21-07-2025
Wairoa: Nine tries in muddy Mahia Barry Cup defence
The spoils of a hard day's work are obvious as Wairoa celebrates the Barry Cup defence win over Matakaoa in the mud at Mahia on Sunday. Photo / Supplied
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The spoils of a hard day's work are obvious as Wairoa celebrates the Barry Cup defence win over Matakaoa in the mud at Mahia on Sunday. Photo / Supplied
The Wairoa Rugby Sub-Union has opened its representative season 2025 season with another successful defence of the Barry Cup.
Wairoa beat East Coast side Matakaoa 55-14 on Sunday at Kaiuku Domain, Mahia, continuing a stranglehold on the trophy since a successful challenge against Poverty Bay side Waikohu three years ago.
The Barry Cup tradition of sub-union rugby from Wairoa, to Poverty Bay, East Coast and Eastern Bay of Plenty has been kept alive with Wairoa hosting about four defences a season, with teams travelling up to 310km each away, despite the difficulties getting sufficient numbers.
Conditions were wet and muddy after recent rain and more during the game, in which the challengers stung Wairoa early with a try from an intercept soon after the home side fielded the ball from the kick-off.
But the greens were on top by halftime, a feature being the man-of-the match performance by Kaihau Pasikala, who plays Hawke's Bay Premier rugby for Havelock North and scored three tries, starting the game at lock.
