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Close matches in club rugby in sixth round

  • By Steven White, Scott MacLean and Adam Julian 

For results and scoring (as received and as updated): http://www.clubrugby.co.nz/wellington/games-results.php?competition=1&season=21&round=6

With a handful of notable exceptions, there were a series of tightly contested matches across the board in Wellington club rugby today, while the Petone Women’s side has won their first round title with a week to spare. The Ponies beat Avalon 58-7 to seal this year’s Rebecca Liua’ana Trophy title. In college rugby, the Paraparaumu and Tawa Colleges First XVs qualified for the Premiership today.

In the Premier Swindale Shield, five of the seven matches were hotly fought, with Wainuiomata’s minor upset 34-21 win for the Bill Brien Challenge Trophy over Oriental-Rongotai at the Polo Ground amongst them.

Hutt Old Boys Marist edged Tawa 27-26 at home at the Hutt Rec, Paremata-Plimmerton pipped Poneke 27-23 away at Kilbirnie Park, Johnsonville saw off home side Avalon 36-29 at Fraser Park and Marist St Pat’s the Wellington Axemen 33-27 at Evans Bay Park.

Two exceptions to the close scoring were seen at Porirua and Rugby League Parks, where Petone smashed Northern united 88-14, with five players scoring braces, and Old Boys University blasted past the Upper Hutt Rams 48-22.

The result of this is that Old Boys University and Hutt Old Boys Marist are equal at the top of the Premier standings on 26 points, with Petone a point back on 25 and MSP behind them on 24.

A group of four teams headed by Ories are blanketed within a win of each other to round out the ‘top 8’, with three sides chasing them and a gap to the bottom three of Norths, Avalon and Wellington who are all probably already Hardham Cup-bound.

At Evans Bay Park, the winless Axemen led MSP 13-9 at one point, before  a try around the halftime mark put MSP up 14-13. It remained tight deep into the match with MSP sealing a narrow win late in the match.

At the Polo Ground, Wainuiomata came home strongly to score the last 10 points to win the match. Ories were leading 24-21, before Wainuiomata – having been reduced to 14 players through a yellow card – scored through a Peter Umaga-Jensen penalty and then a try to right wing Niko Paletesio, converted by Umaga-Jensen. Earlier, it was 7-7 early, before a converted try to fullback Daniel Sinkinson put the green and blacks up 14-12 at halftime. Paletesio scored his first try to extend their lead to 21-12, before Ories hit back with tries to No. 8 Sione Halalilo and fullback Chicago Doyle.

It was a similar story at the Hutt Rec, where HOBM led Tawa 15-14 at halftime, and for the Eagles to keep their noses in front through to the end. Both sides scored four tries.

OBU’s 48-22 win came after they led 27-3 at half time and pulled clear in a lively second half in front of a big crowd in the stand.

It took OBU 20 minutes to settle, but they then went on a four try scoring spree and could have scored a fifth right on halftime, but their ball carrier was held up over the line.

OBU’s hungry and committed forwards, and the boot and tactical play of first five Callum Harkin combined to push the Rams deep inside their own territory throughout most of the second quarter, after the visitors had opened the scoring with a penalty to first five Tynan Barrett.

OBU proceeded to score three tries off lineouts, the first two following penalties and kicks to the corner, and the third after a Rams error at the restart and a resulting 50/22 by Harkin. Two of these tries were scored by happy The bonus point try followed with No 8 Dougal Perrers scoring off a 5-metre scrum.

The Rams needed a spark after the break and they got one from a try to hooker Leon Tuiloma, which followed a break from a scrum on halfway by halfback Kaide McCashin. The conversion closed the gap to 27-10.

It didn’t last long for the Rams, their lineout woes turning to calamity on their tryline. OBU stole a lineout 35 metres out on the grandstand side, leading to a kick and chase and a fumble at the back by the Rams defenders and a try to OBU centre Elijah Maene-Lokeni. Harkin’s conversion made it 34-10.

Harkin put the icing on the cake by finishing off a sweeping movement and scoring and converting the next try.

The Rams hit back with a try to second five Emmanual Solomona off an attacking scrum, but OBU soon replied with their next try after a turnover and break by replacement halfback Mitchell McLeod. The Rams kept trying and scored a deserved consolation try on full time to right wing Callum Wanden after a bust by centre Daniel Schrijvers.

This was a team effort by OBU, all their forwards including the reserves who came on played exceptionally well and few opponents going forward will match their intensity them over 80 minutes.

Paremata-Plimmerton edged Poneke 27-23 in a tight midtable tussle at Kilbirnie Park. Poneke ensured a tense and gripping finish with 10 minutes left when they poached a Hammerheads lineout and reserve hooker Mitchell Gough ploughed over for a try to reduce the deficit to four. Gough attempted a celebration summersault but ended with stitch.

Though Poneke enjoyed most of the possession for the last 10 minutes they were unable to threaten inside the 22.

Earlier Sam Clark kicked Paremata-Plimmerton to a 6-0 lead. Paremata-Plimmerton’s wobbly lineout was an issue all afternoon and Poneke’s first try was scored by busy and mammoth prop Noah Tuifao-Galuvao.

Two tries in two minutes midway through the first half was the telling difference for Paremata-Plimmerton. The pick of them was a turnover won by openside Veneni Lasaga who burst 65 metres and handed in under the goalposts to lock Keepa Cherrington.

Poneke fullback Max Rodgers kept Poneke in touch with three penalties. Poneke were guilty of inaccuracy in their half and a barge over from reserve prop Nu’u Taulalo provided a 27-16 cushion.

Women’s

Petone claimed the Women’s Rebecca Liua’ana Trophy with a week to spare following today’s sixth round.

Petone rolled past Avalon 58-7 to assure themselves the prize, while nearest pursuers Wainuiomata, who have the bye next week, lost 32-15 to Norths.

Petone beat Avalon 10 tries to 1, with left wing Bella Dickinson, replacement wing Harmony Kautai and halfback Milly Mackey all scoring two tries. Mackey added four conversions for 18 points.

The third game saw plenty of points at the Polo Ground with Ories beating the Poneke-OBU 60-26.

Jonah Ngan-Woo made her return to rugby for Ories.

Premier 2

OBU have opened up a five-point lead at the head of the Premier 2 Harper Lock Shield.

They beat Upper Hutt 47-13, while HOBM lost 21-39 at home to Tawa.

Petone are now second after eviscerating Norths by 88-12 and Pare-Plim joined the scrum in joint third after beating Poneke 30-21. Elsewhere Ories edged Wainuiomata 29-28, MSP beat Wellington 24-12, and Avalon got their first win in seeing off Johnsonville 22-12

The Premier 2 curtain raiser at Rugby League Park played out in similar fashion to the match that followed. OBU scored seven tries in beating the Rams.

The Goats were dominant in the forwards throughout the match, their scrum on top early and their lineout in full control.

The Rams opened the scoring with a penalty but OBU replied with two converted tries to lead 14-3 after 20 minutes. The first of these followed a sweeping attacking movement from a scrum, and the second from a penalty and a lineout.

OBU then scored their third try from a counter-attack to lead 19-6 at half time before turning to play into the dying southerly and fleeting sunshine. This quickly became 26-6 with the scoring of their bonus point try followed by their fifth try from a breakout with a Jim Fitzgerald-like centring kick to make it 32-6.

From the next kick-off the Rams made a break and scored their first and only try of the match, but the Goats completed proceedings with two further tries.

Colts

HOBM have sole possession of the lead in the Colts Paris Memorial Trophy after six rounds.

They beat Tawa 43-24, while previous joint-leaders Petone were surprisingly beaten 50-24 by Norths.

Upper Hutt joined Petone on second after beating OBU 31-22. In the remaining matches MSP beat Wellington 48-17, Avalon accounted for Johnsonville 39-24, Poneke beat Pare-Plim 29-21, and Ories raised the ton beating Wainuiomata 102-7.

U85kg

The Tawa Ducks earned their fifth straight bonus point win with a 64-5 win over the HOBM Howlers in today’s round five set of JC Bowl matches.

The chasing pack is headed by the OBU Scallywags and the Avalon Wolves, OBU beating Poneke 22-10 and Avalon overcoming the Johnsonville Terrahawks 29-21.

In other results today, the Paremata-Plimmerton Piranhas defeated Petone 32-3 and the Wellington Light Axemen beat MSP 43-19. Eastbourne had the bye.

College

Absolute scenes in the College Premiership as both Tawa College and Paraparaumu College booked their places in the Premiership and sent St Pat’s Town and Rongotai to next week’s last chance matches.

Tawa beat Town 29-22 and Paraparaumu topped Rongotai 29-24.

In the other matches to determine next week’s qualifying matches HVHS beat Onslow, Wairarapa smoked Upper Hutt 72-3, Naenae beat Mana 20-15, and Aotea and Porirua drew 15-all – with College Sport Wellington to confirm who goes through from that result.

In the second round of the Tranzit First XV series in Gisborne, St Pat’s Silverstream beat home town school Gisborne BHS 20-18, but there were losses for Wellington’s other two schools. Napier BHS defeated Wellington College 38-5 and Palmerston North BHS beat HIBS 59-0. Hastings BHS accounted for Feilding HS 27-17.

Elsewhere

College Old Boys and Kia Toa remain the frontrunners after wildly contrasting days in the Manawatu Senior A. Kia Toa won a pointsfest at Rongotea 61-26 over Te Kawau, but COB had a much tougher time of it at the Arena against Old Boys Marist squeaking home 38-35. Massey were comfortable 50-12 winners over Linton at the Army Camp, while Freyberg crushed cellar-dwellers Feilding Old Boys-Oroua 85-0. Feilding Yellows had the bye

With runaway leaders Rahui on the bye, a chance for others to make up some ground in Horowhenua-Kapiti. Levin College Old Boys did, winning 19-6 over Shannon, with Foxton winning 35-27 away against Waikanae. And it was a big day for Levin Wanderers, who got their first win in beating Paraparaumu 40-23.

Defending champions Carterton have joined Martinborough at the head of the Wairarapa-Bush Premier competition. Carterton were too good for Greytown winning 50-10, while Martinborough got home narrowly 19-15 over a plucky but luckless Red Star. Pioneer were similarly narrow winners 17-13 over East Coast, with Marist beating Eketahuna 27-10.

The Wairarapa arm of Clubrugby was at the latter game, where Marist were simply too big and powerful in the first half and vaulted to a 27-0 halftime lead as they dominated territory and possession against the northerners, especially benefitting when Eketahuna were down a man. The second half turned scrappy very early on and referee Shay O’Gorman was forced to blow a merry tune and was twice left with no option to punish Marist for their ill-discipline. Despite this Eketahuna failed to make the most of their opportunities and two unconverted tries was their lot.

The preceeding Senior Reserve game between the home team and Gladstone was and expansive but ill-disciplined affair with five cards issued in a 19-all draw.

The Hurricanes lost their Super Rugby match 31-27 to the Blues late on Saturday.

 

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