Eagles and Magpies soar ahead in Swindale Shield

Swindale Shield round 6 results, 27 April  HERE (individual try and point scorers to follow)

By Scott MacLean and Steven White

The Hutt Old Marist Eagles and Oriental-Rongotai Magpies soared to big wins in today’s sixth round set of Premier Swindale Shield Wellington club rugby matches today.

In windy conditions, the competition leading  Eagles beat Petone 46-26 at home at the Hutt Rec to retain the famous McBain Shield and also keep their winning record alive, while the Magpies have moved into second on the standings with their Bill Brien Challenge Trophy and To’omaga Alex Iona Memorial Cup 32-25 win over Northern United at Jerry Collins Stadium.

The 85^th McBain Shield clash saw Petone start positively into the wind and opened the scoring through Adam Simpson. HOBM replied through young lock Jack McCormack and a poachers try to Fereti Soloa, but after Viliami Fine scored to bring the Villagers to within two it seemed that the Eagles had squandered the advantage of the elements.

However in the moments before halftime Glen Walters crossed with Sheridan Rangihuna nailing that conversion and then a penalty. HOBM then scored early into the second half through Jordan Gillies, Petone responded through captain Jarrod Adams and then Soloa scored his second with planet-sized prop Rei Manaia having a storming game. Petone then were put behind the 8-ball when prop Alapati Soke was yellow carded with Walters adding his second and a penalty to end the game either side of a Logan Henry try that made sure Petone took away at least one bonus point.

Ories put the opening kick-off of their match dead and Norths opened the scoring through right wing Losi Filipo soon after from their own scrum on halfway, to put them up 5-0.

Ories regrouped and scored the next two tries, through first five-eighth Malo Manuao and centre Paulo Aukuso, and Manuao kicked a penalty to put them ahead 17-5. Norths hit back with a try to flanker and captain Parekura Lalaga and kicked a penalty to close to 15-17. But that was as close as they got.

Norths had lost experienced lock Chris Middleton to injury earlier in the first half and  at the same time the Ories forwards came out to play. Their hustle and bustle and high energy game led to the visitors scoring two clutch tries, either side of halftime. On the stroke of the oranges, Ories struck from broken play and left wing Reuben Va’a flashed in to score to put them ahead 22-15. Now playing into the wind, Ories attacked through multiple phases and tighthead prop Alex Fidow crossed and suddenly it was 29-15. Norths second five-eighth Kienan Higgins was sinbinned and Manuao kicked a second penalty to put them ahead 32-15.

Norths closed to 32-20 with a second try to Filipo, but were only able to add one more at the death to Lagala which gave them two bonus points from the loss. Ories will take heart from this win, a strong forwards effort in particular rocketing them into favour as one of the teams to beat.

The Old Boys-University vs Marist St Pat’s contest befitted one between two sides down on confidence and desperately seeking a result. The first-half proved to be an arm-wrestle with neither side able to gain any real ascendency. Ultimately the deadlock was broken just before half-time through a Dale Sabbagh penalty and that was the only first-half scoring. After the resumption returning OBU No.8 Teariki Ben-Nicholas scored twice to push the lead to 15-0, before MSP scored twice to close to 15-10. MSP were hot on attack at the game’s end, but the ball was turned over and hustled into touch for a morale-boosting win for the Goats, but leaving MSP in the same lowly 10^th place they started the day. OBU also retained the Jack Lamason Cup.

At Kilbirnie Park, Poneke were made to work hard for the competition points by the Avalon Wolves before winning 34-20. Avalon jumped out to an early lead, and could have had a second but for some sterling defensive work by Poneke captain Nick Robertson. Playing with the wind Poneke scored twice through Johannes Taankink and then Brandon Feterika after a sweeping move, but were otherwise harried into errors by an aggressive Wolves defence and they took a deserved lead into halftime after an intercept and then a close-range effort by veteran lock Akuila Alatini.

The second half saw the roles reversed and Poneke’s substitutions had the desired effect and they kicked clear through tries to Robertson, a pair to Levi Harmon, and a second to Taankink against a sole Wolves penalty. Avalon will rue this has a chance missed.

It was a similar story at Lyndhurst Park. Wainuiomata played into the wind in the first-half and their forwards simply rolled their sleeves up and refused to let Tawa have the ball, and profited through lock Bevan Clark.

Tawa eventually got some possession and scored through Kemara Hauiti-Parapara after some good work by debutant winger Tane Heremaia, and then Tolu Fahamokioa. Wainuiomata then took the lead after halftime through a Josh Robertson-Weepu penalty and a Peter Umaga-Jensen intercept, only for Tawa to retake it through Hauiti-Parapara’s second and the Folau Vea. Robertson-Weepu closed the gap to 24-23 with a pair of penalties, but Tawa’s deep bench led by veteran Peniasi Tokakece saw them home with unconverted tries to Faraimo Nofoaiga and Sam Tuala leaving a 34-23 final score and the Chris Stirling Cup at Lyndhurst Park for another year.

It was Old Timers’ Day at Maoribank Park, where home team the Upper Hutt Rams beat Paremata-Plimmerton 38-7.

The Rams led 14-0 late in the first half before a try under the bar to Paremata-Plimmerton pegged the deficit back to 14-7 by the break. The plucky Pare-Plim side hung in there early in the second half, but it was a try to Rams left wing Soli Malatai that helped break the shackles and they pulled clear. Lock Lui Luamanu finished with a hat-trick of tries in the six tries to one win.

At the foot of the table, Wellington started fast and didn’t let up against Johnsonville. Playing into the wind they led 21-0 after 15 minutes and 42-5 at halftime en route to an 82-5 rout. Te Aranga Hakiwai and Lati Lati both had doubles before the break, with James Polinati joining them shortly after the break. Ollie Marshall and replacement back James Stevenson-Wright also scored twice, with Hakiwai notching his hat-trick. Loosehead prop PJ Sheck scored the Hawks’ sole try

The top four in the Premier Reserve Harper Lock Shield all won their matches. MSP kept their winning streak intact winning 37-23 over OBU, Norths saw off Ories 41-12, Tawa nearly raised the bat beating Wainuiomata 97-10, and the Upper Hutt Rams got past winless Pare-Plim 28-7. Wellington were also kept winless with Johnsonville winning 43-20, Poneke eased by Avalon 53-7, and Petone took the honours in the early game at the Hutt Rec winning 34-15.

The Northern United Women’s side celebrated Helen Collins’s 150^th match for the side with a bonus point 25-7 win over Paremata-Plimmerton at home at Porirua Park in the Women’s Rebecca Luia’ana Trophy.

Norths outscored Pare-Plim five tries to one, but the visitors pushed them close and had some chances stuck they could have got closer to Norths.

Playing into the wind, Pare-Plim made much of the early running and breaks by midfielders Lesina Obeda and Sherri Burgess went unrewarded. A yellow card for a high tackle on a Norths player led directly to Norths scoring the game’s opening try to centre Terina Higgins from an attacking scrum under the posts.

In the 32^nd minute, Norths lock Xavier Tusa delivered the final pass in broken play to left wing Ofa Tuangalu who scored in the far corner to make it 10-0, which would be the halftime score.

Paremata-Plimmerton struck first in the second spell, with a crunching tackle and spilled ball pounced upon by halfback Tawny Burgess who sprinted 50 metres to score and convert her own try and the score was 10-7 to Norths.

This spurred Norths on and they replied with two consecutive tries to right wing Lyric Faleafaga to put them up 20-7 with 25 minutes to play.

Pare-Plim stayed in the contest though, and a runaway try to Higgins in support of fullback Julie Tusa was all Norths could do to add to their score.

In the other two Women’s matches played, Petone got past HOBM 27-14 despite missing both Jackie Patea-Fereti and Acacia Te Iwimate, while the OBU Impala’s beat MSP 26-15 in a result that could have a significant bearing on where the teams line up for the second round. Ories took the five points without leaving home after Wainuiomata couldn’t get the numbers together to take the field.

Marist St Pat’s and OBU Green remained unbeaten at the head of the Les Mills Colts Paris Memorial Trophy. MSP headed to Porirua Park and beat Norths 36-19, while OBU Green kept Tawa winless winning 36-12. The third match today saw HOBM blank Petone 27-0, with Pare-Plim beating the Upper Hutt Rams 35-17 on Thursday. The Division 2 JRD Cup matches saw Poneke beat Avalon 25-7 last night at Te Whaea, and today Ories beat OBU Black 27-5 and Johnsonville won over Wellington 30-12.

In the Under 85kg JC Bowl the Upper Hutt Rams took the top-of-the-table clash with HOBM 17-12, while defending champions Avalon Wolves also remained unbeaten after beating Wellington 22-8. Johnsonville headed off Paraparaumu 26-5, MSP had a big win 42-5 over Eastbourne, and in the only late game the OBU Scallyways outfit beat the Wests Roosters U85kgs 59-5.

In opening round First Grade Thompson Memorial Trophy clashes, defending champions the HOBM Barbarians beat the Petone Brotherhood 65-12.

Norths beat OBU 31-29, Stokes Valley accounted for Wainuiomata 36-27 and the Avalon Knights overcame MSP 58-19.