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A second half try for Wellington College in today’s Premiership semi-final win over St Pat’s Town. Photo: Andy McArthur.
- By Steven White, Scott MacLean, Adam Julian and Gordon Noble-Campbell.
A focus on First XV rugby and the start of the National Knockout Cup U85kg competition today in the lower North Island, with two Wellington Premiership semi-finals and the Super 8 final taking centre stage in school rugby.
In Wellington, top qualifier St Pat’s Silverstream and Wellington College will contest next Sunday’s Premiership decider after winning well-contested semi-finals this afternoon.
At Evans Bay Park, Wellington College defeated St Pat’s Town 34-22, whilst at Silverstream the home school defeated Rathkeale College 39-19.
In Palmerston North, the home school’s First XV beat Rotorua Boys’ High School 25-24 with a last-play penalty to first-five Jamie Viljoen to win the Super 8 boys schools title and the Moascar Cup.
Elsewhere, the National U85kg Knockout Cup got underway for Wellington teams this afternoon, the opening salvos of the men’s community representative season were fired and the Wellington Lions shot second half blanks against Canterbury in missing out 15-33 in their NPC opener at Porirua Park.
The big match in Wellington today was the second versus third First XV semi-final, with Wellington College winning through to a second consecutive Premiership by blunting St Pat’s Town.
The match was scheduled to be played at Wellington College but was moved after it was discovered midweek that Wellington fielded an ineligible player in their earlier season victory over Wairarapa College.
Home advantage initially made a difference for Town, but ultimately they faded and Wellington were deserving winners 5 tries to 4.
Town made an explosive start, winning a penalty and scoring immediately. It became 12-10 at halfttime, a tight affair where both sides exchanged two tries.
Wellington College scored first after the interval to make it 19-10, and then Town responded with a belting try to wing Charles Carter to make it 19-15.
Wellington College took control of the game when prop Hyram Betham rumbled over for his second try and wing Fraser Lindsay, who was denied twice, finally wriggled over, as they stretched to a comfortable margin.
Town finished bravely but couldn’t overhaul the deficit. Their four try scorers were Carter, replacement back Dominic Mettick and captain and flanker Ethan Lepou. Tighthead prop Ioane Aukusitino was typically bustling and the two locks, Remy Fitisemanu and Tom Bracewell, toiled gamely.
For Wellington College, first five Archie Sims and halfback Bradley Faulkner controlled the game well, the latter making some sniping runs and Sims’ tactical kicking good. Wing Shea Boshier was a livewire with several slashing breaks and redoubtable tighthead prop Betham stood out.
Up in the Hutt Valley, St Pat’s Silverstream were predicted to be far too good for brave fourth placed Rathkeale College.
Rathkeale fought gamely as Silverstream led 20-12 at halftime before pulling clear and winning by 20 points at the end.
For Silverstream, Riley Browne, Abraham Smith and Ryder Thompson scored first half tries, while Elijah Solomona, Blake Miscall and Osaiasi Manu crossed for their fourth, fifth and sixth tries in the second spell.
In the Wellington Premier 2 Murray Jensen Cup competition, next week’s semi-finalists have been determined.
The Wellington College 2nd XV will play the Silverstream 3rd XV and the Silverstream 2nd XV will play Hutt Valley High School.
In results today, the Silverstream 2nds beat Paraparaumu College 38-13, the Silverstream 3rds beat Mana College 36-12 and the St Pat’s Town 2nds beat Kapiti College 38-17.
A big crowd assembled on a heavy underfoot but dry overhead PNBHS No. 1 for the Super 8 final, arguably the toughest competition in the country.
It was the Jamie Viljoen show at the death, the brother of the Hurricanes and Manawatu halfback Jordi (who was standing end-on watching it unfold), kicking the match-winning penalty for Palmerston North Boys’ High School over Rotorua Boys’ High School from near in front for the one-point win.
The first-five had nearly thrown his team’s chances away barely two minutes prior when he kicked for the corner and a lineout off a penalty but bit off too much ground and the ball went dead.
Rotorua, with a bustling forwards dominated game, led by No. 8 and captain Te Ariki Rogers and locks Luke Worsp and Hunter Weaver, looked to be closing the game out. Palmerston North got one last opportunity in general play and Rotorua second-five Hieke McGarvey was penalised at the ruck and Vijoen stepped up to the tee.
Several minutes prior to this, McGarvey had perhaps scored the match-winning try and put Rotorua up 24-22, running off the shoulder of fullback Tokoaitua Owen who counterattacked from near halfway.
It had previously been 12-10 to Palmerston North in the latter stages of the first half when Rotorua conceded a yellow card offence. A try to Palmerston North captain and No. 8 Alex Palazzo after a lineout and drive made it 17-10.
Then on the stroke of halftime, after seeing his forwards being held up over the line, fullback Hunter Kennedy ran back the subsequent goal-line dropout from 40 metres out to score to put the home side up 22-10 at the interval.
Rotorua hit back early in the second half and then scored again when Owen and McGarvey combined to put them up heading into the final 10 minutes.
Representative
The Wairarapa-Bush Heartland side welcomed Te Upoko Wellington Māori to Memorial Park this afternoon in a campaign opener for both outfits.
The home side were quickly into their work, and their pressure was rewarded when No. 8 and skipper Tupou Lea’aemanu crossed. The visitors hit back twice in succession, firstly when fullback Luke Kapene ran the perfect line off a Tyler Tane shortball, and secondly when lock Xavier Woodhouse-Tavai reached out to find the line. The Bush regained the lead through two tries to halfback Sam Walton-Sexton – the second off a badly misplayed defensive scrum – before Woodhouse-Tavai’s second had the match tied up at 19 at the break.
The hosts were over inside 90 seconds of the re-start after some string work by Harry Eschenbach put Fiula Tameilau across, before a popular try to Sam Gammie.
Two more tries followed to Malakai Biumaiwai and OBU loanee Folau Finau Vea, before a late consolation to the Māori through Jared Fermanis. Māori captain Hemi Fermanis was the standout for the visitors, while Wai-Bush coach Jamie Williams will have plenty to ponder as to his first-choice line-up.
The fulltime score was Wairarapa-Bush 45 – Wellington Māori 24.
In the curtain-raiser the Wairarapa-Bush U20s ran out 65-21 winners over a disappointing and ill-disciplined Whanganui side who had three players dispatched to the bin at various points in the match.
In NPC action today, the defending champions Wellington Lions lost their NPC opener 15-33 and the Harry Saundercock Trophy to Canterbury.
The experienced Lions held Canterbury to 7-7 at halftime, which remained the score 15 minutes into the second spell.
The Lions had also lost captain and No. 8 Brad Shields to a head knock in the first half as wing Losi Filipo crossed for their opening try.
First-five Jackson Garden-Bachop, in his 101st game for Wellington, broke the shackles by kicking a penalty to put his side up 10-7.
But from there it was all Canterbury, the visitors scoring off the next re-start and scoring more tries to increase their lead to 26-10. Wellington scored a late try to replacement halfback Nui Muriwai but Canterbury had the final say with a try on fulltime.
U85kg
The OBU Scallywags buried the national championship aspirations of the Wellington Axemen in the graveyard at Hataitai Park, with an emphatic, 6 tries to 2, 40- 17 win this afternoon in a good spirited match well-controlled by referee Nathan Pinder.
While the conditions were perfect for late-winter rugby, the Hataitai ground was heavy in patches, which did little to slow a pacy OBU attack.
While OBU scored the first try after 10 minutes of play, Wellington were first to score overall, taking a 3 point lead in the first 5 minutes and then responding to OBU’s score with a converted try to lead 10-5, after 20 minutes of play.
But that was the last time that the hosts were able to hold the lead in the match, with OBU rattling off three converted tries, (one of which was scored close to the dead ball line following a swooping charge down), to lead 26-10 at half-time.
The Wellington side came into the second forty minutes of the match with determination, however two further converted tries to OBU in the third quarter took the remaining oxygen of hope from the lungs from the amber and black team.
To their credit, in the last quarter of the game, Wellington were camped for long periods in the OBU 22 and were eventually rewarded with a consolation score in the 38th minute, but it was the Scallywags who looked more comfortable in defending their 30 point lead until the dying moments of the match.
Next week OBU will play Avalon – who defeated Hutt Old Boys Marist by 36-24 in their match this afternoon at Fraser Park, with the winner of that match heading to the Quarter-Finals against the best of the Christchurch sides.
In another U85kg Knockout match today, Pōneke accounted for Hastings Rugby and Sports 85-7 after leading 61-7 at halftime.
Reserve Grade Club Rugby
Today’s action saw the Division 2 teams decide their semi-finals played out for the inaugural Noff Cup.
In the battle of the two Upper Hutt teams, the UHR Thirstys beat the UHR Pirates 29-18 and the Pōneke Ruffnuts defeated the Wests Mixed Veges 41-29. Next week’s final will be between the Thirstys and the Ruffnuts.
There is still one more round to play in the Division 1 Mike Copeland Cup.
Still one more round to play in the Division 1 Mike Copeland Cup, with the Wellington Axemen sealing top spot already and beating the Paremata-Plimmerton Punters 32-10 today.
In the battle between second and third, the Petone Brotherhood are sitting in that second home semi-final position after today’s 38-19 win over the Johnsonville Cripples.
Tawa beat the MSP Internationals 41-34 at Lyndhurst Park, to leapfrog both Johnsonville and Paremata-Plimmerton into third.
