Evenly Contested Opening Jubilee Cup Round

Round 1 Review As expected, there were no easy games in the first round of the Jubilee Cup. While all four results went the way of the favoured teams heading into the Cup, all four winners were pushed hard, and indications are pointing towards a hotly contested competition this year. Upper Hutt, Northern United, Petone and Marist St. Pats would have been pleased to come away with first up wins.

This week the Club Weekly reported from a greasy Porirua Park, where two of the first round?s heavyweights, defending Cup champions Northern United and Western Suburbs, slugged it out. Both sides struggled to overcome the slippery conditions and each other in a game where ball control and patience were always going to be at a premium. As it transpired, both sets of players cancelled each other out in almost all departments and either side could have seized the match and run away with it at any stage.

But neither could, and the game remained tight throughout. Wests started stoutly with the wind at their backs and pulled ahead 6-0 inside 20 minutes, courtesy of a dropped goal and then a penalty to first five-eighth Scott Leighton. Wests then spent their best period of the game, attacking inside Norths? 22. Their tails were up and only good defence stopped the Roosters crossing the line over the next few minutes. But then against the run of play, Norths first five-eighth Rob Aloe pounced on a Wests spilt ball and 80 metres later, replacement centre Step Patu scored down the other end.

Leighton kicked a second penalty before Aloe was once again involved, this time in an attacking capacity, shooting up a wide shortside and linking with lock Api Naikatini, who kicked ahead for Patu to score his second try. 10-9 at halftime was 13-9 immediately after the break with a penalty to second five-eighth Tamati Ellison, and then Leighton scored a brilliant solo try for Wests, running around the base of an attacking scrum and crashing over to give his side a 14-13 edge with 30 minutes still to play. The rest of the second half was an unconvincing tussle, a disallowed try to Norths due to fighting notwithstanding, and it seemed Wests might hang on, but Ellison kicked the winning penalty with seven minutes left.

It was also close at the Village, despite Petone?s four tries to one winning margin over Poneke. In an otherwise even game, where set-pieces and close-quarter exchanges were passionately contested, Petone capitalised on their try scoring opportunities. Centre and former National League basketballer Tu Umaga-Marshall cashed in with a hat-trick, and evergreen left wing Alex Telea grabbed the other. All Poneke could manage for their effort was a late penalty try.

Both Avalon and Tawa pushed Upper Hutt and MSP close before succumbing respectively to the Swindale Shield champions and to the only team that toppled Upper Hutt in the first round. Avalon took a 10-3 lead with the Fraser Park wind at their backs, before tries to hooker Joe Duffey, lock Jason Russo and right wing Chris Puketapu sealed a narrow win. At Rugby League Park Tawa fought back from a 21-7 deficit to run MSP close. Left wing Junior Togia scored his eighth try of the season. MSP joined Petone in earning a four-try bonus point however.

Steven White




Season leading points scorers (after Jubilee Cup 1st round):

Scott Leighton (Wests) 145
Brad Cooper (Poneke) 120
Sam Rasch (MSP) 106
Cameron Cross (Avalon) 87
Riki Flutey (Petone) 74
Ben Aoina (Upper Hutt) 66
Gene Johnston (Tawa) 65
Rob Aloe (Norths) 58
Cory Aporo (Upper Hutt) 57
Willie Lafaele (Tawa) 57
Fa'atonu Fili (MSP) 42
Steve McColl (MSP) 41

Season leading try scorers (after Jubilee Cup 1st round):

Junior Togia (Tawa) 8
Willie Moala (Petone) 7
Evan Belford (Poneke) 7
Vila Apu?ula (Avalon) 6
Siaosi Anamani (Norths) 6
Tristian Meo (Wests) 5
Tu Umaga-Marshall (Petone) 5
Steve McColl (Poneke) 5
Rob Aloe (Norths) 5
Patolo Patelesio (Norths) 5
Chris Puketapu (Upper Hutt) 5
Brad Baker (Upper Hutt) 5