Posted on Monday, May 11th, 2026
Rapid Wrap: Round 5
Round 5 of the Rapid League delivered a busy North v South slate, with the Northerners gaining the upper hand in four of the seven contests. The Tauranga Whai kept their unbeaten start intact, the Wellington Saints and Auckland Tuatara stayed firmly in the chase for firts, Southland Sharks finally broke through with two wins on the road, and the Taranaki Airs remained on the bottom rung still searching for their first victory. Mike Lacey takes you through all that and more in this week’s Rapid Wrap.
Sharks Break Duck in New Plymouth
In the opening game of the round in New Plymouth, both teams entered the contest searching for their first win of the season, and it was the Southland Sharks who prevailed, claiming a 45-30 victory over the Taranaki Airs.
It looked promising for the Airs early on, with Luka Vea, Riley Tuuta and Quintin Bailey connecting from deep, but a strong 10-4 run in response from the Sharks took them to a 25-19 half-time lead.
From there, it was the interior presence of Riley Snow and Tautoko Wynyard, plus the all-court skills of Quake Webster, that enabled the Sharks to break their duck.
Snow and Wynyard combined for 20 points and eight rebounds, while Webster added seven assists to go with 10 points. Meanwhile, despite a Rapid season best 17 points from Tuuta, the Airs will visit the Saints next week still chasing that elusive first win.
Taranaki Airs 30 – Riley Tuuta 17pts, Luka Vea 10pts & 6rebs
Southland Sharks 45 – Tautoko Wynyard 12pts, Quake Webster 10pts & 7asts, Riley Snow 8pts & 5rebs, Will Leger 6pts
Bulls Charge Past Defending Champs
Despite 13 points from Elijah Inwood, Rapid League back to back defending champions NBS Nelson Giants slipped to a third loss of the season, going down 45-38 to Franklin Bulls in Pukekohe.
After the Giants had built an early lead, the Bulls reeled off 14 unanswered points to lead 17-9. Brody Perry and Payton Hughes then added to the Bulls’ score before Inwood and James Matthews cut into the deficit.
Leading 22-19 at half-time, the Bulls also had the better of the third, with a Harry Kelso buzzer-beater taking the hosts to a 35-27 lead with a quarter to play.
Inwood produced a rare four-point play, but a corner three from debutant Noah Williams ensured late points from Matthews and Sam Dempster didn’t derail the Bulls’ charge to their third win of the season.
Franklin Bulls 45 – Brody Perry 10pts, Payton Hughes 10pts, Harry Kelso 10pts, Hunter Savill 7pts
NBS Nelson Giants 38 – Elijah Inwood 13pts, James Matthews 9pts, Cooper Adams 7pts, Sam Dempster 4pts & 7rebs
Whai Stay Perfect Against Rams
In the first of three games on Super Saturday, Tauranga Whai made it six wins on the bounce with a 39-27 home win against Mad Butcher Canterbury Rams.
The Whai opened up a 10-3 advantage, with seven first-half points from Jett Thompson extending the lead to 21-11 at half-time.
A Xanda Marsters three gave the Whai a 13-point lead, although seven third-quarter points from Milan Newton reduced the margin to 28-20 at the last break.
Scores from Brody Cooper and Jake Holmes reduced the margin further before inside makes from Josh Kelly and a pair of Marsters threes settled the contest.
Tauranga Whai 39 – Jett Thompson 9pts & 5rebs, Xanda Marsters 9pts, Josh Kelly 9pts
Mad Butcher Canterbury Rams 27 – Milan Newton 14pts, Brody Cooper 6pts, Gus Dallow 3pts & 4asts
Hawks Soar Past Nuggets at Home
A dominant second-half display propelled the Total Energies Hawks to a 46-31 home win against the Otago Nuggets.
Nine points from Toby Hunt and half a dozen from Oak Chisholm meant the Nuggets were only a point adrift, 22-21, at half-time.
Though Hunt made both his third and fourth threes after the interval, it was the play of Tommy Fergusson and Jacob Murphy who combined for 12 points to carry the Hawks to a 37-27 three-quarter-time lead. Fergusson, approaching the form he displayed in 2024 before incurring a serious injury, went on to post 15 points, seven rebounds and three assists in front of the home fans.
Ezrah Eagle and Balin Casson extended the Hawks’ lead before Murphy, the Hawks’ all-time Rapid League leading scorer, put the seal on the victory.
Total Energies Hawks 46 – Tommy Fergusson 15pts & 7rebs, Jacob Murphy 12pts, Ezrah Eagle 8pts & 6rebs
Otago Nuggets 31 – Toby Hunt 15pts, Oak Chisholm 6pts & 4asts, Harrison Bezett 6pts & 5rebs
Sharks Complete Northern Sweep
In the third and final game on Saturday, the Southland Sharks made it a successful northern venture with their second away victory of the round. Having beaten Taranaki 48 hours earlier, the Sharks backed that up with a 35-27 victory over the Manawatū Jets in Palmerston North.
The Sharks led 13-12 at quarter-time and, and thanks in large part to Jack Ramage scoring nine first-half points, were 21-17 to the good at the interval.
A Dane Bertinshaw triple and a Riley Snow inside finish extended the Sharks’ lead to double figures, and although Boston Caldwell, the Rapid League’s leading scorer this season, took his tally into double figures, the Sharks were able to maintain control through the closing minutes.
Manawatū Jets 27 – Boston Caldwell 13pts, Hamza Zahran 7pts & 6rebs
Southland Sharks 35 – Jack Ramage 12pts, Tautoko Wynyard 6pts, Riley Snow 6pts, Will Leger 5pts & 7rebs
Tuatara Clamp Giants in Defensive Statement
NBS Nelson Giants were held to their lowest ever Rapid League score as they went down 34-14 to Auckland Tuatara at Eventfinda Stadium on Sunday.
It looked more than ominous for the Giants when the Tuatara scored the opening 15 points, and although Elijah Inwood scored the next five, their prospects were even gloomier by half-time when they trailed 24-9.
Although the Tuatara took their foot off the pedal in the second half and added just a further 10 points, the Giants were stuck in first gear throughout, making just 6 from 32 from the field as they suffered their second defeat of the round.
Josh Leger and Dylan Wilkie led the way for the Tuatara with 10 points each, while Elijah Inwood produced a typically energetic performance for the Giants with seven points and seven rebounds.
Auckland Tuatara 34 – Josh Leger 10pts & 6rebs, Dylan Wilkie 10pts, Kingston Kailahi-Aso 6pts, Mattie Dalton 6pts
NBS Nelson Giants 14 – Elijah Inwood 7pts & 7rebs, James Matthews 4pts
Saints Edge Bulls in Porirua Thriller
In a thriller in Porirua, the Wellington Saints edged past the Franklin Bulls 33-32 to wrap up the Round 5 action.
In a tussle that had been close throughout, back-to-back scores from Payton Hughes gave the Bulls a 32-29 lead with 90 seconds to play.
With a Bulls road win on the cards, Hassan Munir reduced the margin to a single point before the Saints’ defensive prowess proved decisive.
Inside the final minute, Arthur Pilcher came up with a steal and runaway layup to grab the lead, and with the Bulls searching for the game-winner, Aubrey Chunga produced an athletic block to thwart the scoring attempt of NZ U18 teammate Harry Kelso, sealing the Saints’ fifth win in six attempts.
The closeness of the contest was reflected in the scores at the conclusion of each quarter: 7-7 after one, 18-18 after two and 25-25 after three.
Munir with 12 points, Chunga with nine points, and Sam Gold with six points and six rebounds were outstanding for the hosts, while Brody Perry with nine points, Hughes with seven points, and Zeek Otunuku with six points on debut caught the eye for the Bulls.
Wellington Saints 33 – Hassan Munir 12pts, Aubrey Chunga 9pts, Sam Gold 6pts & 6rebs
Franklin Bulls 32 – Brody Perry 9pts, Payton Hughes 7pts, Zeek Otunuku 6pts
Simply Rapid
Seventeen points from Riley Tuuta for the Taranaki Airs was the top individual score of Round 5, while Boston Caldwell continues to lead the Rapid League overall scoring this season.
Rapid Milestones
Bulls guard Payton Hughes has become the third Bulls player, after the now-departed Christian Vano and Dru Leusogi-Ape, to score 200 points for the club.
Jett Thompson is the first Whai player to score 250 points for the club and has climbed to seventh on the Rapid League all-time scoring list.
James Matthews has become the third Giants player, after Hayden Jones and Aston Inwood, to score 200 points.
Leading Scorers This Season
79 Boston Caldwell, Jets
75 Elijah Inwood, Giants
70 Hassan Munir, Saints
69 Quake Webster, Sharks
66 Dylan Wilkie, Tuatara
65 Payton Hughes, Bulls
60 Jett Thompson, Whai
60 Riley Tuuta, Airs
54 Jacob Murphy, Hawks
53 Mana Martin, Rams
53 Toby Hunt, Otago Nuggets
All-Time Rapid League Most Points
457 Tyson Thata-Paese, Saints/Jets/Nuggets
346 Jacob Murphy, Hawks
305 Hayden Jones, Giants
299 Mana Martin, Rams
287 Kazlo Evans Jr, Manawatū Jets
261 Scott Telfer, Airs/Sharks
257 Jett Thompson, Whai
248 Dylan Wilkie, Tuatara
245 Mac Stoddart, Rams/Nuggets/Sharks
240 Te Tuhi Lewis, Whai
238 Josh Leger, Tuatara
237 Tama Isaac, Rams