|
Getting your Trinity Audio player ready...
|
It’s been 70 years since Pukekohe Rugby Club first muddied their sprigs and 15 long seasons since the club last won the TP McNamara Memorial Cup, Division 1.
Up against this year’s minor premiers, Ardmore Marist, at the weekend (July 11), Pukekohe was equal to the challenge, winning the final of the Counties Manukau Rugby competition 24–22 at Navigation Homes Stadium.
“It’s just amazing,” Pukekohe captain Milan Kriletich told the Times. “The last time we won it, I was a boy looking up to all those players who were in the team back then, so there’s been a lot of people who have been waiting a long time for this moment to come.
“We’ve seen so many teams that couldn’t quite get the job done over the years, so there were some serious celebrations on Saturday night and Sunday – it was long overdue party.”
Despite pressure applied by Ardmore Marist through an early try, Pukekohe then hit back to take the lead.
Their strong defence finally gave late in the game. However, the converted try that put Ardmore Marist in front wasn’t enough to see Pukekohe’s shoulders slump.
“I was quietly confident throughout the game that if we could just hold them out, the result would take care of itself,” Kriletich says. “We let them in there towards the end, which wasn’t great, but I was still optimistic running back to halfway – I looked over at the guys and thought ‘let’s just get down there and get some more points.’”
During the last encounter between the two teams, Ardmore Marist won by kicking a late penalty – this time, the boot was on the other foot.
“Then we were [awarded] a penalty,” Kriletich says. “Josiah [Unga] stepped up, took the shot and slotted it. He got the job done.”
Ardmore Marist lost just one of 15 matches ahead of the final; Pukekohe had 10 wins, a draw and four losses, but all is even at the first whistle in finals football.
“They were the top ranked team and the most consistent, but the two [regular season] games we played against them were close, so we were pretty evenly matched.”
As 2026 marks 70 years since the Pukekohe club was founded, the win was even more special.
“All year, we had a lot of old boys coming back and had special weekends for them. That really fired us up all season,” Kriletich adds. “So, to make them proud of us by winning [the cup] means a hell of a lot.”
