Lions and Pride make semi-finals

The Wellington Lions and the Wellington Pride are both into the semi-finals of this year’s National Provincial Championship.

The Lions had already qualified for the Premiership semi-finals ahead of Saturday night’s fixture with Waikato, sealing a home semi-final with a 39-21 win. They won the game with a three-try burst in the middle stages to wrap up a bonus point victory and a second placed finish. The Lions will host Canterbury in the 2 versus 3 semi-final.

The Pride came back from 7-26 down at halftime to over-run the Manawatu Cyclones 42-26, Ayesha Leti-L’iga pouncing for five tries. The Pride finished third and will play second placed Auckland in one semi-final. Top qualifiers Canterbury will host Counties-Manukau in the other Farah Palmer Cup Premiership playoff.