Hurricanes Development title on the line in Napier

The Wellington Development team and Hawke's Bay Saracens will play a virtual Hurricanes Development Competition final in Napier on Saturday.

In a 5pm curtain raiser to Hawke's Bay's Mitre 10 Cup match at McLean Park in Napier, the Wellington Development team will need a bonus point win to claim the Development Competition title.

Hawke's Bay will enter the match with a slightly different perspective, needing only to stop Wellington from claiming a bonus point win to win the title themselves.

Features of the Wellington Development team line up include a front row who all featured in the Wellington Lions Mitre 10 Cup win over Northland in Ha'amea Ahio and Finnbarr Kerr-Newell, as well as Lions squad members Kane Leaupepe, Issac O'Connor and Mike Lealava'a.

If Wellington lose their match, the Wellington Samoans will have a chance to leapfrog their way into second place if they can beat the winless Manawatu Development team in Palmerston North.

The points table after two rounds of three in this series currently stands at: Hawke's Bay Saracens 10; Wellington Development 5; Wellington Samoans 4; Manawatu Development 0.

Meanwhile, the Wellington U18s meet the Auckland U18s in a friendly match in Auckland. Last year an abrasive Auckland side beat Wellington 40-10 at Porirua Park, so Wellington will be preparing for another physical contest. The Wellington U18s have another match next weekend at home against the Canterbury U18s.

Also in Auckland, the Centurions U85kg side play their North Harbour equivalent at Harvey Wright Field at Northcote at 2.30pm.

This will be the Centurions side's second match. They have had the last two weekends off after beating Waikato 48-11 in Taupo but have been training hard and had some good scrum coaching sessions under former Samoa prop Jamie Parkinson.

North Harbour are coming off a 6-18 defeat to the Auckland U85kg side at Waitemata last weekend, while the previous week they beat Waikato 28-24 after trailing 15-17 at halftime.

North Harbour won the corresponding match last year 18-12 at Evans Bay Park and also won 33-24 in 2014. Next week the Centurions U85kg side plays Auckland at home in their final match of the season.

In two matches at home tomorrow for Wellington teams, the Wellington U13s, AKA the Lion Cubs, play the Auckland U13s at North Park, Petone, at 1pm, while the Wellington Samoan U18s meets the Wairarapa Bush U18s at the Petone Rec at 2.30pm in the final of the Central Region Shield.

Now in its 25th year, Wellington RFU has won the Shield 13 times (once jointly with Hawke's Bay), Hawke's Bay have won 10 times (including once jointly with Wellington), Taranaki have won once and Western Samoa once. In 2016, the Shield has been competed for between U18 teams from East Coast, Horowhenua-Kapiti, Poverty Bay, Wairarapa-Bush, Wanganui and Wellington Samoan Schools.

The match will also be live broadcast on Te Upoko O Te Ika Radio (1161AM), with delayed broadcast coverage from 5.00pm on Radio 2ZE in the Wairarapa

Teams for tomorrow (as received, subject to change):

Wellington Development
1. Ha'amea Ahio, 2. Joe Walding-Kairaitana, 3. Finnbarr Kerr -Newell (C), 4.Kane Le'aupepe, 5. Anthony Pettett, 6. Will Mangos, 7. Issac O'Connor, 8. Alex Dalzell, 9. Adam Deck (VC), 10. Piri Paraone, 11. Salesi Rayasi, 12. Mike Lealava'a, 13. Aukuso Tuitama, 14. Max Pearson, 15. Randall Bishop RESERVES 16. Ben Power, 17. James Coburn, 18. Jonathan Fuimaono, 19. Vern Sosefo, 20. Sam Gardner, 21. Greg Mullany, 22. Matt Goosen, 23. Teegan Minkley

Welllington Samoans
1. Poasa Poasa, 2. Eli Hunt, 3. Steve Faatau, 4. Fala Tuala, 5. Tovio Apolo, 6. James Tuia, 7. Tutasi Masoe, 8. Matt Peni, 9. Ken Kapeli, 10. Faatonu Fili, 11. Tuga Mativa, 12. Joyner Key, 13. Isaia Petelo, 14. Fereti Soloa, 15. Ryan Setefano RESERVES 16. Junior Makapelu, 17. Milo Vaa, 18. Ahtun Masun, 19. Josh Robinson-Weepu, 20. Paulo Aukuso, 21. James Sooialo , 22. Ralph , 23. TBC

Wellington U18s:
1. Meinrad Fitismanu, 2. Fredrick Sunia, 3. Ethan McQuinlan, 4. Eamonn Carr, 5. Harry Saker, 6. Jordan Sului, 7. Ezra Dunlop, 8. Jack Loader, 9. Luke Georgeson, 10. Toka Sopoaga 11. Tai Neli, 12. Denny To'o, 13. Michael Martin, 14. Malachi Unasa, 15. Todd Svenson RESERVES 16. Karl Brownlee, 17. Qualen Asi, 18. Va'a Taoipu, 19. Adam Tone, 20. Adrian Seumanufagai, 21. Esi Komaisavai, 22. Reuben Va'a, 23. Sean Atoni-Gatu

Centurions U85kg
1. Gareth Stokes (Avalon), 2. Bevan Wood (HOBM), 3. Artie Flux (Avalon), 4. Jack Coles (Eastbourne), 5. Yianni Hilder (Johnsonville), 6. Cam Prestidge (Tawa, captain), 7. Michael Findlay (MSP), 8. Sam Tuala (Tawa), 9. Matt Fowler (OBU), 10. Jamie Hargreaves (Wellington), 11. Aki Tuangalu (Norths), 12. LA Moemai, 13. Shane Mathie (Johnsonville), 14. Tui Vatuloko (Tawa), 15. Matt Jackett (Avalon) RESERVES: 16. Bernard Dodds (Tawa), 17. Jordan Wilson (MSP), 18. Gano Perez (Avalon), 19. Jared Martinovich (OBU), 20. Jordan Walsh (MSP), 21. Tane Heremia, 22. Philip Leaupepe (MSP)