Petone win McBain as MSP and Tawa climb into top eight positions in Swindale Shield

Carne Green races away to score for Petone in their McBain Shield win over Hutt Old Boys Marist today. Photo: Andy McArthur

Results & Scoring as received HERE

• By Steven White & Scott MacLean

Petone have won the 2023 McBain Shield interclub match against Hutt Old Boys Marist. In front of a large Hutt Recreation Ground crowd on a sunny afternoon, Petone beat HOBM 49-32 to retain the famous Shield that they had won last year with a famous last-play try.

Petone’s win also cements their place in third on the Wellington club rugby Premier first round Swindale Shield standings, behind leaders Paremata-Plimmerton and second placed Old Boys University who both won in town today.

Paremata-Plimmerton beat competition minnows the Wellington Axemen 68-5 on Wellington’s Old Timers’ Day at Hataitai Park, whilst Old Boys University battled to a 27-21 win over Oriental-Rongotai in their Dave Loveridge testimonial match.

For Paremata-Plimmerton, left wing Knox Tuinasau scored a hat-trick and flanker Tane McMillan-Parata and first five Sam Clarke each scored two tries. The Hammerheads scored nine tries in total.

In other results, both Marist St Pat’s and Tawa have moved back into top eight positions to contest the Jubilee Cup starting in three weeks with timely bonus point wins.

MSP defeated the Upper Hutt Rams 36-31 in their match at Evans Bay Park, while Tawa beat Poneke 52-21 in a blowout win for the Kevin Carmichael Cup at Lyndhurst Park.

Elsewhere, Johnsonville scored nine tries to eighth different player in sweeping aside the struggling Northern United 61-22 in their Barlow Trophy match Porirua Park to sit fourth behind the frontrunners Paremata-Plimmerton and Old Boys University and third placed Petone.

The Rams are fifth, ahead of MSP, Ories and Tawa who round out the top eight. The loss for the Eagles puts them in ninth, and these five teams will be chasing four spots available for the Jubilee Cup, with one to drop down to the Hardham Cup and join the five teams already consigned to the Premier 2 championship spoils this year.

In losing to Tawa, Poneke have officially joined Wainuiomata, Northern United, Avalon and Wellington in the Hardham Cup

Avalon and Wainuiomata drew their match today for the Anthony Waldrom Trophy on Avalon’s Old Timers’ Day. Wainuiomata led 20-7 at halftime but Avalon came back to draw 26-26.

In the McBain Shield match, Petone raced to a 17-3 lead, but HOBM pegged them back to trail just 22-20 at halftime.

Petone opened the scoring with a penalty to Carne Green, before right wing Stanley Solomon and halfback Cam Ferreira ignited the 2,000 strong Hutt Rec crowd with converted tries.

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HOBM’s forwards gained momentum and the Eagles came back with a penalty and converted try, before Petone first five Green scored after running back a HOBM goal line dropout to put the Saddlebacks up 22-13.

Perhaps thinking it was halftime, Green kicked the ball out. There was still time left and HOBM launched an attack that sent right wing Sapati Tagoai in for a converted try with the last play of the opening 40 minutes.

Petone absorbed much pressure early in the second half, before breaking out and scoring a converted to move ahead 29-20.

Petone then lost a player to the sin-bin and during this time, HOBM came back with a seven-pointer to trail by two points again at 29-27.

Petone kicked a penalty and then scored what was the match-winner midway through the second spell to wing Lester Maulolo, converted from the sideline by fullback TJ Clarke.

Trailing by 12, the Eagles had to score next, and they did so with another converted try, to make it 39-22 with just minutes remaining and another McBain classic finish was on the cards.

But Petone sealed the win with another penalty and then a try in the dying embers to replacement outside back Richard Evans.

Two sides desperate for different reasons produced an enthralling encounter at Rugby League Park as a late try to Kyle Preston gave Old Boys-University their 27-21 over Oriental Rongotai.

Both sides scored early with OBU getting the opener when a missed Callum Harkin penalty wasn’t cleared by the Magpies and resulted in Ty Poe crossing in the corner. Ories hit back soon after when a break by Dom Ropeti saw sustained pressure applied and they crossed from close range though there was some conjecture about a knock-on. OBU’s second came from making their own luck; a midfield turnover was followed by a Callum Harkin kick downfield that wasn’t dealt with and Elijah Maeni-Lokeni benefitted but Ories regrouped and destroyed an OBU scrum and allowed Isaac Bracewell to cross and level matters before halftime.

The second stanza was an arm wrestle only broken by a Harkin penalty before Ropeti crossed with about 10 to go to put Ories ahead, only for Preston’s late dash into the dark northwestern corner to provide the decisive moment to settle matters.

Tawa swept to their 52-21 win over Poneke at Lyndhurst Park. The final scoreline was boosted by two late tries, to halfback Kemara Hauiti-Parapara and lock Hugo Plummer, both converted from the sideline.

However, Tawa’s victory had been all but assured by halftime after they had scored their fourth and bonus point try from a penalty and lineout drive in the corner. Boosted by Super Rugby prop PJ Scheck and with lock Hugo Plummer, hooker Joyner Gaualofa and blindside flanker Hemi Fermanis all to the fore, Tawa’s forwards were on top for much of the game. Halfback Kemara Hauiti-Parapara added spark that they were perhaps missing in earlier rounds.

Tawa were well in control of the match from the opening exchanges that saw them attack in the  corner with a penalty and lineout and referee Harris awarded them a penalty try, and at the same time Poneke captain and lock Zeke Fiso was sent to the sinbin.

Playing with a one-man advantage, Tawa scored their second try from broken play, securing a turnover on their own side of halfway, and soon sending Fermanis in to make it 14-0.

Tawa scored their third try several minutes later when they launched from a centre field scrum and sent right wing Tony Solomona away for a try in the clubrooms corner in the dying vestiges of sunshine to make it 19-0.

Right on half time, Tawa scored their fourth try to loosehead prop Jacob Mua from a lineout drive in the same corner as their first penalty try, and they went into the turnaround fully in control at 24-0.

Poneke started the second half much more committed, and after earlier missing out on a try from a close-range attack, they deservedly got on the board after a long period of play with ball in hand and second five Caleb Robson making a nice bust up in to the 22 and offloading to centre Ratu Bishop for their first try.

Tawa though hit back straight away with their fifth try to replacement forward Akira Ieremia go ahead 31-7.

Poneke scored again midway through the second half through Robson himself to close the gap to 31-14, but once more Tawa scored to pull clear again with an intercept to replacement outside back Isi Saumaki.

The second half developed into a scrappy affair with both sides making numerous changes and the sun completely gone from the field. Poneke were next to score again, Robson running in his second try, which made it 38-21, before Tawa sealed their win with those two late tries.

Premier 2

Tawa ran their unbeaten streak to 45 with a 26-8 over one of their closest challengers Poneke in the feature clash of the Harper Lock Shield today (see report below). Petone are just a point back and their only realistic challengers after they saw off HOBM 24-15 at the Hutt Rec, with these four continuing to occupy the top four places.  MSP are fifth after beating Upper Hutt 42-17 while Ories are sixth after a battling 24-17 win over OBU (more below). Stokes Valley hold eighth after edging Pare-Plim 21-19. In the bottom reaches of the division Johnsonville were big 40-17 winners over Norths, and Wainuiomata kept Avalon winless with a narrow 26-24 win at Fraser Park.

In the Harper Lock Shield curtain raiser at Lyndhurst Park, competition leaders Tawa pulled away in the second half to beat Poneke 26-8.

The first half had been a hotly contested affair, with no scoring until the 30th minute mark when Poneke kicked a penalty to go 3-0 up.

Tawa replied with a converted try to No. 8 Josh Mallon off the back of a 5-metre scrum to go 7-3 ahead. But right on the stroke of half time, Poneke right wing Sose Perenise made an intercept in general play which soon led to a try in the lefthand corner to second five Matawhero Wakefield-Sciasciaand Poneke led 8-7 at half time.

Tawa quickly regained the lead in the second spell and then scored a third try to move ahead 19-8. With about 10 minutes to play, second five Chester Palauni scored the bonus point and match-sealing try to extend their unbeaten run to 46 matches.

Ories kept their slim hopes of a top-four finish intact with a battling 24-17 win over OBU. It was scoreless for the first 25 minutes before a burst of tries saw matters tied up at 14 at the break, before a similar scoreless period to open the second. OBU edged ahead with a 65th-minute penalty before Ories tied matters up with one of their own, and then took the decisive lead when prop Jonty Bird barged over.

Colts

There were two Friday night matches and four played today. Last night, Tawa beat Poneke 38-29 and Oriental-Rongotai defeated Northern United 29-12. The run of play in these saw Tawa establish a comfortable lead only for Poneke to stage a come back and Ories in control of their result throughout most of the game.

With the sun on their backs today, the HOBM Junior Eagles made it eight wins from eighth and establish a clear lead at the top of the standings with their 22-13 win over Petone in the McBain Shield curtain-raiser.

The other two matches saw contrasting results, with OBU Green beat the Wellington Axemen 52-15 and MSP edging the Upper Hutt Rams 10-7.

Wainuiomata had the Paris Memorial Trophy Colts competition bye this weekend.

 Women’s

Petone will face Marist St Pat’s in next week’s Tia Paasi Memorial Trophy decider after today’s final round-robin matches. In what amounted to a virtual semifinal, Petone proved too good for Oriental Rongotai, pulling away in the second half to win 38-7. MSP were already through to the final and had an ideal warm-up for it with a tough but winning outing against Norths with a 41-20 scoreline.

In the Division 2 Izzy Ford Cup Paremata-Plimmerton removed all doubt from the permutations by beating the HOBM-Wainuiomata combined side 36-10 and setting up a repeat match-up next week. For Paremata-Pimmerton, Kara Te Puni scored four of their six tries. In the other match Avalon closed out their season with a 36-0 win over Poneke which came too late for their finals chances

U85kg

There were two defaults this weekend in the U85kg JC Bowl, so just four matches were played this afternoon.

The OBU Scallywags beat the Wests Roosters by default to remain atop the standings, ahead of second placed Tawa Ducks who beat the Poneke Wanderers in the feature clash of the round at Redwood Park.

The other three results from matches today saw the Paremata-Plimmerton Piranhas beat the Wellington Axemen 34-5, the Johnsonville Terrahawks defeat Marist St Pat’s 31-19 and Petone beat the HOBM Howlers 22-8.  Stokes Valley beat Eastbourne by default in the other scheduled game.

College

By Joe @tackld

Four games of Tranzit First XV Premiership rugby were played today.

The biggest talking point will probably be Wairarapa College scoring an important 29-26 home win over Wellington College. The Masterton-based school has now achieved four wins from five games having also claimed a home win over St Patrick’s College (Town). The trip to Masterton has certainly tripped many visitors. Today’s win slots Wairarapa into third place on the table and reconfirms they’re genuine competitors for a Top 4 slot.

The only team Wairarapa has lost to is St Patrick’s College (Silversteam). It’s Stream that Wellington College play next with a mid-week traditional, in the city, this Wednesday. Having to back-up within such a short timeframe may have affected some of the selections Wellington College made today.

HIBS’ unbeaten record was clipped in losing to Stream 47-0, today. The score is not a flattering reflection of today’s game. HIBS did well to control different parts of the match but Stream’s relentless pressure saw HIBS make a number of errors. St Pats scored 4-5 intercept tries. So it was a strong case of HIBS having 4-5 assists but scoring no points.

Silverstream’s first-five and second-five combination, again, played the game masterfully. The cool manner in which Maui Winitana-Patelesio captains his side and runs the pivot role, will be essential as his team starts their local traditional programme. Second-five Elijah Solomona always seems in control both in attack and defence.

HIBS flanker Tyler Craig further built his credentials as being one of the harder working players in this year’s Premiership. Brodee Tetevano gave a classy display in the centres finding cracks in Stream’s imposing defence.

St Patrick’s (Town) registered their first win of the season, beating St Bernard’s 17-7. Scots continued their relentless charge with a 57-19 win over Rongotai. The fixture between Mana and Tawa was postponed as they will play this as a mid-week Beard Trophy match later this month.

In Premier 2 it was a winning day for the three second fifteens who are competing for the Murray Jensen Cup. Wellington Second XV scored a close 13-12 win over Hutt Valley High. St Pat’s Town had a profitable trip to Naenae winning their encounter 22-17.

St Patrick’s College (Silverstream) enjoyed the largest margin with a 62-17 win over Aotea College. Silverstream are the reigning cup holders and it looks like being another good year for the Stream seconds. The team is bringing a stack of enthusiasm to training and their hard work is producing good results. Their next opponents are Paraparaumu College, who are also unbeaten in the competition.

Aotea are a young team whose line-up today was affected by a number of illnesses. Hooker Aura Kupa put on a couple of short side runs to nab a couple of tries. First-five Khade Hampton-Nanthasack showed good industry throughout the course of the match.

Other results include Paraparaumu 56-7 over Porirua. Bishop Viard scored their first win in this year’s Premier 2 beating Newlands College 63-34.