity for Thames Valley to put the icing on the cake with a bonus point try. 

Ben Bonnar was named as man of the match. Tevita Halafihi was a popular, if a somewhat feared player by the West Coast locals because of his powerful running. Considering the disruptions during the week this was a satisfactory performance by the Swamp Foxes. The team has shown that it now has depth but there is plenty to work on as they prepare to meet Mid Canterbury at Te Aroha next Saturday.

For Thames Valley: Ben Bonnar,Fred Kei Fotofili and Will Newbold tries. Carlos Price 2pens and 3 cons.

For West Coast: Troy Tauwhare a try and Sean McClure 1 penalty.

Kelly Plummer (President) 

This weekend the Thames Valley Swampfoxes take on Mid Canterbury in Round 5 of the Bunnings Warehouse Heartland Championship. This will be an extremely important clash, which will be Thames Valleys toughest of tests thus far in 2021 in what can already be described as a 'must win' match. This will be Mid Canterbury's first ever visit to Te Aroha,  we welcome them and their support group. A match day programme will be posted online and available later this week via the Thames Valley Rugby Union Website. This will have more information and history between the two teams. 

To watch this weekends match. Limited Ticket Sale. Tickets must be collected from the TVRFU Office (140A Normanby Road, Paeroa) or phone 07 862 6352 to arrange pick up. Tickets $5.00 each. 

Points Table & Draw - https://thamesvalleyswampfoxes.co.nz/tvrfu/2021-heartland-championship/

THAMES VALLEY
EMERGING PLAYERS XV


This Saturday the Thames Valley Emerging XV vs Taranaki Under 19s, at Boyd Park, Te Aroha, 12.00pm Kick Off. This will likely be the last game of the 2021 season for the Emerging XV, with next weekends scheduled game vs Northland more than likely not going ahead. This weekends match will be an awesome opportunity to play at home as a curtain raiser for the Heartland Championship fixture between the Thames Valley Swampfoxes vs Mid Canterbury. Tickets are limited, if you are wanting to attend please contact your team manager to secure a ticket. More details will be sent to the respective managers regarding the limited tickets to watch this match. 
 


THAMES VALLEY
UNDER 16s BOYS



Thames Valley Under 16s played BOP Wasps last Thursday night in horrendous conditions at Waihi Athletic Rugby Club.

The team were keen to put some mana into the jersey and leave the shirt in a good place for the following year. The Valley started with great intent and scored the first try of the game from a solid driving maul by the forwards, followed by centre Cullen Bevan crashing over.

Bay of Plenty were ill disciplined and earned the consistent ire of the referee Aaron Miller. After repeated infringements and several warnings a yellow card was issued. The offending player was back on the field for 5 minutes before a high tackle resulted in him being red carded and sent from the field.

The rain had set in by this point and Thames Valley were content to kick the football and defend in the opposition half. The Valley got off the line and forced errors from the opposition all game. The second half began with even worse weather setting in. The Valley stuck to their game plan, kicking the ball downfield and tackling hard. Te Kapua McLean was physical on defence and carrying the ball. After a few penalties went the way of BOP they were able to score in the corner and make the game 7-5. More sustained pressure from BOP ended in multiple pick and goes until the replacement prop crashed over in the final play to make the game 7-12 to BOP.

The Valley boys were bitterly disappointed to be on the wrong end of the scoreline following their best performance of the season however they can be incredibly proud of their performance. They have handed the jersey over to next year's cohort full of Thames Valley mana. Big shout out to the very small crowd who roared on the boys in the tense final 10 minutes.

Players of the day were awarded to lock Ryan Silvester and prop Maitland Bevan who were both outstanding at setpiece and were physical on defence making multiple big hits on larger opposition.

Josh Kewell (Coach) 

That concludes the Thames Valley U16 Representative Calendar 2021. A big thank you must go out to the management of Daniel Mead, Stu Hill, Josh Kewell & Andrew Gemmell for all of their hard work and dedication behind the scenes, this does not go unnoticed. To the parents for their commitment driving boys to trainings late in the evening & supporting them on gamedays which included a lot of travel, thank you. Finally, a big well done to the players for their ongoing hard work towards Thames Valley Rugby and representing the badge with a lot of pride and passion. Bring on 2022! 


THAMES VALLEY
UNDER U18 BOYS


The Thames Valley Under suffered a tough 27-0 defeat versus a much more physical and aged King Country team. We were missing a number of key players through injury and sickness and it showed on the score-line.

Playing with the wind in the first half we failed to convert excellent field position into points. We blew numerous try scoring opportunities which proved costly. Our defensive effort was a highlight, with the boys putting a much larger King County side under pressure. We were still in the game going into halftime behind 7-0.

The boys felt confident going into the second half but the wind played a massive factor on the outcome. We were pinned down in our own half the majority of the second half and failed to get any attacking continuity going. King Country dominated both possession and territory and were physically superior to our boys, scoring three second half tries late in the game.

Unfortunately this loss brought about the end of our five game campaign, finishing up with one win and four losses. We played some very dominant opposition and the boys should be proud of competing and testing quality opposition. This last loss was a blemish on our strong performances over the campaign.

Martin Ash (Coach) 

The TVRFU would like to thank everyone involved in the successful Under 18s campaign. To the management of Martin Ash, Dwayne Mansell & Tamsin Armstrong, they have been hugely professional all the way through and a pleasure to deal with under some tough circumstances. To the parents & supporters who have been positive and supporting all the way through, this was definitely recognised. And most importantly to the players who continued to stay committed all the way through, and were our most successful age group representative team in 2021,  well done fellas. We hope to see you all back in a Thames Valley Jersey in 2022.
 


THAMES VALLEY
SECONDARY SCHOOL GIRLS:


The Thames Valley Girls Secondary School Representative team has wrapped up their season against the Bay of Plenty Development team going down 5-30 at Waihi on Thursday afternoon.

All season the girls have come up against much older & experienced teams so it was a great opportunity to play an Under 16 team. The heavens opened up just before kick off which made for a slippery game. Both teams had equal position of the ball early in the first half before BOP scored tries in the 15th, 22nd and 28th minutes to lead at halftime 15-0. Thames Valley had their opportunities in the half and showed some glimpses of stringing some structured phases together.

In the second half BOP scored early but it was the Valley girls who again enjoyed a wealth of possession, some hard running by number 8 Azariah Collier of Paeroa College and a good connection between the Hauraki Plains College inside pairing of captain Karly Forsyth & Alice Hill, Hill also found space in behind the BOP girls on numerous occasions with a few kicks aswell as some brillant clearing kicks to touch. Macy Costello sparked the backline to life every time she got the ball making metres up the field when she got the ball in hand. The ever improving midfield back Erana Brooks & lock Kellee Cryer showed never die attitudes making numerous tackles.

Thames Valley were rewarded with a try through a barnstorming run by Azariah Collier to get over the line with ten minutes to go in the game.
BOP scored two late tries to secure the win 5-30 but the Valley girls held their heads high and walked off in the yellow & red jersey with pride.

Macy Costello & Azariah Collier were awarded the players of the game.

This team are the future of Thames Valley rugby and we look forward to seeing their progress in the coming years for both their respective schools and on the representative scene.

Marcus Howie (Coach) 
 

SUPER RUGBY AUPIKI
 

How awesome was it to see Super Rugby Aupuki getting the green light last week. In my opinion, this was a much needed stepping stone for our women players which will now give them a clear pathway to the top, providing reward for players who have great FPC campaigns & creating much needed desire for higher honors in all provincial unions from club level to representative rugby (including the Thames Valley).  This might just start an ongoing trend in other countries, so don't be surprised if over the next couple of years we see a similar concept to Super Rugby Pacific where teams from Australia and Pacific Islands are on our doorstep. 

To see more, click on the link provided  to see coach & team announcement: 

https://www.allblacks.com/news/green-light-for-super-rugby-aupiki

FROM AROUND THE WORLD
 
Jee Wiz it was exciting to see results from around the world last weekend. Uruguay beating the United States and qualifying for the Rugby World Cup for the fifth time 50-34 on aggregate, whilst Chile upset Canada 54-46 on aggregate meaning that Canada will not play at the 2023 World Cup for the first time in their Rugby history. 

Chile will now play the United States for the Americas 2 spot, with home and away legs to determine who will qualify for the Rugby World Cup 2023. I must say, it would be awesome to see some new blood on the worlds biggest stage in 2023, and if the Chileans can play anything like they did over the past two weekends, I would be worried if I were in the USA shoes. Go Chile!

To read more about Rugby World Cup 2023, take a look at the link below: 

https://www.rugbyworldcup.com/2023

THAMES VALLEY CLUB 7s
 

Please see below the flyer for Club 7s on Saturday 20th November, at Waihi Athletic Rugby Club. Please email scott@tvrfu.co.nz to send your entries through. Lets get all 11 clubs entered! 

RECOGNISING OUR SPONSORS
 

H.G. Leach & Co. are a reputable, responsive and safe family business, crushing and supplying aggregate.  For more than 60 years, H.G. Leach & Co. has been part of the fabric of the Thames Valley region. H.G. Leach & Co have also been kind sponsors of the Thames Valley Rugby Football Union for a number of years, and are well known for been supporters of Thames Valley Club Rugby. There generous support is also complied with a great relationship between staff, and a general interest in how Thames Valley Rugby is tracking. Please see some more information about this great local company. 

The small drainage and dragline business that the late Harry Leach and his sons, the late Merv and Bruce Leach, started in 1948 has grown and expanded into the successful quarrying and contracting business it is today. Merv’s two sons Graham and Warwick along with their families, now head the family business and are proud to continue the legacy and significant contribution the company has provided and continues to provide, the region in terms of:

  • Commercial services
  • Employment
  • Essential primary commodities
  • Support for non-commercial and community activities

The company operates four quarries:

  • Matatoki near Thames
  • Waitawheta near Waihi
  • Tahuna near Morrinsville
  • Tirohia near Paeroa.

Experience, hard work, and best practice underpin our success. We are an efficient and innovative quarrying and contracting business with a diverse range of skills, multiple supply sources, flexible transport options and modern, reliable equipment.

The company’s regional responsibility is complemented by its responsibility to the quarrying and contracting industry. We are proud members of the:

Responsible corporate citizenship of this type has clear and tangible benefits for H.G. Leach’s clients. Membership of industry bodies ensures frequent peer review and a formal commitment to industry best practice.

To see the H.G. Leach & Co Website, please click on the link below: 

https://www.hgleach.co.nz/
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TVRFU Inc
140a Normanby Road
Paeroa, 3600, New Zealand
Ph: +64 7 862 6352 | Fax: +64 7 862 7677
Email: swampfoxes@tvrfu.co.nz



 






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Thames Valley Rugby · 140a Normanby Road · Paeroa, Waikato 3600 · New Zealand

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