Club rugby titles to the Upper Hutt Rams, Wellington and HOBM

Members of the Upper Hutt Rams U85kg side after being presented with the Paul Potiki Shield today. Both the U85kg finals went 100 minutes.

There were three more Wellington club rugby titles decided today, with the Upper Hutt Rams and Wellington annexing the two U85kg grade finals and the HOBM Barbarians winning the First Grade Division 1 silverware.

The HOBM Barbarians completed an unbeaten season in beating the Stokes Valley Chiefs to win the Johnsonville Centtenium Cup. HOBM won 60-24 at home at the Hutt Recreation Ground.

The two U85kg finals were absolute thrillers, both going 100 minutes.

The Wellington Axemen and the Johnsonville Terrahawks were locked up after 80 minutes of their U85kg Division 2 final at Helston Park.

The final went to extra time and the score was 17-17 after the two 10 minute extra time halves. The Wellington Axemen won the title on the countback of most tries in the match, having out-scored Johnsonville three tries to one.

It was only marginally less of a thrilling conclusion to the Under 85kg Division 1 season on the grass at Fraser Park, as the Upper Hutt Rams twice prised themselves out of the jaws of defeat to claim the Paul Potiki Shield 17-13 in extra-time and deny the Avalon Wolves an unbeaten season. 

With the southerly breeze behind them, the Rams took the only points of the opening half with a 10th-minute penalty to lead 3-0. The Wolves spent much of the remainder of the first 40 minutes in the territorial ascendancy and had the Rams stretched several times from breaks in midfield and turnovers.

The second half picked up from where it left off, with a close-quarter arm-wrestle fought out mostly between the 22s. With the wind in their favour, it took 60 minutes for the Wolves to breach the Rams defence, eventually getting field position and driving a well-worked rolling maul over, following a scrum penalty and attacking lineout.

And when they added a second in the left-hand corner after a wealth of territory and possession to go to a 10-3 it seemed they'd done enough.

However, the Rams regrouped, marched downfield and, after a Wolves player was sent to the bin for a cynical infringement, drove over. With the final act of regulation, the conversion was good and it was off to extra-time.

The Wolves struck first, converting a penalty while still down a man to turn 13-10 up.

But the Rams dominated the second period, although it seemed that they'd missed a trick when twice turning down kickable penalties that would likely have sent the game to golden point.

However their faith in themselves was rewarded, when in a case of deja vu the Wolves again lost a man to the bin and with time up the Rams crossed for the winner.

It was heartbreak for the home team, who had been unbeaten all season, the last previous loss being to the Axemen 20-17 in last year’s final.

Elsewhere the MSP Internationals beat Paremata-Plimmerton 27-15 in their John Davies Cup Reserve Grade semi-final. The Upper Hutt Rams J8s and the Wests Mixed Veges met in the other.

Representative

The opening round of the Hurricanes Development and Festival Cup competition saw the Centurions Development side beat the Wellington Maori 40-26 at the Hutt Recreation Ground and the Wellington Samoans beat the Hawke’s Bay Samoans 41-27 at Lyndhurst Park.

For the Wellington Samoans, wing Fereti Soloa scored a hat-trick, while Tafa Tafa, Liki Siliga, Ben Tupuola and Fala Tuala also crossed the chalk.

The Hawke’s Bay Samoans went out to an early 17-0 lead before the Wellington Samoans replied with a try to Wainuiomata No. 8 Tupuola. Tawa fullback PJ Iosefo then broke through and sprinted 40 metres before passing to HOBM flyer Soloa and Norths lock Tuala crossed.

The Hawke’s Bay visitors then scored again, before blockbusting Norths wing Siliga scored to round out the first half and put Wellington Samoans ahead 24-22 at the oranges.

Soloa scored his second and third tries and Rams back Tafa Tafa scored another to give the Samoans their 14-point margin of victory.

Playing into the wind, the Centurions Development side scored the game’s first two tries, to OBU duo Zeke Sopoaga and Izzy Foai’I  and went up 12-0 over the Wellington Maori.

From the next kick-off, Wellington Maori regathered possession and Ories blindside flanker Tuakana Meterau broke through several tackles and crossed for his team’s first try. Johnsonville wing Oakley Edmonds scored from a chip and chase and then OBU prop Jonathon Fuimaono hit the whitewash after a concerted build-up. All three tries were converted by OBU flyhalf Greg Mullany and the Maori led 21-12 at halftime.

The Centurions struck back immediately after the interval, replacement halfback Matt Fowler darting from a ruck and handing centre and OBU teammate Jared Verney a try.

Upper Hutt Rams replacement hooker Josh Houston-Tupou made inroads after a turnover, leading to a second try for Tawa's Adam Preston. Pivot James Proctor hit the sideline conversion to put the Centurions ahead 26-21.

The Maori responded with a strong raid and try to OBU fullback Manahi Moana to lock it up to 26-26, before the Centurions re-took the lead with a try to their right wing Willie Fine of Petone, adding another near the end to pull clear.

College Finals

There was a clutch of close matches in the College finals day out at St Pats Silverstream with the host school and St Pats Town - who's 1st XV's meet in tomorrows Premiership decider - taking the two major prizes.

Town claimed the Under 15 Division 1 title after a hard fought slog against Silverstream on a boggy #1 ground. Stream led 7-3 with just five minutes remaining when Town resorted to the cross kick to score their only try out wide and then hung on for an 8-7 win. 

Silverstream took their third-successive Premier 2 crown with a late try to deny Aotea 13-10. With the field cut up from the earlier U15 final Stream led 3-0 at half time through an early penalty, then 6-5 with about 10 minutes left. Aotea scored to take the lead, before Stream scored the winner after series of pick and goes next to the posts.

Wainuiomata HS beat Naenae College 22-14 for the Premier 3 title, and the Scots 2nd XV pitched a shutout 24-0 over Heretaunga's 1st XV in the Premier 4 decider. Hutt International took the U15 Div 2 title 33-5 over Mana, and Aotea left it late in the U15 Div 3 final against Newlands to win 17-12.

In the weight grades it was a tense affair as Wellington College came back from 0-9 down to edge Onslow 10-9 in the Under 65 Division 1 final, and their U55 Gold side beat their Black counterparts 23-12 in that final. The other two were one-sided affairs with Kapiti beating Scots 39-5 in the U65 Division 2 final, and Silverstream took another U80 title, winning 64-17 over Wellington College Black.