More close results in third round matches as appalling weather dominates

The Johnsonville and Axemen scrums pack down at a sodden Helston Park. Photo: Steven White.

By Steven White, Scott MacLean & Adam Julian.

There were a series of close results to mark the third round of the Wellington Premier Swindale Shield competition in atrocious conditions that swept through the Wellington region overnight and today. The weather forced the postponement of one match and threatened to derail others but all other six went ahead.

In college rugby, Wellington College enjoyed an impressive 43-5 win over Nelson College to mark their 150th weekend celebrations. More on that match below after the club rugby round-up.

Torrential rain closed roads to and from the Hutt over the Haywards and into Mana and caused the matches at Ngati Toa Domain between Paremata-Plimmerton and the Avalon Wolves teams to be deferred. A call on if and when these matches will be re-scheduled is to be confirmed.

Both games in town were won by the visiting sides.

At Kilbirnie Park, Wainuiomata got up to beat Pōneke 25-23 in their fixture for the Hakaraia Shield, while Tawa came storming through in the second half to beat Marist St Pat’s 38-23 to mark fullback Randall Bishop’s 200^th game for the club.

Play at Evans Bay Park was back and forth as Tawa led 12-6 at halftime. Marist St Pat’s scored with 10 minutes left to cut Tawa’s extended lead to 24-23 but tawa scored twice in that final 10 to win by 15.

MSP earlier kicked three penalties so failed to earn a bonus point. Tawa got on top by winning MSP lineouts and strong forward play. Hemi Fermanis, Randall Bishop and Ryder Sao all played well.MSP’s second five Aukustino was strong throughout and  first fiver Tomasi Connor first five made all his kicks.

At Porirua Park, Hutt Old Boys Marist maintained their unbeaten record, but only just, as home team Northern United came back to within a point. HOBM held on to win 29-28 after building a handy first half lead. For HOBM, loose forwards Mika Alaifatu and Luca Rees, a recent former Norths player, both scored two tries. Jackson Garden-Bachop was playing first-five for Norths.

At Maidstone Park, the Upper Hutt Rams defended the Bill Brien Challenge Cup and won the Bob Lendrum Cup with a 24-17 win over Oriental-Rongotai. The Rams won the game late after scores were deadlocked 17-17 at one point. Second-five Ieti Campbell (2) and flanker Pene To’o scored the Rams’ three tries. Ories scored one try and kicked four penalties. They have now started their season with three straight losses.

The two Swindale Shield games in Suburbia went the way of the home side, with Johnsonville gaining their first win over year in beating the Wellington Axemen 23-3 at Helston Park and Old Boys University earning their third straight bonus point victory to defeat Petone 26-15.

The match at Nairnville Park for the Mark Verhoeven Memorial Trophy saw two first half tries to OBU lock Jonty Riley as OBU took a 12-0 lead. Petone came back with a try to prop Kafa Katoa and were always in the contest, especially after reserve halfback Axel Daken scored on debut, but the Goats did enough in the second half in wet, gloomy conditions to hold them off.

In the first two weeks of the season, Johnsonville got off to flyers but were run down on both occasions. They weren’t about to do that a third time, as they held off the previously resurgent Wellington Axemen to win by 20 points in appalling conditions at Helston Park.

The game started in steady drizzle and gusty winds that deteriorated and turned to steady rain for much of the game. Johnsonville led 15-3 at halftime and that score remained the same throughout most of the second half.

The Axemen pressed hard to mount a comeback but the Hawks squeezed them in defence in the middle of the field where much of the play took place over long periods.

A potential flashpoint came when Johnsonville lock Fa’aloloto Va was sinbinned, but the Axemen couldn’t capitalise. Instead, the home side’s first five Niall Delahunt kicked a penalty to increase the lead to 18-3. Moments later he had another shot but missed, and the Axemen still had to score three tries to win as the rain eased off.

Johnsonville also had a golden chance to seal the match inside the last 10 minutes through a scrum and then a lineout drive off a penalty in the scoreboard corner but on both occasions they were denied.

However, with inside five minutes to play, Johnsonville outside back Jacob Kennedy fed off an Axemen turnover and knock-on from a pass and sprinted over 50 metres up the embankment touchline to score the match clincher.

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Earlier, Johnsonville captain and prop Haamea Ahio ran his team out of the clubrooms to start his 150^th game for his club. Johnsonville were quickly into their work and following some phase play after a penalty and lineout, first five Delahunt scored the opening try to make it 7-0.

There was no further scoring for quite a while until the Axemen kicked a penalty for what proved to be their only points of the match, and it was 7-3 after 25 minutes.

The Axemen’s lineout also fell apart throughout much of the first half, making it difficult for them to build any sort of momentum.

Immediately before halftime, Johnsonville attacked from a scrum in centre field, and their backs moved swiftly left and fullback Jacob Walmsley scored a classy try in the corner. This was followed by a Delahunt penalty which gave them the lead.

In winning, Johnsonville won the Interclub Mick Kenny Memorial Trophy.

Premier 2

A trio of shutouts in the Premier 2 Harper Lock Shield according to results as they presently stand with Petone thumping OBU 71-0, Upper Hutt beating Ories 38-0, and Wellington pitching a 22-0 win over Johnsonville. HOBM won again beating Norths 45-19, MSP edged out Tawa 19-15, and Poneke returned from their default last Saturday to beat Wainuiomata 34-7. The Pare-Plim vs Avalon match was victim of the weather and maybe re-scheduled.

The Wellington Axemen held off a fast-finishing Johnsonville in steady drizzle and under darkening skies in the Harper Lock Shield curtain-raiser at Helston Park.

The Axemen led the contest the whole way and if not comfortably ahead at 22-13 with a few minutes to play, heading for the bonus point win.

Johnsonville rallied late and scored a try in the 79^th minute to close the game to two points. The Axemen who appeared to have just one reserve after losing their starting flyhalf to injury, appeared to be hanging on by a thread at this point. Their next -re-start failed to go 10 metres and Johnsonville dared to dream from a scrum on halfway. They couldn’t score a fairytale winner though as the visitors clung on.

Earlier, the Axemen scored two tries to lead 12-0 at halftime, before another try off an attacking scrum soon extended this to 17-3. The scorer of their second try, wearing the #3 jersey but playing centre, then scored a sensational bonus point try for them to make it 22-3. Johnsonville struck back with their second try in the embankment corner but would run out of time to come back and win this one.

Women’s

The Big Three continued to flex their muscle in the Women’s Rebecca Liua’ana matches that went ahead.

Petone went at point-a-minute stuff in defeating Pare-Plim 81-0, Ories closed out OBU 29-10, and Norths defeated Wainuiomata 43-5. In the only other match Poneke beat Wellington 41-19.

The Avalon vs Stokes Valley fixture was postponed.

Colts

All four matches in the Colts Paris Memorial went ahead despite the weather. In the feature match, Tawa beat Upper Hutt 24-12 to somewhat avenge last years final result. HOBM were too good for Norths by 44-5 in their first game of the year, Petone beat OBU 17-10 in the Ian Galloway cage, and MSP defeated Pare-Plim 26-10. Poneke were on the bye

Elsewhere

A mix of results in Horowhenua-Kapiti. Champions Foxton trounced Levin COB by 76-8 on the Domain, while Waikanae prevailed 17-7 over Paraparaumu. The third match in Otaki saw a 28-all draw between Rahui and Levin Wanderers.

In Wairarapa-Bush leaders Greytown could put their feet up with the bye. Carterton accounted for Pioneer 55-20, and Martinborough got on the board with a 43-27 wn over Masterton Red Star. Marist beat East Coast 39-21. The Senior Reserve competition results are still forthcoming, but Gladstone underlined their ambitions to return to the Premier competition with a 59-0 win over Pioneer at home on a weekend where they commemorated their double-winning teams of 2001. “Gladdy” lead 33-0 at the break and while Pioneer held firm for 20 minutes after the break, three late tries blew the score out.

In the Manawatu Varsity shook off the rust from their bye as they breezed past Feilding Old Boys-Oroua by 63-12. Kia Toa accounted for Old Boys Marist 34-12, while College Old Boys heaped more misery on Te Kawau by 41-5. The result from Linton’s match against Freyberg remains outstanding. Feilding Yellows had the bye.

Finally in Hawke’s Bay leaders Napier Old Boys Marist maintained top spot with  59-12 win over MAC. Taradale rebounded with a 65-12 win over strugglers Bridge Pa, Havelock North tipped over Hastings 33-21, and Napier Tech won the “Sheridan Rangihuna Bowl” 46-28 over Pirates.

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Wellington College trounce Nelson College

• By Adam Julian

Wellington College: 43 Julius Toimata 2, Z’kdeus Schwalger, Liam Phelps, Ben Willocks, Harry Baddington, Kace Fata Tolai tries Cooper Werkhoven 4 cons) Nelson College: 5 (Lochie Bates try) HT: 31-0.

Wellington College marked the 150th anniversary of the first interprovincial First XV secondary school fixture in New Zealand, as they did on July 20, 1876, defeating Nelson College. However, the 43-5 scoreline, compared to the 2-0 margin in the 19th century, was scarcely believable/

In 2024, Nelson crushed Wellington 47-0 and had not lost to the hosts in seven meetings since 2014. Wellington’s only bigger triumph against Nelson was a 47-0 whitewash in 1990. That year, Gary Whetton was All Blacks captain, Nelson Mandela was released from prison, and Phil Collins’ Another Day in Paradise was a hit on the Billboard charts.

Gusting 90 km/h northerlies and sweeping rain were the opposite of Paradise, but Wellington struck Nirvana in the first half, soaring to a 31-0 lead. Prop Julius Toimata started imperiously, snaffling a jackal turnover and then scoring a try in the corner with hands that resembled David Boon’s catch on Shane Warne’s hat-trick ball. Wellington was feverish but disciplined, overwhelming Nelson in the rucks and kicking with precision. Loose forwards and third-year players Laifone Kamoto and Z’kdeus Schwalger were damaging.

Twice, first five-eighth Cooper Werkhoven thumped a 50/22, enabling Wellington to launch plough-truck lineout drives. After two earlier misses, Werkhoven converted Wellington’s third try with a drop kick after the ball fell off the tee twice. The kick had better swerve than Rory McIlroy’s iron play in his Monday Masters win. It was one of those days when everything went right for Wellington.

Halfback Ben Willocks snipped as All Black Joey Sadler did in this clash in 1931. Centre Liam Phelps slid over the line gleefully, his symmetry with second-five Ben Faitala as natural as one can get in April. Predictably, Wellington lacked the verve and intensity of their first-half masterpiece. Nelson managed a try by substitute hooker Lochie Bates.

Captain Reiahumanaru Pouri-Lane, the younger brother of Black Ferns Sevens captain and Olympic gold medallist Risi Pouri-Lane, toiled gamely at openside. Fullback Liam Soper was the only visiting back to breach the Black and Gold wall. “We knew they were a physical side. They hit us hard early, and we didn’t react well. Full credit to Wellington College,” Pouri-Lane said.

“We wanted to put on a performance that made our parents and old boys proud,” Kamoto said. “We had extra training this week and worked hard to improve our connections from earlier games. I always knew we had the potential to play like that but to actually do it today was awesome. It’s special.”

The game broadcast on TV was refereed by Nathan Pinder, Ollie Michie and Jack Cottrell. Otto Rasch, a former Wellington College First XV prop (1999-2000) and coach, donated a special taonga through his business, Straight Forward Building Solutions, for this fixture. It was carved by the family of former All Black and current Wellington First XV coach Piri Weepu. The taonga is a tribute to J.P. Firth, a Nelson master who played in the first game in 1876 and was headmaster of Wellington College from 1892 to 1920, playing an influential role in the growth of rugby in both the captain and New Zealand.