Around the Hawke’s Bay Rugby Union’s Orotu Drive base in Napier there were a lot of happy faces as the Magpies wound up the last of their training runs in an already unprecedented season in 2023.

But there was still room for one smiling maybe more than the rest. Lolagi Visinia has realised a dream of becoming the regular fullback and is within 48 hours of realising another as the Magpies go for gold in the Bunnings NPC showdown against the Taranaki Bulls in Saturday afternoon at Yarrow’s Stadium in New Plymouth.

From Auckland and having played in three matches for Samoa last year, Visinia could have been at the World Cup in France, but any disappointment in missing selection is overshadowed by the chances he got.

“I was happy I got to come back to Hawke’s Bay,” said the 30-year-old, who has already played two NPC finals – both on the wing, for Auckland, and in losses to Canterbury, in 2012 (his first season in the NPC) and 2015.

In 2023 there was a line-up possibly starting in the black-and-white No 15, including such players as Caleb Makene, Chase Tiatia and Harry Godfrey, but as the top 15 emerged Visinia has cemented the spot for all of what will now be all five away games, which have effectively been finals just about all the way.

A loss to Southland in Invercargill on September 23 would have all but blown it for the Magpies, but it was a 33-7 win to the Magpies and five crucial points on the ladder setting the sail for the 20-18 Ranfurly Shield and NPC match win over Wellington on September 30, the 38-28 quarter-final win over Bay of Plenty in Tauranga, and the return to Wellington to eliminate the defending champions with a 25-24 win last Saturday.

The Visinia armoury, which now sees him playing a 37th game for Hawke’s Bay, and has also seen him play Super Rugby for the Blues, Hurricanes, and Moana Pacifica, was possibly best on display in the match in Tauranga where home-side the Steamers led 28-12 eight minutes before halftime.

The Magpies were spilling ball and missing tackles, but Visinia,with a series of crunching tackles on defence, some raking kicks, from defence, close to 20 carries, and then a second-half try became a feature of one of the great turnarounds.

The tackling must have hurt a bit, but another of his strengths is recovery, and by Tuesday he was ready to start another battle, preparing for what became Hawke’s Bay’s 4th successful Ranfurly Shield challenge in 10 years.

Visinia does have good memories of his first Magpies trip to Taranaki, in 2020, his second time in the black-and-white, and, after being down 10-28 at halftime winning 34-33, in Inglewood – when Hawke’s Bay havenever beaten Taranaki in an NPC match at Yarrow’s Stadium (aka Rugby Park).

Visinia also does have some good memories of finals, having been in the Kelston Boys’ High School team which won the national schools final in 2011.

For 33-year-old captain and lock Tom Parsons, it’s another opportunity in a senior rugby career that started in Canterbury club rugby in 2009. He says the team’s success – a 2023 record of nine wins and three losses - is based on being a “tight group” who work hard and back each other to the hilt.

“When we get the opportunities we take them,” he said.

He’s played in two Magpies finals, in the lower division of the competition, for one win and one loss.

Features of the team are the restoration of the starting line-up that won the first three in the away streak, after late-injury kept halfback Brad Weber and loose forward Marino Mikaele Tu’u out last Saturday, the return of prop Joe Apikotoa, on the subs’ bench after his Rugby World Cup venture with Tonga. It’s Weber’s and prop Joel Hintz’s 50th Magpies appearance.

* The Hawke’s Bay Magpies team for the Bunnings NPC final against Taranaki in New Plymouth on Saturday, starting at 2.05pm, is: 1 Pouri Rakete Stones, 2 Tyrone Thompson, 3, Joel Hintz, 4 Geoff Cridge, 5 Tom Parsons (captain), 6 Marino Mikaele Tu’u, 7 Josh Kaifa, 8 Devan Flanders, 9 Brad Weber, 10 Lincoln McClutchie, 11 Jonah Lowe, 12 Chase Tiatia, 13 Nick Grigg, 14 Ollie Sapsford, 15 Lolagi Visinia.

Subs: 16 Jacob Devery, 17 Tim Farrell, 18 Joe Apikotoa, 19 Frank Lochore, 20 Sam Smith, 21 Folau Fakatava, 22 Stacey Ili, 23 Caleb Makene.

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