Wainuiomata win fifth straight in wicked conditions

Round one Jubilee Cup and Hardham Results can be viewed HERE (individual scorers to follow). 

Wainuiomata can stand up and be counted as Wellington club rugby Championship Jubilee Cup contenders after coming from behind in dastardly conditions at the Polo Ground to beat 2011 champions Oriental-Rongotai today.

Wainuiomata won the match 21-12, after trailing at halftime and withstanding a concerted assault on their line for a good 15 minutes early in the second half.

With pelting rain and in gathering gloom, Wainuiomata defended several attacks by the home side’s forwards from lineouts and scrums and also held on when right wing Andrew Ellis slid into touch in the corner by a matter of centimetres.

They regrouped with a dominant scrum, a gutsy all-round forwards effort and strong games from halfback Uale Mai and fullback Josh Robertson-Weepu to score two tries down the far end of the ground to win the game. This was Wainuiomata’s fifth win on the trot.

The other two opening round Jubilee Cup fixtures saw opening round wins without bonus points for both Northern United and Tawa on their home grounds.

At Jerry Collins Stadium, Northern United beat Poneke 26-0 on their Old Timers’ Day, while at Lyndhurst Park Tawa defeated Petone 24-17.

With Jackson Garden-Bachop running the cutter and some early fireworks from wing Liki Siliga, Norths went to a 13-0 lead by halftime. Right wing Junior Time Taotua scored their sole try of the first half and Garden-Bachop kicked the rest of the points.

The Hurricanes pivot added another penalty early in the second half and at 16-0 up with rain falling they were in a good space. They then sealed their win with a second try to Salio Siaunuua. Norths also won the Cyril Collett Memorial Shield.

Petone went ahead early against Petone with two tries, an intercept to No. 8 Tupou Sopoaga and one to wing Adam Simpson off a dropped ball.

Tawa came back to close the gap to 14-17 by halftime, scoring both tries at close quarters.

The second half remained scoreless for 20 minutes, before Tawa scored again from a rolling maul to go ahead 21-17. Sam Clarke then kicked a 50 metre penalty to seal the win.

For Tawa, lock Hugo Plummer and No. 8 Folau Vea both had strong games, while Petone lock Eduan Struig was a physical presence in the beaten pack.

In the Hardham Cup, Old Boys University celebrated tighthead prop Jonathan Fuimoano’s 150th game with a 34-17 win over the Wellington Axemen, Marist St Pat’s defeated Paremata-Plimmerton 45-21 and the Upper Hutt Rams held off Johnsonville 21-15.

OBU extended a 10-5 lead to a 22-5 by halftime, but the Axemen opened the scoring in the second half to close to 22-10. The Goats dug deeper and pulled clear for their opening win of the second round.

Marist St Pat’s flanker Jame Tuia was a colossus at Evans Bay Park, scoring four tries in their comfortable win.

However, Paremata-Plimmerton cam back to win the second half 14-12, giving them confidence after losing by a hundred points to OBU last weekend.

At Helston Park, the Upper Hutt Rams went 14-0 up at halftime against the Johnsonville Hawks, through tries to blockbusting midfielder Konolio Feaunati and debutant openside flanker Josh Southall.

Johnsonville cut their lead in the second half to 14-8 with a try out wide and a penalty. The Rams pulled ahead with a third converted try, to left wing Jayden Treviranus, before the Hawks scored late through first five-eighth Jacob Walmsley.

Johnsonville remain winless in 2019 but they a getting closer.

Hutt Old Boys Marist (Jubilee Cup) and the Avalon Wolves (Hardham Cup) were the two sides to have their byes in the opening round and will be all lit up again next weekend.

In the Premier Reserve division, Petone beat Tawa 24-17, the same score of the Premier match only reversed, while Norths beat Poneke 37-27 and Ories beat Wainuiomata 52-19 in the Ed Chaney Cup.

In the HD Morgan Memorial, first round winners Marist St Pat’s beat Paremata-Plimmerton 67-8, OBU beat Wellington 57-0 and the Rams second XV defeated Johnsonville’s 46-13.

Stokes Valley celebrated their Old Timers’ Day and 70th anniversary with a 25-17 win over OBU in their Thompson Memorial Trophy First Grade match.

There was a notable result in the opening round of the Colts Division One John E Kelly Cup competition.

First round winners and defending champions OBU Green lost for the first time all season, going down to Ories 21-26.

Newly promoted Ories, were good for their 19-5 halftime lead, scoring three well constructed tries and also defending strongly against a shellshocked OBU unit who went to work on them at scrumtime. The Ories first five-eighth was the player of the match with an astute performance.

With rain starting to fall in the second half, the Junior Goats hit back to make it 19-14 but Ories regrouped and after a concerted spell inside OBU’s 22, scored again to extend their lead to 26-14. OBU were able to score at the end but it was too late.

In the other three Colts Division 1 fixtures today, the HOBM Colts beat Tawa 30-20, MSP beat Norths 31-10 and Petone and Paremata-Plimmerton drew 17-17.

In Division 2 Colts for the Vic Calcinai Memorial Cup, OBU Black beat Wellington 31-0, Avalon beat Wainuiomata 38-18 and Poneke defeated freshly demoted Upper Hutt Rams 27-21.

In second round First XV Premiership fixtures, Rongotai College made it two in a row by beating Wairarapa College 15-8, Aotea College beat Kapiti College 43-7, Scots College got on the points table with a 52-5 win over St Bernard’s and St Pat’s Silverstream steadied their ship with a 71-3 over HIBS in a local derby.

St Pat’s Town had beaten Wellington College 22-17 earlier in the week.

Round 3 starts this coming Wednesday with Wellington College hosting St Pat’s Silverstream in their annual mid-week traditional.