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Six champions were crowned at Porirua Park this afternoon.
A round-up of the action that we covered follows.
JUBILEE CUP
They’ll be Harkin about it all summer.
Old Boys University won a Jubilee Cup final for the ages on Jerry Collins Stadium.
OBU won 27-21, holding off waves of Tawa attack on their own goal line right up to the fulltime whistle, winning their fifth championship title since their first in 2015 and doing the Swindale Shield-Jubilee Cup double.
As well as gargantuan defence on their own line, OBU won the game at the other end a few minutes earlier with a spectacular try. Here it is:
OBU first five Callum Harkin was the Player of the Final and won the Jim Brown Plate, first awarded to Tamati Ellison in 2004.
Old Boys University kicked off into the wind and forced an early Tawa error – and made them pay.
From the first scrum of the match just outside the 22, first five Harkin made a ghosting run at Tawa’s midfield to put the defenders in doubt than offloaded to wing Jan Lammers who scored inside the clubrooms corner. Harkin’s kicked the sideline conversion and they led 7-0 early.
OBU put Tawa under pressure again, halfback Kyle Preston running blind from a scrum on halfway and forcing Tawa to scramble. OBU won a breakdown penalty and Harkin slotted a penalty to put them up 10-0 with as many minutes played.
The Fighting Billygoats continued to build phases inside Tawa’s half. Tawa won a much-needed turnover, but fullback Randall Bishop put the kick dead. OBU set another scrum 38m out and received another penalty for Harkin to call for the kicking tee. His penalty hit the post and missed.
Tawa settled and started getting their hands on the ball. their much-vaunted pack started climbing into its work. They had their best chance of the match thus far in the 23rd minute, with a penalty and lineout in the far corner. But OBU defended the maul and the moment was lost.
But they weren’t to be denied twice. OBU failed to clear their territory, and Tawa resumed their attack. From a scrum in the corner, Tawa picked and went half a dozen times, leading to hooker Joyner Gaualofa scoring to the right of the posts.
First five Solomon Uelese added the conversion and OBU led 10-7 after 30 minutes.
This sparked Tawa to life and they were dangerous. Winning a penalty just on the other side of halfway, Uelese kicked for the sideline. But try scorer Gaualofa let the Goats off the hook with a not straight lineout.
But not for long. From a scrum two minutes later, openside flanker Hemi Fermanis ran in support of an inside pass up towards the tryline. OBU scrambled hard, but they couldn’t prevent Fermanis scoring the try himself. Uelese converted and Tawa now led 14-10.
But OBU sensationally regained the lead moments later when Uelese’s exit kick from the re-start was charged down by OBU flanker Harry Irving and he regathered and scored in front of the clubrooms. Harkin’s conversion put them back ahead 17-14 in the shadows of halftime.
Harkin finished the first spell with a penalty and OBU went into halftime leading 20-14.
It was Tawa that started the second half strongly, going close to scoring in the corner after a surge into territory. Bruising blindside George Risale was bundled into touch in the corner but OBU made a lineout error and Tawa launched again.
They kept it tight and loosehead prop PJ Sheck darted through to score a try. Uelese’s conversion to put them up 21-20.
The final remained on tenterhooks before a flashpoint moment in the 60th minute.
OBU centre Ty Poe regathered a short kick and chase and crossed out wide, but the try was disallowed because of another OBU player grabbed a defenders’ shirt and Tawa escaped with a penalty.
Momentum swung Tawa’s way, and they went desperately close to scoring at the other end after multiple phases. They knocked on and OBU ran it back and won a penalty near halfway. Harkin had a shot at goal but missed and it remained a one-point game inside the last 10 minutes.
Tawa won a huge penalty from a scrum on halfway and kicked for a lineout midway 22 and 10-metre line. They went desperately close but OBU turned it over and kicked up field – and the rest is history (see video above).
HARDHAM CUP:
Wainuiomata are the 2024 Premier 2 Hardham Cup champions, beating Paremata-Plimmerton 24-19 in the final at a fine but breezy Porirua Park early this afternoon.
See Report here:
Wainuiomata win Hardham Cup with win over Paremata-Plimmerton
PREMIER 2
In the HD Morgan Memorial Cup final, Ories led 19-5 at halftime, but the Rams came back to push the score close. Ories scored a couple of late tries to pull away and make it the final score 29-17 to Ories against the Upper Hutt Rams.
In the Ed Chaney Cup decider that followed, OBU ended Tawa’s three-year grip on this trophy, beating them 46-12.
OBU did the first round-second round double. They led 19-12 at halftime.
COLTS
Northern United won the Vic Calcinai Memorial Trophy Division 2 final with a 33-29 win over Paremata-Plimmerton Colts on the top field.
Down on Jerry Collins Stadium, HOBM won the John E Kelly Cup for the first time since 2015, with a 49-19 win over Tawa.
HOBM completed an unbeaten season, winning the first and second round Colts titles. They finished the year having scored 724 points in 16 games – a contender for WRFU Team of the Year for 2024.
Left wing Phelan Rona scored four tries in the final, to bring his season tally to 18.
Playing into the wind in the first half, HOBM made a dream start to the John E Kelly Cup decider when Rona reined in a chip kick by Tawa and sprinted 50 metres up the grandstand touchline to score.
Rona made a second break, leading to a penalty and an 8-0 lead.
Fullback Dom Ernst made a scorching run from halfway to the 22 and then offloaded to openside flanker Sam Morgan, who scored their second try. HOBM lead 13-0 in the 16th minute.
In the 22nd minute, left wing Rona ran another 60 metres for his second try of the match. This was converted and it was now 20-0.
Tawa’s outside backs were involved in their comeback try in the 29th minute, first fullback Samoan Euta chasing up a kick and chase and forcing a goal-line dropout. Then following several phases in the 22, right wing Floyd Nawaqatabu scored in his corner to close the gap to 20-5.
HOBM’s fourth try in reply followed a multi-phase build-up close to the line by the forwards, then a kick by first five Junior Leleisiuao out to unmarked right wing Nawaqatabu to score. This made it 25-5 to the Junior Eagles.
Tawa weren’t about to lie down before halftime and weight of numbers and a patient build-up saw first five Daniel Baker brush over to score to make it 25-12 at halftime.
HOBM now had the wind in the second spell but took a long time to reassert themselves despite having territorial dominance. They were held up over the line twice and then missed a penalty.
But it was another piece of magic by the outside backs that sparked them again, fullback Dom Ernst running back a kick and gliding his way through traffic to score their fifth try and make it 32-12.
They might have put it beyond reach with a long-range try from a lineout. HOBM ripped it wide through second five Junior Paulo out to left wing Rona who pinned his ears back and scampered 40 metres for his third try.
But once more Tawa hit back with a well-deserved third try of the final after rampant attack inside the 22. The conversion was good, and the Eagles now led 37-19 with about 15 minutes to play.
That was as close as they got, the Eagles making immediate inroads and scoring a forwards try out wide. This was converted and it was now 44-19.
Fittingly, it was that man Rona who scored the Eagles’ next try, and his fourth, collecting a cross-kick and scoring in the corner to make it 49-19, the fulltime score.
COLLEGE
Two near-boilovers highlighted the eighth round in the College Premiership, but ultimately the semifinalists have been found with a week to go.
Scots confirmed their place in the last four, but only just as a shorthanded Tawa College almost pulled off a storied upset before the Strathmore school prevailed 30-29. Wellington College almost found a banana peel too, leaving it very late to squeeze past bottom-placed Hutt International 22-19 out at the NZCIS campus in Upper Hutt but return to the top of the table. In today’s other matches Rongotai were too good for Paraparaumu by 35-17, and Wairarapa College had a fruitful day south in beating St Bernard’s 28-12. The fifth match was Wednesday’s Traditional where Silverstream beat Town 50-5.
Unbeaten pair the Silverstream and Wellington College 2nds maintained their records in Premier 2. Silverstream repeatedly found holes in Taita’s defence in a 65-5 win, while College took down previous leaders Hutt Valley High 29-10, but even with the bye coming next week the Lower Hutt school are assured of finishing third. Porirua will be fourth irrespective of what happens next week as well, after they beat Bishop Viard 30-12. The fourth match saw the Rongotai 2nds beat Aotea 20-14, with the Town 2nds on the bye.
ELSEWHERE
Ponsonby claimed yet another Auckland title, rolling on Pakuranga 49-17 to win the Gallaher Shield at Eden Park. Pakuranga took the subsidiary Portola Shield, prevailing 42-28 over College Rifles.
Te Puke are the Bay of Plenty champions, after beating Greerton Marist 22-10.
The Canterbury Metro decider between University and Linwood takes place tomorrow afternoon.
