Sizzling comebacks Part 4

Jubilee Cup Premier | 20 January 2015 | Steven White

The final part of our summer series recapping some memorable comeback wins and matches decided in dramatic circumstances in Wellington club rugby over the past decade.?

Old Boys University first five-eighth Seminar Manu kicked a sideline penalty in injury time at the Basin Reserve to give his side a 22-20 win over Poneke. Both teams went into this clash needing to win to have any hope of progressing to the Jubilee Cup in the second round. Both were evenly matched, so an X-factor performance was called for. Up stepped Poneke and Hurricanes midfielder Charlie Ngatai, who cut through early and propelled Poneke to a 17-0 lead, and then to a seemingly unassailable 20-5 advantage just before the break. But Ngatai was forced from the field injured right on halftime and the tide soon turned for the Billy Goats. Tries to fullback Jesse Johnson and replacement scrumhalf Nick Kavanagh helped cut the deficit to 20-19 with fulltime fast approaching. OBU were awarded a last-gasp penalty near the touchline on the right hand side of the field and Manu stepped up to the kicking tee and won the game. As it transpired, both sides contested the Hardham Cup for the remainder of the season and in the final OBU came back from 10-17 behind to win 20-17.?

Oriental-Rongotai replacement first five-eighth Oliver Best kicked a late dropped goal at the Polo Ground to give his side a 21-18 victory over Marist St. Pat's in this early season re-match of the previous year’s Jubilee Cup final that was taken out by Marist St Pat’s. Ories came back from a 3-18 deficit late in the first half to draw level before Best struck his pot late in the contest. MSP had scored two quick-fire tries midway through the first half through halfback Peter Sciascia and lock Charlie Graham. But Ories came back through Hurricanes fullback Matt Proctor who scored a hat-trick of tries, running strongly in combination of elusive centre Paulo Aukuso.

Petone came back from a 3-20 deficit to beat Upper Hutt 28-26 at Maidstone Park. Playing the first half with a brisk wind at their backs Upper Hutt had complete control. Halfback Kayne Hammington was lively and gave his backs quick ball with which they were able to use to great effect. Upper Hutt scored tries through Hammington and flanker Murphy Taramai, while second five-eighth Liam Berry and wing Mitch Brown launched some strong plays out wide. However, Petone fired up at the break, first five-eighth Jared Kahu scoring out wide after a 30-metre rolling maul. Kahu converted the try then added another penalty before Berry extended the home sides lead with another two penalties. The match turned heated and Petone fullback Andrew Quinlivan was red carded for a spear tackle. Down to 14 men, Petone then started to play their best football all day and flanker Josh Hrstich scored two tries. Hrstich’s second try was right on full time and it was left to Kahu to slot a difficult conversion to give Petone a pulsating win.?

Wainuiomata beat Marist St Pat's 31-24 on MSP's Old Timers' Day at Evans Bay Park; centre Teru Time breaking a 24-24 deadlock and scoring the match winner for the green and blacks right at the end. Both teams looked evenly matched throughout the first half. MSP managed two tries before half-time, but Wainuiomata first-five John Monu put the team a point ahead with two penalties before the break. MSP started the second half strongly with two more tries to give them a bonus point and put them eight points ahead at one stage. However, Wainuiomata responded with a try and a penalty to even the score at 24-24. With 15 minutes still to play it was anybody’s game, but both defences held firm. But with a minute left, ?Time broke through to score the match winner and Monu added the icing on the cake to a Player of the Match performance by slotting the conversion for good measure.?

The Hutt Old Boys Marist Eagles soared to a three-point lead at the top of the Jubilee Cup standings after reeling in a big deficit and beating Old Boys University for their fourth straight win. At 3-19 down at halftime, HOBM were staring down the barrel of defeat against Old Boys University. But a counter-charge after halftime and three tries to halfback Nick Risdon helped them rein in the Billy Goats and to a 37-22 victory. HOBM were lucky to be down by just 16 points at the interval, with their tyro hooker James O’Reilly desperately ankle tapping OBU speedster Te Wehi Wright with the try-line open right on halftime. After the oranges, cracks started to appear in the OBU defence and the game opened up. First Tomasi Alosio scored and then Risdon bundled over from close range. OBU were still up 22-17 with 15 to go but the momentum was with HOBM as a shell-shocked OBU, who had performed so well as a team in the first half, had no answer to waves of HOBM attacks. Risdon started sniping around the edges and found two more tries to complete his hat-trick and secure a bonus-point win for his team.

Competition leaders Hutt Old Boys Marist had their wings clipped by Poneke, who roared back after halftime to score 24 unanswered points and beat them 32-16. HOBM had the better of the first half and led 16-8 at the break, with Dylan Hayes scoring their only try and first five-eighth Brandyn Laursen kicking the rest of their points. With Hurricanes Samisoni Fisilau and Reggie Goodes coming into the game in the second half and loose forwards Greg Foe and Sam Tui both playing well, the game turned in Poneke’s favour. After scoring his first try earlier, wing Tauasosi Tuimavave crossed for the game-sealing try after his forwards won a tighthead scrum win and counterattacked. ?

An inspired Petone defied pre-match predictions to beat Hutt Old Boys Marist 20-19 and re-claim the famous McBain Shield in front of a bumper crowd at the Petone Rec. With the confidence of an outstanding first half defensive effort, the Mateaki Kafatolu-led Petone side turned around a 3-14 deficit. In a drama-fuelled finish, HOBM first five-eighth/fullback Glen Walters had the chance to re-take the lead but pulled his penalty attempt wide. Petone pivot Tamati Samuels, then had his 22-dropout charged down, but he regained the ball and hoofed it down deep into HOBM's corner and the home side held on to the final whistle to win the McBain Shield for the first time since 2010. After an intense forwards dominated battle throughout most of the first half, the Eagles had led 9-3 on penalties when their talisman prop Simon Malaeulu crashed over to score the only try of the first half and the Eagles took a clear lead. Petone No. 8 Josh Hrstich burst into the 22 as part of a forwards rush to set up a 5-metre scrum, from which he scored from in the grandstand corner. Halfback Carne Green kicked a penalty to close the score up to 14-13, before right wing Aleks Noble-Campbell scored in the corner and Green converted to put Petone ahead 20-14. HOBM scored another try and it was back to a one-point game, despite Walters' difficult conversion miss. But that was all they could muster and the Villagers were celebrating.

Northen United defeated Old Boys-University 29-28 ‘away’ at Porirua Park with the final play of the match through a penalty to right wing Perry Hayman. After OBU had willingly conceded home ground advantage from Ian Galloway Park to a ground they have never had much success on, Norths had stormed back into the match after scoring the game's opening try but then conceded a 20-point deficit as the Billy Goats raced to a 25-5 lead on the back of three consecutive tries, to left wing Te Wehi Wright, prop Finbar Kerr-Newell and centre James Waddell. OBU led 28-12 at halftime. Playing into the wind in the second half, the students ran out of puff and Norths came back to trail 28-26 before Hayman stepped up in the 79th minute to score with the last play of the match. Several weeks later OBU’s ‘B’ team got the club’s revenge when it beat Norths 25-24 in their Hardham Cup round-robin encounter.?

Has there been a comeback like it in Wellington club rugby in modern times? The Hutt Old Boys Marist Eagles came back from being 17-40 down to bonus point 41-40 winners. Seemingly down and out, no one read the script to the 30 players on the field at the Hutt Rec and the Eagles laid on three converted tries and then a penalty on the stroke of fulltime to Glen Walters to win the game. Sustained pressure from both forwards and backs resulted in tries to Parataiso Silafai-Leaanaa in the 68th and 76th minutes, while hooker Enoka Fonoti scored from a lineout drive in the 73rd minute. Walters converted all three, including two from difficult angles and suddenly HOBM were just two points adrift. The Eagles went straight back on attack and The Rams were suddenly looking a beaten side. More pressure resulted in a penalty almost in front in the 79th minute and Walters won the game for them.?

Not one, but two remarkable come-from-behind wins in this round made the race to the 2014 Jubilee Cup playoffs one of the most exciting in years. These two headline results were Petone's 27-25 win over Wainuiomata and the Upper Hutt Rams' 34-30 victory over Old Boys University. Both were achieved in the dying minutes of play when the outcomes appeared to be sewn up. With barely two minutes on the clock, Wainuiomata, fielding a monstrous forward pack, appeared to be cruising to their eighth straight Premier rugby victory over home side Petone. Wainuiomata were ahead 25-13, before two tries in the blink of an eye, both coolly converted by stand-in first five-eighth Carne Green, gave the Villagers a shock win.Replacement wing Keanu Moran scorched through to score the first try and then a poor kick-off by Wainuiomata allowed Petone to tear back on to attack again and this time it was veteran hooker Eugene Smith that came up with the equaliser. Green slotted the winning conversion. The OBU Goats appeared to have put paid to the Upper Hutt Rams' gallant challenge at the Basin Reserve after second five-eighth Greg Mullany charged down and scored a converted try to put the Goats ahead 30-20. But the Rams stunned them with two converted tries to take the win 34-30.?