Champions again: He Tauaa breaks eight-year drought
One of the key figures in He Tauaa's win was halfback and co-captain Jayleel Fa’amoe-Ioane. He picked up the Jesse Wharepapa Award which is awarded each year to the best player in the final.
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After an eight-year hiatus, the He Tauaa Rugby League Club has returned to its championship-winning ways.
On Saturday, the proud club won its first Southland District Rugby League senior title since its five-year winning streak ended in 2017.
It beat the Cooks 26-12 in a fierce, and at times niggly, final. He Tauaa created plenty of try-scoring opportunities and probably left a few points out there, but they got the job done.
The win was He Tauaa’s 14th Southland senior club title since the club was formed in 1983.
One of the key figures in He Tauaa’s latest victory was halfback and co-captain Jayleel Fa’amoe-Ioane. He picked up the Jesse Wharepapa Award on Saturday, which is given each year to the best player in the final.
Saturday was the second time Fa’amoe-Ioane claimed that honour with his name also on the trophy after his man-of-the-match display in 2017.
“Jesse Wharepapa was obviously a big part of our club’s history so it’s always cool to do that,” Fa’amoe-Ioane said.
Fa’amoe-Ioane produced probably the play of the 2025 final early in the second half when he went on a slicing run before setting up Dylan Lovett to score with a nice kick.
The halfback’s connection with He Tauaa stretches back a long way, not just through his own deeds on the field but also with his strong family ties to He Tauaa.
His late father Tavita played close to 200 senior games for He Tauaa.
After some time out - following those five straight titles - Jayleel and others from the Fa’amoe-Ioane whanau returned this year to help the club they love so much.
“It’s good to come back, my family contingency was pretty strong within the club and obviously we haven’t been around for a while.
“We all just decided this season to help the club because we’ve struggled a bit the last few years,” Fa’amoe-Ioane told The Tribune after Saturday’s triumph.
On top of Jayleel’s key role in the 2025 title, his two brothers, Javaan and Kayah, also lined up in Saturday’s grand final victory, while his uncle Moses coached the team and aunty Fipe was He Tauaa’s manager.
Fa’amoe-Ioane’s victory with He Tauaa follows the 2024 Senior B | Premier Development Southland rugby title he won with Bluff last year.
He and many others involved in Saturday’s league final will now switch the focus to the 2025 Southland club rugby season.
“We’ve got a game against Riverton coming up in a couple of weeks so it will be good to get back into [rugby].”
Both He Tauaa and the Cooks’ march towards the 2025 Southland District Rugby League final on Saturday was boosted by the introduction of some Cowboys players looking for a new club to line up for this year.
The Cowboys had been a powerhouse of Southland league since the formation of the club in 2011.
They had won five straight titles before being beaten by Southland Bati in the 2024 decider.
Twelve months on the Cowboys were unable to muster a team for the 2025 competition.
Calder White was one of those players who transferred to He Tauaa and he was influential at dummy half with his nice pass, while also taking on the co-captaincy duties.
Lock forward Dylan Lovett was another Cowboys player who transferred to He Tauaa and as expected had a big impact in the middle of the field, particularly with his work rate in defence.