Tawa and Old Boys University setting pace in Swindale Shield
Oriental Rongotai and Northern United continue to set the pace in Premier Women’s, Norths lead Premier Reserve, OBU Green are on top in Colts, the Upper Hutt Rams are edging out the U85kg competition and Oriental Rongotai and the Upper Hutt Rams J8s are at the top of the Reserve Grade standings.
Tawa and Old Boys University continue to remain unbeaten while Avalon and Johnsonville have yet to taste success after five rounds of 13 of the 2020 Premier Swindale Shield competition.
In Swindale Shield matches on Saturday, Tawa beat Hutt OId Boys Marist 17-10 on Old Timers’ Day at the Hutt Rec and Old Boys University powered past the Upper Huttt Rams 38-7 at Wellington College.
After five rounds, OBU and Tawa are level pegging on 23 points, with MSP on 20 and Petone 19 rounding out the top four.
Both MSP and Petone won side-by-side in Kilbirnie on Saturday, MSP impressing in beating Oriental Rongotai 42-6 at Evans Bay Park and Petone holding off Poneke 28-20 for the F.J. Tilyard Shield.
HOBM are next on 16, ahead of Norths on 15, who beat Johnsonville 38-9 at Helston Park. Wainuiomata are on 14 after their 31-24 win over Avalon, ahead of Poneke and the Rams on 10, Ories on 9, Wellington 5, Paremata-Plimmerton 4, Avalon 2 and Johnsonville 1.
Paremata-Plimmerton took their first win of the season on Saturday, beating Wellington 21-19.
The door was left ajar at times for both Johnsonville and Avalon to earn their first wins.
The Hawks came out all guns blazing and led Norths 9-5 at halftime, but the visitors and defending Jubilee Cup champions scored 32 unanswered points and five tries in the second half. Te Kahui Bishop and Josh Hunt both finished with doubles, while Losi Filipo and Tana Salzmann also found the whitewash as they defended the Barlow Trophy.
At William Jones Park, Avalon Wolves wing Reihana Dalton made up for his earlier 10 minutes in the sin-bin for knocking the ball down, which also conceded a penalty try, by scoring a try that drew them level with Wainuiomata with halftime approaching.
Wainuiomata midfielder Tyler Tane scored on halftime for the home team, giving them a 21-14 lead at the break, but once more Avalon came back when centre Chris Aumua scored to see them trail 21-19.
However, Wainuiomata pulled ahead late through a Tane penalty and a match to replacement back John Monu and Wainuiomata retained the Anthony Waldrom Trophy.
Paremata-Plimmerton reeled in at 7-19 to beat the Axemen, right wing Jordan Clark running clear to score a converted try off an Axemen dropped ball in midfield.
In an evenly contested match, neither side could finish off chances and it remained 0-0 until well into the second half. A general scuffle involving many players from both teams proved a catalyst for the scoring to commence.
Wellington first five Matt Goosen was sinbinned after the altercation, and Paremata-Plimmerton soon scored through left wing Zane Ainslie.
Goosen returned from the sin-bin to score a try from an attacking scrum and it was 7-7.
The Axemen opened the second half with two consecutive tries, Goosen putting in a cross-kick for wing Cameron Hislop and No. 8 Malifa Chapman scoring after a penalty and attacking scrum. Paremata-Plimmerton replied with a try off a lineout drive to flanker Shane Hedges, before Clark’s runaway and conversion to flyhalf Justin Wilson.
Back in town, MSP beat Ories six tries to nil. Wing Willie Schutz and flanker James Tuiatua both bagged braces for the scarlets.
MSP made all the play in the first half as they raced to a 28-6 halftime lead. Ories pushed hard for all of 35 minutes in the second spell, before MSP pulled away again with two late converted tries.
OBU retained the Bill Brien Challenge Trophy with their win over the Rams, who threw plenty at the Goats in the first half and OBU led 14-7 at the turnaround.
OBU would win the war of attrition and the Goats’ bench added extra firepower that the Rams’ couldn’t match and they galloped clear to win well. For OBU, five individual players, including the Plumtree brothers Reece and Taine, scored, with a penalty try also awarded.
Momentum swung back and forth at Kilbirnie Park where visitors Petone held on over the final several minutes to take a hard-fought victory.
Poneke took a 7-6 lead when they scored the game’s first try, to blindside Cole Stewart.
Centre Tom Carter scored for Petone and first five Caleb Robson kicked a penalty for Poneke as Petone led 13-10 at halftime.
Poneke went ahead 17-13 when Isaac Moe-Jenkins scored from fullback, but Petone’s Logan Henry scored to put Petone up 20-17.
Robson kicked another penalty and it was 20-20. Firepower off the bench would prove telling for Petone who scored through flyhalf Carne Green to put them up 25-20, ahead of a late penalty to fullback Piri Paraone.
It was a tight battle at close quarters at the Hutt Rec, where Tawa pushed clear in the second half to hold on and prevail over HOBM.
Tawa would win three tries to two, with centre Ryan Preston scoring twice and right wing Romu Senileba also scoring tries. For HOBM, right wing Todd Svenson and replacement inside back Glen Walters scored unconverted tries.
In the Premier Reserve Harper Lock Shield, Poneke and Petone drew 43-43 draw in the early game at Kilbirnie Park, which concluded with an equalising sideline conversion by Petone’s kicker on fulltime.
At the top of the Premier Reserve standings, Norths beat Johnsonville’s second side 83-0.
MSP’s second team beat Ories 59-27 to cement second with Avalon beating Wainuiomata 20-13 in another close fixture, while HOBM beat Tawa 29-24.
In more one-sided fixtures, OBU beat Stokes Valley 48-7 and Paremata-Plimmerton defeated Petone’s second team 44-12.
In the Premier Women’s Rebecca Liua’ana Trophy, Norths took maximum points with a win by default over Avalon, while Oriental Rongotai returned from a fortnight off the field to beat the Old Boys University Impalas 95-0. Paremata-Plimmerton regrouped from their default last week to beat Poneke 71-0.
Midfielder Fa’ausa Makisi scored four tries in her 100th match for Ories, while Fai Auumatagi scored a hat-trick and Amanda Rasch kicked 10 conversions.
For Paremata-Plimmerton, the Burgess sisters scored five of their 11 tries, first five-eighth Tawny scoring four and halfback Sherri one.
The closet match of the fourth round of Rebecca Liua’ana Trophy matches was Hutt Old Marist’s 27-22 win over the Petone Ponies at home.
HOBM scored the first two tries of the match to lead 12-0. Petone came back with a try right on halftime, Black Fern Jackie Patea-Fereti latching on to a kind bounce from a kick and setting up the try for left wing La Winitana in her 50th match for the side.
Petone scored again early in the second half, but HOBM crossed again after a patient build up. Petone hit back again through halfback Milly Mackey from a scrum but HOBM fullback Tyler Bentley would score her second try and centre Maryann Collins kicked a penalty to give them breathing space.
In round four of the Paris Memorial Trophy Colts competition, OBU Green and HOBM Green both won their third games in four matches, but in contrasting circumstances.
OBU were too strong for the Upper Hutt Rams, winning 81-5. HOBM defeated Tawa 22-12.
Norths Blue beat Johnsonville 47-5, while Norths’ second side beat the Wellington Axemen 71-24. Petone were too strong for Poneke in their 59-7 win in the fifth game.
The OBU Scallywags lead the U85kg JC Bowl competition after edging MSP 22-19 today, as defending champions Avalon returned from their bye to beat Poneke 54-10, Eastbourne accounted for HOBM 28-17 and Wellington beat the Wests Roosters 26-15.
There are three unbeaten teams after four weeks of the Reserve Grade Mike Copeland Trophy, with Ories, the Poneke Ruffnuts and the UH Rams J8s all registering wins on Saturday.
Ories beat the Wests Roosters Mixed Veges 27-10, the J8s beat the OBU Righteous Pack 35-12 and the Ruffnuts defeated the OBU Teddy Bears 42-5.
Elsewhere, the Paremata-Plimmerton Punters beat the Wellington Axemen 52-26, while in two close results, the UH Rams Thirstys edged the OBU Pink Ginners 17-14 and the OBU 69ers beat the UH Rams Pirates 22-19.