Contrasting wins for Wellington U19s and Centurions, U85kg teams advance and college champions bow out

Clean air for Wellington Centurions halfback Isaac Bracewell as he runs in a try late in the first half in his team’s win over Manawatu B at Rugby League Park today. Photo: Andy McArthur. 

• By Steven White, Scott MacLean & Adam Julian

Wellington teams won both matches at Rugby League Park this afternoon but in contrasting circumstances. The Wellington U19s beat the Manawatu U19s 29-22 and the Wellington Centurions beat Manawatu B 59-26. More on these two games just below.

In other representative results to hand today, the Wellington Maori side missed out 19-22 to their Canterbury counterparts in the final of their hosted tournament at NZCIS. Wellington came back to draw level at 19-19 at fulltime, but the Cantabrians won in extra time.

The Wellington Samoans beat Manawatu Pasifika 83-5 at Ngati Toa Domain in their match.

The representative rugby continues tomorrow at Porirua Park, with a triple header. The Wellington Women’s Development team hosts their Manawatu counterparts at 10.30am, the Wellington Pride hosts the Manawatu Cyclones at 12.05pm and the Wellington Lions and Manawatu Turbos kick off at 2.35pm.

A round-up of games we covered or were at today is below.

Wellington U19s and Centurions matches at Rugby League Park

In the first game at Rugby League Park, the Wellington U19s opened their Hurricanes Central Region Shield defence with an altogether unconvincing 29-22 win over the Manawatu U19s.

The visitors could have counted themselves unlucky to not to have snatched a rare victory at this level over Wellington, especially when they came back from a horror start.

Playing with the wind at their backs, Wellington opened the match sensationally by scoring two tries in the first two minutes to lead 14-0. Tries to captain and blindside flanker Harry Irving following a kick return by fullback Jacob Denyer, and then to left wing Jacob Kennedy seemingly had the Junior Turbos rattled.

Two tries to the Wellington U19s at the start of the game faster than the scoreboard operator could count.

But Manawatu came back strongly and if it they could have started again after 3 minutes they would have won. They hit back with their first try to left wing Eli Edwards-Martin following a dart by halfback Jai Tamati.

Manawatu scored their second try after 20 minutes following a penalty and lineout, and some good phase play in the 22. That closed the gap to 14-12.

Just before halftime, Wellington scored their third try when they passed the ball out to fullback Denyer from a scrum, and flanker Braith Ingram scored to make it 21-12 at the break.

Manawatu went close to scoring straight after halftime, but the chance was missed. They didn’t miss twice, and scored off a free kick from a scrum to close the gap to 21-17.

Now with the wind in their favour, Manawatu surged back on to attack, and missed at least two clear scoring opportunities over the next period of play, including a player being held up over the line. But they made it third time successful when they scored off a lineout in the corner to go ahead 22-21.

Wellington then hit back and retook the lead 26-22 with a try to fullback Denyer.

Once more, Manawatu attacked inside the 22 with vigour, but were unable to break through again.

Instead, Wellington broke out and rallied, and replacement Josh Leafa-Paki kicked the second of two penalty attempts to make the game safe.

In the other U19s competition match this afternoon, the Hawke’s Bay U19s beat the Hurricanes Heartland Under 20s 75-14.

In the match that followed, the Wellington Centurions beat Manawatu B 59-26. The Centurions won nine tries to four after leading 26-12 at halftime.

Like the game that preceded it, one team got on the board early with two quick tries. But this was Manawatu, and they were soon overrun by the more physical Wellington combination.

Wellington’s strong and bruising defence around the ruck, and extra physicality in general play proved too much for Manawatu. Wellington were well led by such players as outstanding blindside flanker Sione Halalilo, and hardworking lock Akira Ieremia.

After being bundled into touch in the corner early, Wellington captain Sam Clarke’s team then conceded two tries inside the first 15 minutes. The first was scored by Manawatu hooker Sase Va’a off a penalty and lineout in the corner, and their second was scored by halfback Logan Love who regathered his own chip kick.

Wellington would hit back with four tries before halftime. The first was scored by fullback Tom Maiava, the second to first five Clarke, the third to halfback Isaac Bracewell, and the fourth right on halftime to right wing Chicago Doyle. Bracewell’s and Doyle’s tries were both long-range crowd pleasers.

Now with the wind in their favour, Wellington quickly went further ahead through flanker Connor Tuifao. Wellington scored the next two tries in similar fashion when Manawatu twice kicked goal line dropouts out on the full, resulting in 5 metre scrums under the posts for Wellington. Jeremiah Avei-Collins and Halalilo were the two try scorers.

Both sides made changes off the bench, and the game opened up over the next 20 minutes and Manawatu enjoyed several long passages in possession. They were soon rewarded when their bustling prop Aso Lene crashed over after a quick tap penalty.

Now inside the last 10 minutes, Wellington reached their half century when Tuifao scored his second try, which came rather fortuitously after a Clarke kick in play was touched putting Wellington’s retreating onside and they couldn’t believe their luck.

Manawatu resumed their resurgence by scoring their fourth try after a lineout in the corner, but Wellington had the final say when Ieremia rushed up in defence and intercepted a short pass and ran through to score under the posts.

U85kgs

The OBU Scallywags and Poneke Wanderers marched on into the last 8 of the Under 85kg National Club Cup in somewhat contrasting fashions. Poneke were too good for Avalon in the local derby at Kilbirnie Park, winning 45-8, while OBU had to stave off a late charge from New Plymouth Old Boys to win 27-15 at the Hutt Rec.

The Scallywags had first use of the stiff breeze and soon had NPOB under pressure. An early penalty was followed up by a try in the southeastern corner, but one further try was all that OBU could muster as they found themselves at times under a stern examination from the visitors and with the scrums depowered owing to safety concerns. NPOB’s discipline was a problem and they found themselves incurring the wrath of referee Campbell Barry who dispatched three of their players to the bin in the first hour of the contest by which time OBU had scored twice more to seemingly put the game out of reach. But the visitors showed they weren’t done, scoring three times in about eight minutes as the mounted a rally, but OBU held on to advance.

Try time for the OBU Scallywags against NPOB. 

College

The last two finals of the college season were played out today, with Tawa College taking the spoils in both. Firstly, their Under 15s won the Division 2B final, nosing out Wainuiomata 34-33 in a classic at William Jones Park. Their 1st XV repeated the dose at “home” on Lyndhurst Park in the afternoon, taking the Co-ed Cup title for 2024 by beating Hutt Valley High 36-17.

Elsewhere the season came to an end for St Pat’s Silverstream who went down 30-19 to Palmerston North Boys High in their Hurricanes Top Four semi-final (more on that just below) That final will be an all-Manawatu affair after Feilding High bested Gisborne Boys 28-14.

Across the rest of the country Nelson College are the first team to make the final four, after they beat reigning champions Southland Boys’ High School 47-24. The old firm of Hamilton Boys and Rotorua Boys will face off for the Chiefs place; Rotorua crushed Pukekohe High 76-0, while Hamilton also won on the round, beating New Plymouth Boys 36-29.

Kelston Boys took the Auckland 1A crown for 2024, beating St Kentigern’s 32-24 at Eden Park. Their opponent for next week will be found tomorrow, with Westlake Boys and Rosmini meeting in the Harbour 1A decider.

The Wellington champion’s appalling record in the National Top Four qualifying competition continued when Premiership winners St Patrick’s College, Silverstream, were subdued 30-19 by Palmerston North Boys’ High School in a Hurricanes Regional semi-final in Palmerston North.

Palmerston North was fifth in Super 8 winning only two of seven matches. Yet Palmerston North easily had the measure of a listless and inaccurate Silverstream who were a shadow of the side that overpowered Wellington College 31-12 in the Premiership final last Sunday.

A Wellington school has not qualified for the National Top Four since Scots College in 2015.

A swirling wind that Palmerston North faced in the first half made basic handling and kicking treacherous. Still, Palmerston North established a 13-0 lead which should have been greater. Rampant openside Viliami Rongokea-Tupou boomed a try after a thrilling break and the hosts were far more enterprising with the possession obtained.

Silky first-five Jamie Viljoen kicked two penalties to apply an exclamation mark on the hosts’ early ascendancy at the breakdown. The only try of the first half was scored in the 18^th minute when Palmerston North stretched left, and lock Bradley Tocker offloaded to hooker Cazna Sale. Manawatū sprint champion Tocker is an eye-catching talent.

Silverstream finally found their stride after the interval. Simple and direct carries engaged Palmerston North in a battle of attrition. A well-worked lineout saw lock Preston Moananu transfer to openside Drew Berg-McLean at the front who delivered a simple pass to unmarked hooker Dylan Davey.

The game became a splutter with both teams struggling to stake an ownership until Viljoen glided into a hole and dashed 25m.

Tocker and Rongokea-Tupou proved increasingly tough to contain, while fullback Hunter Kennedy is a serious attacking threat. With 16 tries in 2024, he ended Silverstream’s season with a long-range break and offload for winger Richie Schaff.

Tocker set up reserve Henry Speedy and at 30-7 things for Silverstream were becoming embarrassing. To their credit, Silverstream summoned the will to keep fighting and finished with two tires – the last a beauty to halfback Kian O’Donnell refusing to surrender in a chase after what appeared to be a hopeful kick.