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- By Steven White
UPDATED: Tawa College won the Beard Trophy and the Wellington Co-ed Cup final and St Mary’s College retained the Wellington Girls Premier 1 title in matches this afternoon.
Tawa College beat Mana College 24-14 at Ngati Toa Domain, in a game that was also a re-scheduled fourth round Premiership encounter, while St Mary’s defeated Sacred Heart College 56-0 in their final at Te Whaea.
In two more girls deciders, Scots College beat the St Mary’s second XV 44-10 to win Premier 2 and Mana College beat Bishop Viard College 24-19 to
In other matches today, the Scots College College First XV beat Lindisfarne College 61-26 in a mid-morning match at the home school’s Strathmore headquarters and St Bernard’s College missed out to Francis Douglas Memorial College 38-14 in New Plymouth. FDMC led the Lower Hutt school 26-7 at halftime.
Of these matches, Club Rugby attended the Mana-Tawa fixture, that was played on Ngati Toa 2 in fine conditions and in front of a large, noisy crowd of mixed supporters.
The match had three things riding on it, the Co-ed Cup, Premiership competition points, and, most coveted of all, the Beard Trophy. Tawa stopped Mana’s Beard Trophy reign at two defences following Mana’s win earlier in the season, after Bishop Viard College started the year as holders.
The game was sealed with a penalty try awarded to Tawa following a cross-kick out to the wing. However, it was inconsequential as they were playing on a penalty advantage awarded under the posts and it was the last play of the game.
At the time, Tawa were leading 17-14, which they had established through first five Eden Govind who kicked the second of two penalty attempts from a handy range to break a 14-14 deadlock.
Previously, Mana had got back to even with a try off the back of an attacking scrum to loose forward and captain Rakai Paea. This followed Tawa’s second try and only try of the second half to centre Akaata Ruaporo who made a sensational break in midfield from a scrum near half way and ran the whole way to score under the posts.
The two teams had ended a tense and exciting first half locked up at 7-7 with both sides creating chances but for the most part unable to finish. Tawa had scored the first try of the match off a lineout drive in the corner and tighthead prop Vakapora Afele came up with the try in a pile of bodies.
Mana hit back midway through the first half following a galloping run into open field by lock Matiu Solomon which led to a penalty and lineout drive of their own in the corner and converted try.
Tawa could have been left ruing two missed chances right before half time, the first being hooker Malachi Suniula losing the ball with the line open, and the second a knock-on on the line from another lineout in the corner.
Both sides left chances out there in the second half as well, but Tawa were able to finish stronger when it mattered.
