Tawa College defend Beard Trophy for the year

Fulltime and Tawa College’s players converge to celebrate retaining the Beard Trophy for the year. Photo: Chainsaw Photos. 

• By Steven White

Match highlights above.

Tawa College successfully saw off Mana College’s challenge at Lyndhurst Park on Wednesday evening to retain the Beard Trophy for the year.

Mana College were expected to give Tawa College a stern challenge in Tawa’s fourth and final defence of 2025 but Tawa overwhelmed them in winning 47-12.

Tawa have now defended the Beard Trophy for two full years running, or eight defences, since winning it off Mana College in 2023.

The trophy is the annual challenge series between these two schools, Porirua College, Aotea College and Bishop Viard College.

Tawa won seven tries to two after leading 28-7 at halftime.

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Smarting from their hefty defeat this past Saturday to clear First XV Premiership favourites St Pat’s Silverstream, Tawa made a focused and clinical start to the match that was played under ashen but dry skies at a muddy Lyndhurst Park.

They effected an early 50/22 kick and from their own lineout in prime position, hooker Jaziah Ikenasio-Brown crossed to see them go up 7-0.

Two minutes later No. 8 Ryder Sao, wearing a John Rambo headband said ‘Mana, I’m coming to get you’ and he duly did by charging down a clearing kick and sprinting 40 metres for their second try. Starting halfback Carter Stefanidis kicked the sideline conversion to put them up 14-0.

Stefanidis would kick six of seven conversions and score a try later in the first half.

Before that, Mana rallied and their direct ball runners started making in-roads. They were rewarded in the 23^rd minute when the try-scorer, halfback Raiaatea Reweti, burst clear of a maul inside the 22 and flew through to score under the bar at the clubrooms end and after deliberation between the officials the try was awarded and they went up 14-7.

That was as close as the challengers would get. Soon after, Tawa attacked from another lineout inside the opposite 22 and Stefanidis threaded through forwards to score his try.

Right on halftime Tawa had a penalty and lineout just outside the 22, whereby the forwards mauled all the way to the line for their fourth try. Stefanidis’ sideline conversion from the opposite side as his earlier one was good and halftime was called.

The Beard Trophy was then decided barely a handful of minutes into the second half when rampant attacking play and a tap penalty resulted in prop Tenari Liuteine crashing over to make it 35-7.

Tawa’s sixth try several minutes later was scored by hooker Ikenasio-Brown, his second, off another tap penalty, and it was now 42-7.

Mana never gave up, and after a long period of multi-phase play they finally scored their second try to year 11 replacement back Tane Mill  to cut the score to 42-12.

Much of the second half was a ragged affair, with the result decided, both sides emptying their benches and also both losing players to yellow cards in separate incidents.

Tawa finished the game off when starting fullback and now halfback Torin Duncan finished off a 90 second flowing movement. Stefanidis, still on the field, but now out in the backs, missed perhaps his easiest attempt of the night, but still finished with 17 points.

The match ended after a later injury to replacement Tawa back Kelvin Pham, who sustained a knee injury.

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