Rugby team’s van shot at after game
| Published date | 10 April 2024 |
| Author | Michaela Gower |
| Publication title | Hastings Leader, The |
A witness said the Division 3 game between Tamatea Arikinui and Young Māori Party (YMP) at Bill Mathewson Park was abandoned 15 minutes early by the referee due to safety concerns before the team was chased and shot at on a nearby road as they left.
Police say the Saturday afternoon shooting on Willowpark Rd in Hastings appears to be gang-related and followed an incident on the rugby field earlier.
Tamatea are Hastings-based and the YMP team are Raupunga-based and the round one clash was YMP’s first in the division for several years.
Tamatea Rugby & Sports Club chairman Stewart Whyte said none of those involved in the incident were Tamatea supporters.
‘We weren’t expecting it but it doesn’t surprise us’ YMP coach and club captain Guy Taylor was in the driver’s seat of the van with eight members of his team when they were shot at.
He claimed members of the crowd were to blame for the shooting and he had agreed with the referee’s decision to call off the game.
He said it was the worst incident his team had experienced and he claimed their van was rammed as well as shot at before he decided to turn the van around and meet the police back at Bill Mathewson Park.
“It goes with the territory, it’s not the first time this sort of thing has happened to us. We weren’t expecting it but it doesn’t surprise us that this happened.
“I don’t know if there is a solution for this sort of thing ... this behaviour is becoming more and more common, and it is getting beyond the police to control it.”
Taylor said the game started with “normal banter between rugby players” before the crowd disturbed the match. He said his team had not retaliated in any way and he was proud of the way YMP had handled the situation.
“We had a beer with them [Tamatea Rugby Club] after the game, and a barbecue sausage.”
Tackle sparked pitch invasion — witness A witness, who said she doesn’t support either side but was there to watch as a neutral, said there was a visible Mongrel Mob presence among the crowd, but also numerous kids.
Despite Raupunga’s reputation as a Black Power town, the witness said the YMP side and supporters had no regalia, and she’d felt comfortable the game would proceed without incident. She said it was played in good spirits until the 65th minute, when a Tamatea Arikinui player was floored by a big tackle.
“A lot of the young...
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