Upper Hutt Defeat Wainuiomata In Hard Fought Hardham Final

Upper Hutt were crowned the 2006 Hardham Cup champions after winning an entertaining, but hard fought final 25-12 against Wainuiomata at Westpac Stadium. Upper Hutt outscored Wainuiomata three tries to nil, with All Blacks halfback Piri Weepu kicking all his team's points with four penalties.

In the much-anticipated season ender, Wainuiomata were looking to finish their fairytale season with their first Hardham Cup victory, while for Upper Hutt it was their second Hardham Cup and third triumph in three seasons, after beating Johnsonville in the 2004 Hardham Cup final and winning the Swindale Shield last year.

The match started at a frantic pace with Wainuiomata dominating the opening quarter with the majority of possession and territory. As has been the case for much of the season, Wainuiomata's No.8 Sape Misa led the way with some strong runs up the field. Referee Wayne Dickson had a busy day with the whistle, with the breakdowns hotly contested, penalising both sides for infringing and offside play. That worked in Wainuiomata's favour, their pressure getting first points through two penalty goals to Weepu.

Upper Hutt kept themselves in the first half through Wainuiomata's error rate at lineout time and their last passes going to ground. They scored two first half tries to leading try scorer Ollie O'Leary, his eleventh of the season, and promising left wing Sam Williamson. As ever, their classy halfback Alby Mathewson was also involved in both tries. Upper Hutt would have been pleased with their 18-6 lead going into the second half, considering Wainuiomata had dominated for long periods.

Wainuiomata started the second half as they began the match. With huge support behind them they threw everything into the final half of their season, dominating most parts of the half. But Upper Hutt hung on through some strong defence of their forward pack, as well as a continuation of errors and some bad decisions from Wainuiomata. Weepu closed the gap for Wainuiomata with two more penalties, as the score went to 18-12 in favour of Upper Hutt.

With the match coming to an end and only a converted try the difference, Wainuiomata kept trying to bust through a deternined wall of maroon defence. But in the end that was their downfall, with Upper Hutt scoring a late try from halfway from yet another Wainuiomata move that broke down. That led to a kick and chase, and the bounce of the ball fell into left wing Williamson's hands for his second try of the match.

With this try Upper Hutt came through to win 25-12, a deserving, if not a little flattering final victory. For Wainuiomata, with a positive style of rugby and a loyal support base, they have earned huge respect from their season and are in good shape for next year's Swindale Shield and beyond.