HOBM Regain Lead, Petone Looking Threatening

Hutt Old Boys Marist recaptured their winning formula and regained the outright lead of the Swindale Shield after another thrilling round of the competition. HOBM ground out a hard-fought win over Old-Boys University to give them a two point lead over Poneke, after the red-and-blacks got their expected maximum points from their clash with Johnsonville.

But the result of the round was Petone?s thrashing of Northern United, who only last week dealt out their own spanking to HOBM. Norths went from heroes to zeroes, failing to breach the Petone line and were taught a lesson in set-piece and recycling rugby. It was Petone?s second comprehensive win on the trot, after dispatching Poneke the previous week, and the Villagers, who have now snuck into third, three points behind HOBM, are looking ominous.

Elsewhere, Marist St. Pats were pushed hard by Upper Hutt, to see them hold fourth equal spot with Norths. In-form blindside flanker Matt Egan scored two tries for MSP. Tawa enjoyed a valuable victory over Avalon. Tawa have now opened up a nine point buffer between them and ninth placed Upper Hutt. Meanwhile, miserable is one way to describe Western Suburbs? campaign as they went down in a heap to fellow strugglers Oriental-Rongotai, handing Ories their first win of the season.

Johnsonville have also had an unhappy time of it this season, but they equipped themselves well and didn?t always look like the cellar-dwellers they are against big guns Poneke in this week?s feature game at Kilbirnie Park. In fact they held a 10-7 lead over the home side after 25 minutes, when centre Ritchie Henderson scored from a charge down, and it was only late in the game that Poneke pulled away from them.

What Johnsonville lacked in experience they made up for in enthusiasm. Their forwards were committed and organised and established parity with the vaunted Poneke pack. Locks Mahara Inglis and Nathan Miratana tried hard all day, especially at lineout and maul time, and blindside flanker Shannon Christie impressed with his tireless work rate. But it was Johnsonville?s lack of depth in their backs that Poneke exposed to candid effect when given the chance. Poneke found too many holes out wide and first second five eighth Jamie Stewart McDonald and then left wing Evan Belford - in his 100th game for Poneke - capitalised with Stewart-McDonald busting through for the opening try and later feeding Belford the first of his two first half touchdowns.

Poneke absolutely dominated Johnsonville in both territory and possession in the second half, but through their own bumbling, unimpressive display and the tenacious Johnsonville spoiling play it wasn?t until well into the final quarter they scored their last three tries. They won comfortably in the end, but an injury scare to their work-horse No. 8 Adam Holloway, to go with an already less than fully fit squad, and the future loss of openside flanker Iva Motusaga - off to England in June - will no doubt be at the forefront of coach Ross Bond?s mind come the business end of the season.