Petone Topple HOBM In Tight Third Round

Defending Jubilee Cup champions Petone got their 2006 campaign underway with a vital round three 29-20 win over Hutt Old Boys Marist at the Hutt Recreation Ground. Petone's forwards, bolstered by All Blacks prop Neemia Tialata and comeback Vodafone Wellington Lions flanker Ben Herring paved the way for an important win for the Villagers. Debutant left wing Greg Walker was the main benefactor with two tries.

In other round three games Poneke earned back-to-back wins with a come-from-behind 26-21 away win over Avalon, Old Boys-University edged out Marist St. Pats 14-13 at the Prime Finance Basin Reserve and Northern United defeated Tawa 32-10 at Porirua Park. On the points table unbeaten Norths continues to set the pace, with OBU and Poneke leapfrogging HOBM into second and third respectively. At the other end of the table, MSP and Tawa remain winless and their semi-final hopes are all but over.

It took a penalty try to separate OBU and MSP in their nail-biting encounter. Both teams shadowed each other all day, with MSP striking first with a converted try to right wing Jope Naubo while firebrand OBU lock Sam Green was cooling off in the sinbin. The students rebounded with a penalty try and went to halftime locked at 7-7. A second seven pointer to OBU after the break through No. 8 Mike Te Moana was enough for the win, despite two penalties to MSP first five-eighth Fa'atonu Fili.

Proceedings didn't go all Norths' way against Tawa, with Tawa erasing their 0-47 loss to them three weeks ago to lead 10-8 at halftime, with a try to fullback Hirini Robin, his eighth of the season, the difference. But Norths got into gear in the second 40 minutes of play, scoring four further tries for a comfortable win.

Another team whose fortunes changed midway through the match was Avalon, who played well to build up an 18-10 lead early in the second half against Poneke at Fraser Park, only to relinquish it over the next 30 minutes as Poneke came back with a converted try and three penalties to squeeze out an important win.

On a day when many of Wellington's representative players turned out for their respective club sides, the most dedicated of them all was giving his all for his Avalon side. As always, Thomas Waldrom's barnstorming efforts, both on attack and defence - as Poneke halfback Brad Faulkner found out when a Waldrom hit forced him from the field - were a feature of a hotly contested match.

Led by Waldrom, lock Owen Jackson and openside flanker Kerry Wood, Avalon's pack deserved their three tries to one lead at halftime, with committed fringe defence and strong running. But their efforts weren't enough and first half hints of dominance by Poneke became a reality, as the collective resolve of their pack began to take charge as the game wore on, pressuring Avalon into mistakes at the wrong end of the field.

In bright sunshine in the first half, both sides made the most of their possession and moved the ball wide at any opportunity. Avalon struck first when halfback Peter Sciascia linked up with centre Chris Tuapola up the blindside and sent left wing Siu Katoa over for the first of his two tries. A sweeping counterattack saw Poneke hit back through left wing Ambrose Plaister after interchanging passes with fullback Tevita Latu. Avalon closed the half with two further tries to Katoa and Tuapola, after good continuity of attack stretched Poneke's defence out wide on both occasions.

A penalty to Sciascia extended Avalon's lead to 18-10, but Poneke Loosehead prop Kwain Auelua defied the perceived limitations of the jersey on his back carving through on a swerving 25-metre run to the line, to make it 18-17, before three penalties to first five-eighth Brad Cooper gave Poneke an unassailable 26-18 lead with five minutes left. Sciascia then kicked his second penalty on fulltime to give his side a valuable bonus point, but it was Poneke's day.