Fuimaono celebrates 100 in Hornets’ close loss  

As the Howick Hornets Rugby League Football Club’s premier men geared up for a nail-biting match against rivals Point Chevalier Pirates, they were also celebrating a major milestone. 

Anthony ‘Antz’ Fuimaono brought up his 100th game for the Hornets in the Fox Memorial Premiership. 

Meanwhile, the club’s premier women ‘Nets had a week away from the field this week and will continue their women’s premiership campaign on Wednesday at North Harbour Stadium. 

Shiver me timbers! 

By Josh Garry, Howick Hornets Media 

Supporters’ cars surrounded Walker Park on Saturday with plenty of people there to watch Pt Chevalier v Howick in horrendous conditions. 

A swarm of Hornets diehard fans were happy getting absolutely drenched to watch Antz Fuimaono’s 100th Fox appearance for Howick. It was 80 minutes of gale force winds and horizontal rain. 

The defensive line speed and ensuing contact was intense throughout from both sides, and nobody was giving an inch. 

With the opening sets spent in the Hornets’ red zone, the visitors would finally get a shot with the ball, working their way up the pitch and ending the set with an incredible 40/20 into the wind, finding touch right in front of their vocal fans. 

Pt Chev however would show why they are top of the ladder by matching Howick’s desperation in defense, then doubling down with a left side raid that ended with the locals slipping through the line and going 50 meters to score in the corner. 

This first try would soon be followed by a second, with the Pirates benefiting from more good territory, and eventually finding success on their right flank. 

Both scores would remain unconverted keeping things close, and in true Hornets fashion the lads trucked on soon making the most of some rare possession, crossing for a four pointer of their own, which was then turned into six thanks to an incredible conversion from out wide. The score was 8-6 at the half. 

Once again the Pirates’ class showed true, earning themselves another brace of tries with the resulting kicks at goal also being waved away.   

The score now at 16-6, the visiting fans knew their team had to be next to score, and there was only one way to go about it – up the middle without preservation.   

The engine room kicked into high gear and they weren’t taking no for an answer, rolling up the field with gusto and crashing over beside the uprights for the converted try they desperately needed. 

With the score now 16-12 and time fast expiring, this match up was very much sticking to the predicted script of going down to the wire. 

Agonizingly for the Hornets players and coaching staff, it would be the home side that would cross the line a final time to seal the win.