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Last week was a first for the Tasman Rugby Union, and the region, when rugby tickets for the First Ever All Blacks Test in Nelson went on sale for the public. It is incredible to think that the greatest rugby team in the world will be playing a Test match here in the Tasman region. The rugby world will have their eyes firmly fixed on Nelson.

Renwick kept the Marlborough flag flying in the NPD Tasman Trophy rugby competition, beating Nelson Bays club champions Stoke 27-25 at Greenmeadows. Waimea Old Boys beat Marlborough club champions Waitohi 42-34 at Jubilee Park, Wanderers accounted for Central 36-33 at Brightwater Domain, Nelson downed East Coast 44-29 at Neale Park and Kahurangi eclipsed Moutere 35-14 at Motueka.

Marlborough Boys College 10 Lincoln Combined 23, Christchurch BHS 64 Waimea Combined 17; Nelson College 52 Timaru BHS 7.

Brightwater Primary have ripped up the regional competition and will now represent Nelson in the national rippa rugby tournament. After winning the 2017 edition, Brightwater went back to back after defeating Tahunanui in the final at Henley Primary School in Richmond.

Tasman Rugby Union commercial and marketing manager Les Edwards has warned punters to go through the official avenues to buy tickets. "We want people to go through the right channel of the All Blacks website and not use resale sites."

I thought it was a breath of fresh air to hear Steve Hansen and his players not blame the referee for the debacle of the Test match last Saturday. He openly praised the performance of the referee but questioned the Law, the performance of his players and team, and finally his own selection of the team. It was the players and coaches who were at fault, not referee Angus Gardner.

Nelson Pine Industries (NPI) managing director Murray Sturgeon is normally on the supporting end of sponsorship in the community, but the tables were turned yesterday when he was the one receiving the accolades. Sport Tasman chief executive officer Nigel Muir presented Murray with a unique wooden trophy to recognise the decade of support NPI has given to sport and recreation in the Tasman region.

The weekend’s game of the round saw Renwick host Kahurangi in their first defence of the John Goodman Challenge Trophy. Renwick held onto the trophy after a 40-26 win.

In other results, Marist still sit second on the table after failing to take a bonus point in their 21-10 win over East Coast, Waitohi travelled to Brightwater to take on a rebuilding Wanderers side, the hosts upsetting the ‘Tohis 26-24 in a thriller. Fresh from the bye last weekend, Waimea Old Boys went down to Central 31-27 at Jubilee Park. Nelson travelled to Moutere and remain at the top of the table after a 33-18 win.

Waimea Combined Schools went down 47 - 12 to Marlborough Boys College on Saturday at Waimea College. consolidating MBC's position in the Top 4. The away match for Nelson College against Christ's College in Christchurch was postponed due to unfit state of the playing field.

On Saturday 2 June the Tasman Rugby Union, through the Chairman of the Nelson Bays Sub Union chair Tony Peacock, presented the John Goodman Challenge Trophy to the Goodman family and the Nelson Rugby Football Club.