Hawke’s Bay win U18s title with last play converted try, Wairarapa-Bush claim division 2, Pride beat Northland

Second five Ben Faitala running strongly for the Centurions U18s. His team led for the whole game up to the end when Hawke’s Bay scored a winning converted try to win.

• By Steven White, Scott MacLean, Adam Julian & Andy McArthur

The Hawke’s bay U18s beat the Wellington Centurions U18s 42-41 through a last play try that was converted out wide to win the Hurricanes Youth Council Division 1 John Hornal Shield this afternoon at Maidstone Park.

The defending champions Centurions looked like making the game safe when they scored their seventh and final try of the afternoon with a few minutes to play. But the missed conversion opened the door for the Magpies Fledglings and they took it at the very end. More on this match below.

Over on Maidstone Park 2, the Manawatu U18s beat the Wellington Māori U18s 26-5 to finish third. Manawatu led 14-0 at halftime and left wing Cole Cullen scored two of their four tries with centre Cayden Pardy and No. 8 Archie Amon scoring the others.

In Division 2, the Wairarapa-Bush U18s defended their GNC Cup title with a 116-0 win over the Horowhenua-Kapiti U18s. In Gisborne, the Poverty Bay U18s beat the Whanganui U18s 33-29.

Hawke’s Bay only led for a second, but it was enough for them to beat the Centurions 42-41.

Down 41-35 with a last-play penalty 30 metres out, Charlie East won a lineout for Hawke’s Bay near the Centurions 22. Replacement centre Victory Voice carried half a dozen players close to the line. Two players, including East, had a crack and were denied. Hawke’s Bay recycled, and a pass by replacement halfback Teariki-Joseph Maui skipped two defenders and found second five Riley Winchester, who touched down in the corner.

Fullback Riley Waenga lined up the conversion, 10 in in from touch, 25 metres out on the Wayne Guppy stand side. The right-foot kick started left but curved back towards the middle, and the flags rose. Waenga kicked all six conversions; the Centurions’ only three of seven.

The Centurions galloped out of the blocks, leading 17-0 after 12 minutes. Maka Vaiholo, Ben Faitala, and Decodah Silva ran amok, and Bentley Faulkner, with senior experience for Marist St Pat’s, was authoritative at halfback.

Hawke’s Bay captain and No.8 Panapa Peia changed momentum with a 60-metre runaway try. Then left winger Winchester, forewarned of the junior Magpies’ threats on the edge, scored a runaway try after fending off two Centurions in a 40-metre burst, 17-14.

By now it was an even, vibrant, free-flowing game, each side exchanging converted tries to make it 24-21. Faulkner scored under the posts for the Centurions, followed by lock Brad Pearce for the visitors.

Just before the interval, Faulkner won a turnover from a Hawke’s Bay lineout at the 22. The Centurions enjoyed the ascendancy in the lineouts most of the contest, with strong showings from Eddie Weatherson and Bronson Martin. A rolling maul try from the penalty to blindside Remy Fitisemanu made it 31-21 at halftime.

Like the first half, the Centurions started with vigour, and a try to fullback Vaihola after an offload by prop Vaitupu Vaitupu gave them a comfortable 36-21 lead.

Hawke’s Bay’s locks were comparatively undersized but skilled workhorses. Pearce set up tighthead prop Oscar Perese with a 20m run and backhanded offload worthy of his own Oscar.

The next 10 minutes were somewhat cagey, but there was always a sense something was brewing. A Reid Palmer intercept from near halfway was that moment as Hawke’s Bay closed to one.

The Centurions reserves added size up front, and Troy Waldrom was elusive out wide. A try to replacement prop Mea’ole Ma’I made it 41-35, but they tried to shut the game down too early. Indiscipline and mistakes left the door ajar for a determined, ambitious Hawke’s Bay team.

For the winners, both locks Harry Reed and Pearce and No. 8 Peia were standouts, while openside flanker Kingston Ropitini-Reid was a tackling workhorse.

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Meanwhile, the Wellington U16s played their final warm-up match before their tournament that gets underway next Saturday when they host Manawatu with a 49-15 win over new representative side the Wellington U18s Co-ed Schools team.

The U16s led 21-5 at halftime and went on to win by a margin of seven tries to three, with fullback Jaden Piper kicking all seven conversions.

The U16s kick-started their day with an intercept try to left wing TK Maladina. They would then miss a pair of clear further scoring opportunities after sustained pressure but the Co-ed side hit back with their first try in the 20th minute after going blind from an attacking scrum.

More strong lead-up work led to the U16s scoring their second try to lock Reuben Leilua, before openside flanker and St Pat’s Silverstream First XV player Issac Sanele ran hard on to a pass and broke through to score their third try on halftime.

Now playing with a light wind, the Co-ed Schools missed a chance from a penalty and lineout in the corner but subsequently charged down the U16s exit play and scored their second try to close to 21-10.

That was as close as they would come, with the U16s capitalising once more on pressure inside the opposition 22, leading to replacement hooker Zion Seupule-Mose flying in to score on the northwestern end of the ground.

This pattern of taking their chances inside the Co-ed team’ territory continued and they put the result beyond doubt by scoring consecutive tries that extended their lead to 42-10. Tighthead prop Samiu Fonohea crashed over following a tap penalty and Seupule-Mose scored his second after a penalty and lineout drive.

The Co-ed Schools replied with a sharp try from a front of lineout move, following a break and centring kick to set up, but the U16s scored their seventh try on fulltime to centre and co-captain RJ So’oialo.

In the first of two matches at Wellington Stadium, the Wellington Pride over-ran the Northland Kauri 42-19, to record their third win in four FPC matches.

Teenaged left wing Ana Kerr was the individual start, scoring a hat-trick, all inside the first 50 minutes.

Northland took it to the Pride in the early exchanges, but the Pride rallied and came back to lead 25-7 at haltime playing with a swirling wind in their favour. They scored first half tries to Kerr (2),  fullback Litia Bulicakau and hooker and captain Vailani Vaka.

The Kauri briefly came back early in the second spell with a try to close the score to 25-14, but Kerr’s third pushed the Pride out to 30-14.

There was no further scoring for 20 minutes and then first-five Keira Su’a Smith who latched on to a pass by Bulicakau to score out wide to extend the lead to 35-14.

The Kauri crossed for their third try with six minutes to play, but the Pride surged on to attack from the re-start leading to the match-sealing try to replacement flanker Trilaine Raika-Suitauloa.

Heartland Championship

Horowhenua-Kapiti celebrated the twin 100th games for stalwarts David McErlean and Aaron Lahmert in style, blowing Thames Valley off the park in a blistering opening 40 at the Levin Domain. The ‘Nua turned 31-7 up with tries to centre Taine Hata, a double to winger Leighton Ralph, lock Massie Harvey, and a popular one to centurion Lahmert. Loanees Mika Alaifatu and David Leota-Johnson scored two of the hosts four tries after the break. First-five Quintin Collard scored twice for the Swamp Foxes, but it was nowhere near enough with H-K winning 57-26.

Down on the west coast, Wairarapa Bush got a much-needed win 25-21 over Buller in Westport. Reports from the ground suggest it was an ill-disciplined performance from the Bush, and lucky to get away with the victory. The scoring for most of the first-half came through the trading on penalties, before abrasive prop Lewis Bush saw yellow. The visitors almost staved it off, but the hosts crossed just before the break. The second half however saw the Bush run in three tries to winger Soli Malatai, midfielder Fiula Tameilau, and replacement back Hayden Cooper as they ran down an 11-21 deficit.

Elsewhere, Mid-Canterbury came north and beat Whanganui 34-22 at Cooks Gardens in a result that flattered the Butcher Boys as they scored the final two tries. North Otago executed a perfect smash-and-grab on South Canterbury, winning 43-28, while Poverty Bay beat West Coast 68-31 in a pointsfest in Gisborne to get their first win. King Country beat East Coast 52-10 in Taupo in the late game.

The upshot of today’s round is a very condensed points table with the places for the top-four Meads Cup very congested.

Points: King Country 27, Mid-Canty 23, Whanganui 22, Thames Valley 22, Horo-Kap 22, North Otago 22, South Canty 21, Wai-Bush 15, Buller 13, Poverty Bay 8, East Coast 6*, West Coast 5.