New Zealand Club Rugby round-up 11 July

 UPDATED: The jingle-jangle of silverware will be reverberating throughout rugby clubrooms in New Zealand over the next few weeks as 2015 club rugby championships are decided.

Finalists have been found in several competitions after the opening weekend of playoff rugby yesterday, whilst others are drawing to their conclusions.

There was a cinematic finish in one semi-final in Taranaki yesterday, with the playoff fixture between defending champions Inglewood and Tukapa cascading into extra time (15-15 at fulltime) and then into golden point time (18-18), before Inglewood scored a try and emerged 23-18 winners. They will play top qualifier New Plymouth Old Boys who accounted for Spotswood United 50-12 in the other semi-final.

In Southland, top qualifiers Star will face Invercargill Marist in next week’s Galbraith Shield final after comparatively one-sided victories. Star pulled clear of Woodlands to win 35-10 and Marist defeated Eastern Northern Barbarians 43-27.

In Tasman, Central and Moutere will meet in the Marlborough final and Kahurangi and Wanderers will contest the Nelson Bays final next week.

The Manawatu Hankins Shield final will be between defending champions and top qualifier College Old Boys and second placed Kia Toa. College Old Boys pulled clear in the latter stages to beat Varsity 22-12 in one semi-final, while Kia Toa defeated Old Boys Marist 23-14.

In the Waikato, there were two hard-fought Premier semi-finals contested, with defending champions the Hamilton Marist Ravens edging out Hamilton Old Boys 29-24 and University pipping Otorohanga 27-24. The Ross Filipo coached Hamilton Marist and the Roger Randle guided University will meet in next week’s final.

In Dunedin, the Harbour Hawks lost their last round encounter 22-24 to Southern, but finished as top qualifier for next week’s semi-finals and won the Galloway Trophy in the process. Harbour will play fourth placed University in one semi-final next week, while second placed Southern will play third placed Taieri.

Lincoln University continued on their merry way in Christchurch Premier rugby, the unbeaten students beating New Brighton 39-10 in their last regular season match. Lincoln will meet fourth placed New Brighton again next week, while second placed Marist Albion and third placed Christchurch will contest the other championship playoff match.

There’s still a week remaining of regular season rugby in Wellington, but Old Boys University have qualified top and have won the Andy Leslie Trophy and the three other semi-finals have already been found. These are Tawa, whom OBU beat 26-20 yesterday, Oriental-Rongotai and Marist St Pat’s.

In the Hawke’s Bay, the Maddison Trophy still has a fortnight to run before the semi-finals. Havelock North are the new leaders after they accounted for Tamatea 80-0 and previous leaders Napier Pirates lost to Hastings Rugby and Sports 16-6. At least seven of the 10 teams are still mathematically still in race for the top 4 series starting on 1 August.

In the Bay of Plenty Baywide competition, Te Puke Sports qualified top for next week’s semi-finals with a 32-21 win over Whaktane Marist in the 11th and last round. Te Puke will play fourth placed Whakarewarewa who beat Rotoiti 40-0. In the other playoff match, Tauranga and Mt Maunganui will do it all again next week after the former won yesterday’s ‘battle of the bridge’ 24-3.

In next week’s Counties Manukau McNamara Cup semi-finals, Karaka will play fourth placed Pukekohe and Ardmore Marist will meet Bombay. Pukekohe went into the last round holding second position behind top qualifier Karaka, but their 15-21 loss to Ardmore Marist caused them to slip two spots.

In Auckland, Grammar Tec won the Alan McEvoy Trophy, with a 51-12 hiding of Pakuranga. Top qualifier Grammar Tec will host Waitemata in one Gallaher Shield semi-final next week and second placed University and third placed Pakuranga will meet in the other, after Waitemata defeated the Manukau Rovers 32-5, University beat Marist 38-19 and Papatoetoe defeated Ponsonby 38-31 in today’s matches.

In North Harbour, top qualifiers Massey defeated second placed North Shore 28-22 in their last round match. Massey will host the Western Pioneers in one championship semi-final and North Shore and Glenfield will meet in the other.

Wellsford will host Mid Western and Mid Northern will meet Otamatea in next week's Northland Southern Districts Premier semi-finals. Mid Western got up to finish fourth after beating Mid Northern 34-17, whilst Wellsford also lost the last round, 17-35 to Old Boys Marist. 

To view the results from the competitions we run, summed up above, and our current Heartland Championship partners Wairarapa-Bush, Wanganui, West Coast, Buller, East Coast and Mid Canterbury (coming shortly) please click on the map of New Zealand on our home page www.clubrugby.co.nz

For a result wrap-up of some other club rugby competitions please see below (note of the results available as at Sunday morning):

Bay of Plenty
Baywide Premier
Tauranga Sports 24 vs Mount Maunganui 3
Greerton Marist 87 vs Opotiki 5
Te Puke Sports 32 vs Whakatane Marist 21
Whakarewarewa 40 vs Waikite 0
Rangataua 28 vs Rotoiti 27
Te Puna 66 vs Paroa 7

Counties Manukau
McNamara Cup last round:
Ardmore Marist 21 - Pukekohe 15
Karaka 41 - Onewhero 0
Bombay 28 - Patumahoe 16
Manurewa 19 - Waiuku 12

Manawatu
Hankins Shield semi-finals
College Old Boys 22 – Varsity 12
Kia Toa 23 – Old Boys Marist 14
Val Holland Memorial Trophy semi-finals
Te Kawau 35 – Feilding 19
FOB Oroua 41 – Linton 31

Northland

Southern Districts Premiers

Otamatea 56 - Hikurangi 12
Wellsford 17 - Old Boys Marist 35
Waipu 36 - Western Sharks 34
HoraHora 54 - Kamo 27
Mid Northern 17 - Mid Western 34

North Otago 

Old Boys 38 – Athletic Marist 6
Kurow 43 – Valley 7
Exelsior 31 – Maheno 7

Otago
Taieri:46 - Dunedin:8
Southern:24 - Harbour:22 
University:60 - Green Island:24 
Zingari-Richmond:34 - Alhambra-Union:17 
Kaikorai:48 - Pirates:31

Southland
Galbraith Shield semi-finals
Star 35 – Woodlands 14
Marist 43 – Eastern Northern Barbarians 27

Tasman 
Marlborough
Moutere 35 – Harlequins 17
Central 35 – Waitohi 11
Nelson Bays
Kahurangi 20 – Waimea 19
Wanderers 28 – Marist 13

Thames Valley
Waihou 23 – Cobras 10
Bay 20 – North 20

Waikato
Semi-finals
Hamilton Marist 29 – Hamilton Old Boys 24
University 27 – Otorohanga 24