Big wins the order of the day in rugby matches today

UPDATED SUNDAY MORNING: Scoreboard operators were kept busy in several club and representative rugby matches that were played today. A round-up of many of these games is below. 

The Wellington Centurions finished their season with a rollicking 69-47 win over Canterbury B at Rugby League Park.

The Centurions won 11 tries to seven in an entertaining 18-try extravaganza, making a swift start and leading 45-12 at halftime.

Centurions halfback Mitchell McLeod then opened the second half with a 20-metre dart from a ruck to raise the half century for the home side.

Further second half tries to fullback Jacob Walmsley and wing Jacob Denyer saw them push their lead out to 64-12 with still a good 25 minutes to play – and a rout was on.

The visitors tightened up their defence as both sides emptied their benches, and Canterbury struck back to score four consecutive converted tries to close the gap to 64-40

However, the Centurions broke this pattern of scoring with their last try of the afternoon to centre Ieti Campbell who scampered up the grandstand touchline to score in the carpark corner.

Canterbury had the last say with a runaway try in injury time to right wing Maretino Kaloudau.

Earlier, the Centurions ran rampant. They quickly skipped out to a 19-5 lead inside 15 minutes, which became 38-5 after 25 minutes.

Canterbury then came back to score their second try which, like their first try, was a penalty and lineout drive in the corner. Following a period of pressure inside the 22 which Canterbury initially kept out, Centurions’ blockbusting left wing Fritz Rayasi started a long-range counterattack to set up the flying Walmsley to put them well in control by halftime.

Rayasi earlier scored the opening try of the game with a marauding try up his wing, leaving defenders in his wake.

Other first half try-scoring highlights included their fourth try in which first five Waylon Tuhoro-Robinson made a telling break up the grandstand side of the field and passed inside to Warmsley who in turn found halfback McLeod on his shoulder to score untouched under the posts.

The Centurions’ sixth try scored by centre Campbell was also well taken following a long period of phase play inside Canterbury’s 22. The try immediately before that also proved popular with Campbell effecting a runaway, and Denyer in support to score untouched 70 metres down field.

This win completes an emphatic campaign by the Centurions, and addes to their one-point win to the same team last year in Christchurch. Canterbury still has two matches to play against Otago and Tasman whom the Centurions put 80 points on last week.

For the Centurions, a number of their players ended their season on a positive note, and as well as players mentioned in the scoring above such as Walmsley, McLeod, Campbell and Rayasi, other players to stand out in this game included starting openside flanker David Johnson, No. 8 Conner Tuifao, and lock Harry Irving who played the whole match.

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The Poneke U85kgs have advanced to the next round of the National Knockout Cup with a 46-28 win over New Plymouth Old Boys at home at Kilbirnie Park this afternoon.

Poneke led their Taranaki visitors 21-12 at halftime, playing into a moderate breeze.

The red and blacks scored their first try in the 11th minute after taking a quick tap penalty and scoring under the posts for a 7-0 lead. NPOB Struck back with their first try in the 18th minute in their first foray into the attacking zone to make 7-7.

Poneke sensationally re-took the lead when one of their players charged down a NPOB exit kick after the next re-start and strolled around to score under the posts.

NPOB answered with an intercept try to centre Luke Taplin, lock it all up again at 14-14 after 35 minutes.

Halfback Jimmy Lee-Hongara was held up over the line following multiple phases, but right on halftime NPOB made a costly handling error and Poneke counterattacked up the far touchline leading to fullback Max Rodgers strolling through to score their third try.

Poneke made a hot start to the second half, centre Nick Roberston running on to a pass by second-five Adam Preston and scoring in front of the pool to extend the lead. The visitors answered immediately and it was now 28-21. Poneke extended this lead with a penalty, before their blindside Pasia Asiata was handed a red card after a melee.

The visitors couldn’t capitalise, instead the 14-man Poneke added another penalty and then centre Roberston stole a 74th minute intercept and skipped to score his second try and the match-winner with a 20-point lead and six minutes to play.

Elsewhere in the National Knockout Cup, Pakuranga beat Auckland University Squids 43-14 to set up a re-match of last year’s final against Christchurch’s HSOB in the semi-finals, while Poneke will play the winner of the Waihora – Auckland University Slugs encounter (result tbc).

Like their senior counterparts, the Centurions U18s also had a big win today in their second round HYRC U18 competition game. They beat the Poverty Bay U18s 55-0 in wet, windy and greasy conditions at Ongley Park, Palmerston North.

Their standout player was Will Davis who ran strongly from fullback and slotted in well at first-five half ay through the second half into a strong wind.

For the Centurions U18s, wing Fraser Lindsay scored two tries, while six players scored a try each, these being loosehead prop Tamati Payne, lock Laifone Kamoto,  captain and openside flanker Archie Schrader, second-five Cliff Hunt, centre Liam Phelps and replacement forwards Riley Browne and Kingston Hill. Archie Sims (4) and Davis kicked conversions.

The Wellington Māori Under 18 side recorded their first victory in this year’s competition, with a hard-fought and entertaining 24-2 win against a determined Horowhenua-Kapiti U18s who will be disappointed at not being the victors. There were three lead changes in the match, with Horowhenua Kapiti outscoring their hosts by three tries to two in the second spell.

Played in a gusty northerly breeze, the team playing with the wind behind them had the better of the pitch, with Wellington Māori scoring two tries to one in the first 35 minutes. To retain the Gordon Noble-Campbell Cup next week, Wellington Māori will have to defeat Whanganui away and hope that Horowhenua Kapití’s improving run of form will result in their defeat of Wairarapa Bush in Levin.

In the other match in the B division, Wairarapa Bush U18 defeated Whanganui U18 at home by 37-29, after leading 22-10 at halftime, to take a five-point competition lead heading into next week.

With the benefit of a moderate wind – which had switched about 120 degrees 20 minutes before kickoff – the Wairarapa-Bush was quickly into their work with openside Ethan Davidson across inside 90 seconds and followed two minutes later by prop Rupeni Koroi who left bodies strewn across the turf in 40m run to the line. Stung into action the visitors dominated territory with props Te Rangimarie Fonotoe and Carlos Hay-Martin prominent along with twinkletoes midfielder and Whanganui Collegiate captain Jonny Solomona; and when Wai-Bush were able to clear fullback Oliver Toohey was a threat on the return with home blindside Ricky Aeto – one of just two players in the side from Makoura College – doing his best to stem the tide by himself with a couple of thumping tackles.

But despite that, it was the hosts who scored next when diminutive first-five Luca O’Gorman scampered over.

Whanganui needed an answer and got it when they were able to work space on the left inside the 22m for openside Louis Bennett. They seemed to have undone that work when home No. 8 Freddie Heighway crossed after a period of pressure, but had a needed last say to the half when first-five Connor Rees scooped up a dropped ball and dashed 50m to score.

With the wind now against them and just a seven-point lead the hosts rolled up their sleeves and got stuck in with lock and skipper Eddie Weatherstone leading the way. The captain would be the one to extend the lead when he barged over, but Whanganui winger Angus Allpress skipped through to reduce the margin. The hosts seemed to have matters well in hand when Aeto’s schoolmate Raniera Mason powered over before Tanner White crossed after a fracas that saw Mason and visitors Jahkobe Ahhoi and Xavius Smith all see yellow.

But Whanganui weren’t done. Allpress scored his second when he won the race to his own chip over the defence before lanky replacement back Mason Henry did just enough to get the ball down. Still eight points in arrears the visitors needed to score twice, but despite a frantic last few minutes were unable to bridge that deficit.

Also in Masterton today, the Wairarapa-Bush Barbarians beat the Wellington Fijians 24-17.

In today’s other  U18 match, Wellington Samoa U18s faced Hawke’s Bay U18 with some trepidation, given the latter’s 109-point demolition of Poverty Bay the prior week. That trepidation resulted in the visitors scoring two pummeling tries in the first 15 minutes of the match, following which Wellington Samoa sparked into life, scoring two particularly good tries of their own, with the match all tied up 10-10 after 35 minutes.

In the second half, an early yellow-card gave the Magpies further impetus and opportunity, scoring three successive tries to take a 17-point lead into the final quarter. To their credit, Wellington Samoa re-discovered their mojo, scoring their third try to bring the final score in the match, to 27-15. Hawke’s Bay No. 8, Carter Pirie (Napier BHS) was in menacing form throughout the match, scoring a hat-trick of tries. For Wellington Samoa, Ryder Sao scored two of his team’s five-pointers.

The John Hornal Shield title will be decided next Saturday in Napier when Hawke’s Bay host the Wellington Centurions.

In the first round of the Under 16 Tournament matches played today, in Division A (Don Broughton Shield) Hawke’s Bay over-powered Wellington Maori 63-10 in Napier, and Wellington secured a 31-12 win over Manawatu in Palmerston North. In Division B (Saracens Cup), Poverty Bay defeated Horowhenua Kapiti in Napier by 48-12 and Wairarapa Bush scored an emphatic 69-7 against Whanganui at home.

The Under 16 Tournament continues at Whanganui Collegiate on Monday 22 September.

Another year in the second-tier Championship beckons in 2026 after the Wellington Pride lost to Northland for the second-successive weekend by 29-24 in their semi-final in Whangarei this afternoon.

The Pride again conceded an early lead, falling behind 0-12 before Harmony Kautai profited from a poor clearance. They did tie matters up by the break when veteran Sanita Levave crossed after Northland had seen yellow for a deliberate infringement.

Wellington started the second much better than the first as Keiana Roffey scored her fourth try of the campaign soon after the resumption, but with momentum firmly on their side the visitors let it slip as the hosts punched in three tries from the 55th to 70th minutes. Lavinia Lea scored as full-time approached, but the last throw of the dice to get to extra-time or even snatch the win came up short.

The Kauri will head south for next week’s final, after Otago overcame North Harbour 31-22.

Also in women’s rugby, the Wellington Centurions U18s Girls beat the Manawatu U18s Girls 41-27.

In a hard fought, physical game in windy and wet conditions Palmerston North, the Centurions thrived and put on a good game of running rugby.

The Centurions forwards worked hard, with multiple solid runs by Ilo Lui-Fa’i, Toakase Tali and Sei Pedro, backed up by some strong ball carries from Mariah Nichols, Te Orangaiti Swinton-Maligi and Annie Launiuvao and topped off with the boot of Charlynn Tuiatua.

Horowhenua-Kapiti stayed in the hunt for a Meads Cup spot in the Heartland Championship with a tense 27-26 win over West Coast at the Levin Domain, hanging on to the one-point advantage for the last quarter-hour.

Elsewhere Mid-Canterbury asserted themselves as top dogs, going down the road to Timaru and beating previous fellow joint-leaders South Canterbury 34-18, while perennial contenders Whanganui climbed back into contention with a 64-19 win in Ruatoria over struggling East Coast. Buller were also still winless, going down 5-40 at home in Westport to Thames Valley, while there were plenty of points in Oamaru as North Otago beat Poverty Bay 59-33.

The last match of the round was a 5.30pm kickoff in Taupo between King Country and Wairarapa-Bush with Wairarapa-Bush getting up to win this 25-24 with a last-play penalty.