Add Hastings Rugby and Sports’ Peniasi Tokacece’s name to the list of contenders for the Hawke’s Bay Magpies rugby side’s No 8 jersey this season.

Tokacece is fitter than he was when he was last on the verge of Magpies ITM Cup (or Air New Zealand Cup as it was then) squad selection in 2008.

Back in the Bay after stints in Germany and Manawatu, Tokacece was back to his blockbusting best as he and IMS Payroll Hastings Rugby and Sports captain and Magpies openside flanker Tivaini Fomai spearheaded their side’s 13-12 eighth round Tui Nash Cup win against MAC at Flaxmere’s Ron Giorgi Park on Saturday.

Tokacece regularly broke the advantage line with his bursts off the back of the scrum, defended well and scored the matchwinning try with four minutes remaining after another powerful run.

Fomai, who returned to rep duty after injury in time for last year’s ITM Cup Championship final, is also back to his best and produced some superb fetching work and link play and also defended well.

“With this side we’re attempting to replicate the culture of our unbeaten development team from last year,” Hastings coach Aaron Bartlett explained afterwards.

“We stress the need to avoid panic and the boys did that for 76 minutes today as they soaked up a lot of pressure,” Bartlett said.

However, he agreed his troops added to the pressure by turning down a couple of penalty attempts at goal and taking some wrong attacking options.

MAC also turned down the opportunity to take easy three points at times. MAC coach Anthony Morley said the dominance his troops enjoyed at set piece play for the bulk of the game will give them confidence going into the Maddison Trophy rounds.

The inability to adjust to the tackled ball rulings as well as soft turnovers let the hosts down.

Former Tasman hooker Jesse MacDonald again led the MAC pack by example and deserved his two tries. Props Luke Tihema and Morgan Sali were prominent at set piece time.

Halfback Adam Ross and prop Junior Tere joined Fomai and Tokacece as the best of the Hastings side.

Technical 17 Central 3

Tech Group of Companies Napier Technical produced another below-par effort as they regained third place on the points table with this win in Waipukurau.

“It was one of those stop start games which never got going. If I was watching it on television I would have switched to the Discovery channel,” Tech manager Cyril Whitburn quipped afterwards.

Lock Darren Deely came out of retirement to produce a player-of-the-match performance for the visitors.

Openside flanker Hugh Reed and winger Penikolo Latu also shone for Tech.

Central co-coach Mike Kupa was impressed with the improvement displayed by his below-strength side. Openside flanker Bryce Barr had a high workrate and spoilt a lot of Tech’s ball. Former Magpies No 8 Exham Wichman was also prominent in the host pack.

Fullback Karl Lepelaars was the pick of Central’s starting backs while 16-year-old Central Hawke’s Bay College loosie Jacob Goodgers did well when he played the final 10 minutes as a winger.

Taradale 50 Tamatea 19

Another of the contenders for the Magpies No 8 jersey, former Canterbury Colts representative Kieran Coll grabbed a hat-trick for Carters Frame and Truss Taradale in this victory at Bill Mathewson Park, Hastings.

Taradale coach Blair Cross said his team played well into a strong wind during the second half.

“In the first half we didn’t play well despite having the wind behind off. We should have scored six or seven tries and dropped off too many tackles.”

Lock Reon Watts, who scored two tries, Coll and blindside flanker Andrew Gardner all led the Taradale pack by example. Tamatea manager Dennis Rosser was also surprised by how well his troops played into the wind during the first half.

“In the second half we had the massive wind behind us but no ball,” Rosser explained.

Centre Peni Paselio was again lively in the Tamatea backline. Lock Sheridan Kite and No 8 Hamiora Rowlands were both tireless workers in the Tamatea pack.

Napier Pirate 45 Clive 5

Napier Pirate Rugby and Sports life member Pat Fox made a huge call after his team’s win at Farndon Park.

“We’ve had some good flankers at our club including Turbo (Central Vikings and Magpies openside Jeff Karika) but this boy will be the best.”

Fox was referring to 18-year-old openside flanker Aaron McPhee who produced his second player-of-the-match performance for Pirates this season as they secured second place with this seven tries to one romp. Blindside flanker James Wairau also battled effectively in the winning pack.

Jarrod McCarthy, who had stints at fullback and wing, was always thirsty for work.

Clive lock Casper Repko celebrated his 50th match for the hosts with a try and their player-of-the-match award.

Experienced second five-eighth Vaine Maui and promising hooker Jorian Tangaere also made coach Des Allen’s MVP list.

Allen predicted Pirates will again be “there or thereabouts” come Maddison Trophy final time and praised the direction provided by visiting first five-eighth Aayden Clarke.

Havelock 38 NOBM 14

Nash Cup winners Progressive Meats Havelock North maintained their eight-year unbeaten run against Hawke’s Bay Insurances Limited Napier Old Boys Marist with this victory at Anderson Park.

Hooker Henry Yortt and flanker Adam Bradey were both inspirational in the winning pack while halfback Isaac Paewai served his backline well. NOBM coach Mike Warren described the clash as “untidy.”

“I know Stu (referee Stu Catley) is regarded as a promising ref. But he was out of his depth with this match partly because he didn’t get the necessary support from his assistants who were wired up,” Warren said.

“That’s not an excuse for the loss because our team played poor,” Warren added before singling out winger Migao Lauano, prop Reece O’Leary, hooker Semiperive Semeane and centre Mark Collier as the visitors’ best.

Bluntly, you can’t read anything from yesterday’s game in Palmerston North.

Even Manawatu Jets’ marquee player Josh Pace couldn’t disguise a grin after the game, having clocked zero minutes.

At times it was almost like watching the Harlem Globetrotters entertain the crowd at Arena “The Hangar” Manawatu.

It was like putting without a lucrative cheque fluttering in the wind on the golf greens to remind players there’s big money riding on it.

Asked if he wasn’t playing on a Sunday like HBS Hawks captain Paora Winitana because of his religious beliefs, a grinning ex-Hawk American import Pace said he was resting because his team management felt he had clocked too many minutes.

“We’re the type of team that can win without me. It’s a moral victory for us today,” the talented leftie said after the Hawks won 80-71.

In doing so, the Hawks claimed the bragging rights to the minor premiership for the first time in the history of the Bartercard National Basketball League.

Manawatu also rested just-arrived import point guard Chris Hagan because of a “sore leg” but injected Marcel Jones, who is hoping New Zealand Immigration will grant him a citizenship before the play-offs.

Yet again this season, the Paul Henare-coached Hawks toyed with the Manawatu Jets like a moggie pawing a spent mouse.

But Henare said winning the minor premiership would equate to zilch if his men don’t take turns to cut the net around the hoop when the dust settles in Wellington this weekend.

“It was historic and, as corny as it sounds, it’s more importantly a goal achieved for us.

“We set ourselves some goals a few weeks ago and one of them was to win the minor premiership.

“To be able to achieve that and to be part of a team that has done that for the first time for the Hawke’s Bay basketball team is pretty special.”

Henare said any other day what would matter is the number of times the NBL trophy finds its pride of place in the cabinet of the Hawks franchise.

“Minor premiership is great but it doesn’t give us the championship.”

It didn’t escape Henare’s attention that Weisenberg has had four US imports this season and he has rotated them to suit his needs as well as keep the oppositions guessing.

“It’s a bit of a lottery when it comes to playing against the Jets.

“You know they have their reasons but we’ll focus on ourselves.”

For the most part yesterday it pleased the 2010-11 New Zealand Breakers title-winning captain. The Hawks crashed the boards hard and responded to a bit of adversity when the Jets lifted their intensity.

“They hit us in the second half and we took a while to respond but we did well.”

The top-qualifying Hawks play defending champions Wellington Saints in their semifinal while the second-placed Auckland Pirates will lock horns with the Jets.

The Hawks overwhelmed the Saints in Napier but found themselves on the receiving end of a double header along Lambton Quay.

Henare felt the Hawks faced a tough battle against the Saints on their home turf.

“The schedule works in their favour because they get to play in front of their home fans but it’s a good test for us.

“If we want to have a chance at winning the home championship we’ll have to beat a very good team that’s playing on their home floor.”

While the Hawks had spoken about playing without inspirational skipper Winitana should they make it to the grand final on Sunday, Henare emphasised they were cautious not to get too far ahead of themselves.

“We have to win the semifinal first before we even think about winning a championship,” he said as the Hawks attempt to secure their second title after the maiden one under former coach Shawn Dennis in 2006.

Yesterday the hosts were stunned into a 29-19 deficit in the first quarter and looked just as much out at sea in the second spell, trailing 45-31 (16-12 to the Hawks).

Former Tall Black Jarrod Kenny and bench point guard Aidan Daly provided the impetus on the court as Everard Bartlett ran amok with the ball.

It wasn’t until the third quarter that the Ryan Weisenberg-coached Jets started to gnaw away at the lead.

With 7.50 minutes remaining on the clock, Jones dropped a basket from deep outside the arc to close the gap to a point (58-57) and send the parochial home crowd into a frenzy.

Forward Nick Horvath also dropped timely bombs but the Hawks, especially with power forward Galen Young’s guidance, absorbed the pressure to claim victory.

Daly and young forward Morgan Natanahira filled the positions well in Winitana’s absence.

Henare also lauded bench player Damion Davies and rookie guard Alonzo Burton for picking up the slack with aplomb.

While there was nothing the Hawks could do about another Sunday grand final that would negate the input of marquee player and former Tall Black small forward Winitana, Henare said they would again try to address it with the NBL board after this championship.

“It’s obviously something I don’t agree with,” he said.

Henare said that playing any game without one of the longest-serving basketballers in the country would be an injustice and tantamount to short-changing spectators.

“He’s going to be punished for his religious beliefs and I think basketball is behind the times a little.

“You know Michael Jones used to do it for the All Blacks and the All Blacks decided it probably wasn’t the best thing to schedule games on Sundays.”

While it affected Winitana and a few other NBL players of the Mormon faith, he thought the NBL and basketball in general in New Zealand needed to take a hard look at themselves to accommodate the players.

Sky TV, who haven’t covered NBL matches religiously, dictate terms on what time the grand final should be played.