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Centurions lock Teofilo Paulo scores his try from a pushover try early in the
- By Steven White & Scott MacLean
The representative season in Wellington kicked off today in frigid conditions with a mixed bag of results, while the Upper Hutt Rams Thirstys are the region’s latest club rugby champions and a group of lower grade college competition winners were crowned today.
Club
Starting with club rugby, which is the name of this website, the Upper Hutt Rams Thirstys won today’s Reserve Grade Division 2 final at home at Maidstone Park.
The Thirstys beat the Pōneke Ruffnuts 14-10 in the Alan Seerup Cup final.
The Reserve Grade Division 1 semi-finalists for next week were found this afternoon, with Paremata-Plimmerton Punters beating Johnsonville 26-19 and the Petone Brotherhood beat Tawa (score to be confirmed) today.
Next week’s semi-finals will see the top qualifiers Wellington Axemen hosting Tawa and Petone and Paremata-Plimmerton meeting in the 2 v 3 match.
Pōneke and Avalon are Wellington’s last two representatives left in the Under 85kg National Club Cup. The Kilbirnie club went back to Palmerston North and handily accounted for Central Hawke’s Bay by 59-7, while Avalon took the local derby against the OBU Scallywags 42-21 at Nairnville Park after leading 15-14 at the break.
Poneke’s next opponent will be Harbour side Silverdale, while the Wolves await an opponent out of the South Island
Representative
The video review will be grim watching for the Wellington U19s, well-beaten by their Canterbury counterparts 36-17 today at Rugby League Park.
That score flatters the hosts, who struggled to get into any sort of rhythm, were guilty of far too many inaccuracies, and were unable to find much of a way through the southerners defence. Canterbury led 15-0 at the break and added to their tally before Wellington could eventually crack the code and cross. Both sides would add two more tries, though Wellington’s last came with time up and the result long a foregone conclusion.
A pair of comfortable wins at the Hutt Recreation Ground this afternoon for the home teams, both against Whanganui opposition.
The Wellington Fijian Flyers took flight into the wind in the second half to beat Whanganui Pasifika 57-5, after leading 17-0 at halftime.
Although playing with the wind and lashings of rain in the first spell, the Fijian Flyers dominated their Whanganui visitors outright in the set-pieces, starting by shunting them backwards off the opening scrum of the match.
They opened the scoring in the third minute from a penalty and lineout drive in the corner, but there was to be no further scoring until the 25th minute when Whanganui scrambled a ropey kick into the teeth of the wind from a back-peddling scrum on their 22 only as far as fullback George Vatuwaliwali who ran back their second try.
The third try was scored on halftime from a forwards drive as heavy rain started falling.
The game was won with back-to-back tries several minutes into the second half. First, Vatuwaliwali slithered through to score his double, and then from the next re-start, the Flyers ran back a try in the far corner to left wing Poni Saukilea and it was 29-0.
After being held up over the line, the Flyers soon scored their sixth try under the posts to go 36-0 up.
Whanganui Pasifika capitalised on a Flyers error from the kick-off, which resulted in their sole try of the match.
The Flyers dominated the remainder of the match, scoring another four tries to finish with a 10 tries to one victory.
The second and main game on the Hutt Rec had a not too dissimilar pattern to it.
The Wellington Centurions beat the Whanganui Heartland squad 41-0 in a clinical performance over a disapointing Whanganui side on the day.
Like the Fijian Flyers before them, the Centurions were strong up front and the Butcher Boys struggled to contain their physicality in general play, as well as coughing up the ball to them on numerous occasions.
Playing against the biting southerly in the first half, the Centurions built their attack through multiple phases and after 90 seconds No. 8 Jeremiah Avei-Collins scored to put them up 7-0.
There was no further scoring until the 20th minute when the Centurions ran in their second try. Some of the tight forwards combined in general play to free up centre Kapu Broughton-Winterburn. The HOBM Jubilee Cup winner and last year’s Horowhenua-Kapiti Heartland player popped a pass to halfback Mitch McLeod in support, albeit with a hint of obstruction from another Centurions player, but with no TMO the try was given to the OBU number nine.
Captain and hooker Harry Press was held up following a penalty and lineout in the far corner, but his HOBM teammate Fritz Rayasi made languid strides towards the chalk off a subsequent penalty and scrum and crossed for their third try to make it 19-0 at halftime.
Whanganui needed to dig deep in the second half, but the Centurions now had the wind as well as a 13-man bench and used both to good effect.
Veteran HOBM lock Teofilo Paulo crashed over in the 45th minute from a 5-metre scrum, and then replacement prop Salesa Seumanufagai scored and the visitors were in damage control.
They failed to contain Johnsonville fullback Jacob Walmsley out-wide after another strong passage of play.
Whanganui did rally in the final 15 minutes, but a couple of injuries to their players would be a headache for their coaches as much as the scoreline. They were held up over the line as former Ories prop Jonty Bird proved a popular substitute for them.
The Centurions broke out and kicked ahead for dynamic Ories replacement flanker David Leota-Johnson to regather and he poured through to score their seventh and final try of the afternoon.
It might look like a comfortable 34-7 win for the Wellington Pride on paper over Tasman in their Farah Palmer Cup opener, but coach Fusi Feaunati and his team will have much to do at training this week ahead of hosting Otago next Saturday.
It was a bright start though, as fullback Keira Su’a-Smith cut through the Mako backline to put Ivana Samani across inside 90 seconds. But it was another 30 minutes before the Pride added to it, with too many errors and frustrated by the hosts ability to hold the ball. Eventually, that drought was broken when veteran Jackie Patea-Fereti crossed from close range but soon afterwards debutant midfielder Nahliah Tagatauli-Tolova’a saw yellow; however, halftime was reached without conceding.
The frustration continued into the third quarter, and perhaps it was only the generosity of referee Tenika Uerata that didn’t more Pride players get a ten-minute break. Eventually Wellington broke the shackles when Litia Bulicakau broke two tackles, skipped past two more, and scooted 50m to score. Tasman continued to offer stubborn resistance but Wellington blew the score open in the final 10 minutes.
Firstly another Su’a-Smith break saw the ball shifted left and Harmony Kautai dotted down, followed by the teenaged Petone star getting a well-deserved try of her own when debutant Baylee Meroiti put her across. Tasman got on the board when the seas parted for reserve hooker and former Wellingtonian Fai Auimatagi, but Kautai had the final say has a 50m run of her own finished off matters.
Su’a-Smith was the individual star of the match as the outside backs were far too polished for their opponents, but Wellington will definitely want more out of their starting pack next week
The Wellington Lions roared back into life, silencing the cowbells and taking their first win of the NPC campaign in beating Waikato 35-24 in Hamilton today.
The defending champions made the ideal start with two tries inside the first 10 minutes. Tighthead prop PJ Sheck was first on the scoresheet, barging over from close range after a first crack from a driving maul failed, soon followed by Jackson Garden-Bachop after being put into space by Akira Ieremia and Peter Lakai.
The next 20 minutes were punctuated by a series of messy scrums that tested the resolve of referee Ben O’Keeffe, but also saw Waikato gain the ascendency in territory though the Lions held firm. Eventually they were able to get downfield and a penalty gave them an opportunity. Rather than kick for points, Julian Savea opted for the corner and he was the man to score, carrying three Waikato defenders across with him. Waikato were able to reply before the break, with veteran Aaron Cruden – on as an early replacement – crossing.
Waikato opened the second half in strong fashion, narrowing the margin to 17-21 with tries to the two Xaviers; halfback Roe and blindside Saifoloi. But Wellington squashed the momentum minutes later. A seemingly innocous box kick from Nui Muriwai was spilled, Lakai scopped it up, and clubmate Tjay Clarke sprinted away to score. The margin was restored moments later when a strong Xavier Numia run revived a faltering attack and a trademark snipe from debutant replacement halfback Esi Komaisavai put Ieremia into enough space for the big man to reach out and score.
The hosts weren’t yet done, and narrowed the gap through bench hooker Pita Anae-Ah Sue, but the last say went to the Lions defence which held out for the final 10 minutes.
Over the Remutaka’s, Wairarapa-Bush warmed up for the Heartland season with a comfortable 66-0 win over Hawke’s Bay Māori on the Memorial Park. And in the one result our Wairarapa-based arm was involved in, Martinborough prevailed 35-21 over Marist in their Under 11 grade semi-final.
Sunday’s U20 match between Poverty Bay RFU and Wairarapa Bush RFU will determine who wins the Hurricanes U20 Cup for 2025.
Today’s Round 2 scores from the Bulls Domain were Poverty Bay RFU 32 – Whanganui 17 and Wairarapa Bush 49 – Horowhenua-Kapiti 7. Current points table: Wairarapa Bush RFU 10, Poverty Bay RFU 6, Horowhenua Kapiti RFU 5, Whanganui RFU 0.
Elsewhere, the Wellington Samoans men’s side met Manawatū Pasifika in Palmerston North and Wellington Maori played Horowhenua-Kapiti in Levin. Results pending from those two matches.
College
In the college grades Rongotai College are the 2025 Under 65kg champions but they only claimed the Ina Hansen Cup after a titanic clash against Hutt International Boys’ School, prevailing by a single point in a 31-30 classic.
Silverstream Blue took that grade’s Division 2 crown, beating their White schoolmates 29-10. The other final played today was for the Premier 5 division, with the Silverstream 4ths pitching a 22-0 shutout over the Wellington College Seniors XV.
The Premier 2 final next week will be an all-Silverstream affair. The defending champion 2nd XV withstood a strong challenge from Hutt Valley HS before winning 17-8, while the fourth-seeded 3rd XV went to Mt Victoria and knocked off the top-seeded Wellington College 2nds 12-5.
Premier 3 will be decided between two U16 sides. Town’s were 20-17 victors over the Rongotai 2nd XV, while Wellington College’s Gold side won away over Aotea’s 1st XV 27-17. Wainuiomata High and the HIBS 2nd XV will play the Premier 4 final.
And finally here, St Pat’s Town and Silverstream will meet in next week’s Under 15 Final, but remarkably neither won their semi-final today. Town were held to 17-all by Scots while Silverstream scored late to draw 8-all with Wellington College; they progress by virtue of being the higher-seeded team.
The college rugby continues tomorrow with the Premiership final between St Pat’s Silverstream and Wellington College at Porirua Park at 12.05pm.
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