Several matches for Wellington’s representative teams tomorrow

The Wellington Development XV and the Wellington Pride are playing big matches tomorrow in Napier and Pukekohe respectively, two of several matches on the road for Wellington teams.

The Wellington Development side is playing the Hawke’s Bay Development [Saracens] team in Napier at 5pm in a Men’s NPC curtain-raiser fixture, in a virtual Hurricanes Development Competition final.

If Wellington Development beats Hawke’s Bay with a bonus point they will win this year’s Hurricanes Development Competition. Anything less will see the Hawke’s Bay side win the title, in the third and final round of matches.

The other Wellington team in this competition, the Wellington Samoans, can leapfrog Wellington Development into second place should Hawke’s Bay win their match and the Samoans triumph over winless Manawatu Development in their fixture at Palmerston North.

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

The Wellington Pride travel to Counties Manukau to meet the home team in their Farah Palmer Cup Women’s NPC semi-final, to try and qualify for the final for the second successive season.

This will be the Pride’s second visit to the Heat’s home base this year, after missing out to them 5-37 in round-robin play a fortnight ago. On that occasion the Pride struggled to overcome their combative, physical game, so will need their experienced players to be firing on all cylinders.

The Pride will also need to find a way through the Heat’s defence, the home team having conceded just 33 points and four tries in six games. In contrast, fourth placed qualifiers the Pride have let in 148 points including 19 tries.

The Pride will be missing wing Ayesha Leti-l’iga , hooker Alice Soper and midfielder MAC Collins. Leti-l’iga is away on a school trip in Japan, Soper sustained a gash in her leg on Monday at training requiring 15 stitches and Collins failed a concussion test. After coming off the bench last week, Kat Whata-Simpkins starts at fullback, Georgia Daals moves to centre and Bernadette Robertson moves in to second five-eighth, while Accaia Te Iwimate returns from injury to halfback and Vaine Marsters lines up on the left wing. Props Brooke Tauaneai and Raylene Lolo and halfback/flyhald Lizzie Goulden will all add punch and flair off the bench.

This will be the sixth time that Wellington and Counties Manukau have met in a semi-final. The Pride has won three of their past five, including last year when Daals scored the try of the season in a 29-23 victory. Auckland host Canterbury in the other Women’s semi-final.

The Wellington U18s meet the Auckland U18s in Auckland in a friendly encounter. 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 meets its  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 after this area was a weakness against Waikato.

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 also won this corresponding outing last year, prevailing 18-12 at Evans Bay Park. They also beat their Wellington counterparts 33-24 in 2014. Goal kicking was a big factor in both these games. 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 and the Wellington Samoans U18 team 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 Pride
1. Mo Aiatu, 2. Alicia Print, 3. Janet Taumoli,4. Joanah Ngan-Woo, 5. Sanita Levave, 6. Moana Solia, 7. Carol Sio, 8. Jackie Patea (captain), 9. Accacia Te Iwimate, 10. Amanda Rasch, 11. Vaine Marsters, 12. Bernadette Robertson, 13. Georgia Daals, 14. Monica Tagoai, 15. Kat Whata-Simpkins RESERVES 16. Patricia Kalolo-Apolinario, 17. Brooke Tauaneai, 18. Raylene Lolo, 19. Gina Williamson, 20. Hope Hapoka, 21, Lizzie Goulden, 22. Anna Engels

Wellington Development
1. Ha’amea Ahio, 2. Valentine Meachen, 3. Finnbar 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. Mie Lealava’a, 13. Aukuso Tuitama, 14. Max Pearson, 15. Randall Bishop RESERVES 16. Joe Walding Karaitiana, 17. James Coburn, 18. Jonathan Fuimaono, 19. Vern Sosefo, 20. Sam Gardner, 21. Greg Mullany, 22. Matt Goosen, 23. Teegan Minkley

Welllington Samoans Men’s
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)