Rugby: Fuglistaller home to coach Tukapa

Will Johnston

Former Melbourne Rebels loose forward Scott Fuglistaller will get his first taste of CMK Taranaki club rugby when the competition starts on Saturday.  

Born in Hawera, the 36-year-old is coaching Tukapa alongside experienced coach Nathan Lawrence. 

The former Francis Douglas Memorial College student moved to Wellington for university and played 59 matches for the Lions and 51 for the Rebels. He retired in 2020 after a stint in Japan.   

Now working with the New Zealand Rugby Players Association, Fuglistaller’s first match at the helm will be against Coastal at Sanders Park. 

"I stepped away from rugby completely for four years after retiring in Japan and I didn’t realise how much I missed it,” he said.  

Tukapa kept in touch with Fuglistaller during his schooling, which is one of the reasons he joined the club. The others were to work with Lawrence, who he calls passionate, and to get his two sons, aged 11 and seven, involved in the club.   

As for the weekend, he said preparations had gone well, and the team has been organised so he can focus on coaching.

“They want to be better; they want to compete, which to me is the engine for success and enjoyment.”  

 While he admits he’s not an expert on club rugby, he knows Coastal provides something special to the competition.  

“Coastal is one of the few teams that has a true identity and is proud of that. It’s rare to see that in modern rugby.”  

Coastal coach Trent Olliver said a Tukapa-Coastal game is always a “doozy.”  

 “We all know Tukapa will be much better than what they were last year. They will be there at the end fighting it out,” he said.   

He has retained 95% of his squad and picked up exciting Chiefs U20 rep Hone Mathieson and loose forward Ollie Lawson from the South Island.  

The side will be led by experienced players Logan Crowley and Chris Gawler. 

Coastal’s pre-season training included completing five peaks around the region – Fanthams Peak, Mount Taranaki summit, Pouaki, Kaitake and Paritutu Rock – a total of 58km.   

The repeat of last year’s extra-time final will be played at Victoria Park in Stratford, where Stratford-Eltham host defending champions New Plymouth Old Boys.  

Old Boys’ team vastly differs from the one that lifted the trophy, as many frontline players have departed.  

Stratford-Eltham has a strong squad, with many of their players returning this season.  

In the other two matches, Clifton is home to Southern at the Tikorangi Sports Ground and Spotswood United hosts Inglewood at Yarrow Stadium. 

The competition structure has been tweaked this season, with the length of the first round shaved by two weeks. A five-week championship round has been introduced, using an odds-and-evens format. After halving the points, one full round will start on May 18.  

Kick-off for all matches is at 2:45pm.  

The women’s competition starts on Saturday, April 27.  

CMK premier club rugby, week 1: 

Stratford-Eltham v New Plymouth OB, Victoria Park
Tukapa v Coastal, Sanders Park
Clifton v Southern, Tikorangi Sports Ground
Inglewood v Spotswood United, TET Stadium

Sports News Taranaki will provide weekly updates on the CMK premier club rugby competition. We will also feature a different club each week.