Marist Continue On Unbeaten As Poneke Served Last Rites

Marist St. Pat's edged out Hutt Old Boys Marist 17-16 to maintain their lead in the Jubilee Cup while Poneke bowed out of playoff reckoning in losing to Petone 12-10 in the fifth round set of matches played on Saturday.

MSP won the battle of the Marist clubs and confirmed their place in the semi-finals courtesy of a hat trick to fast finishing left wing Jope Naubo to keep the Eagles at bay in an Evans Bay Park bogfest. Across the road at Kilbirnie Park, Poneke were served their last rites by Petone first five-eighth Sam Rasch, whose four penalties held off the two tries scored by Poneke halfback Blair Bradley.

Also fighting for survival were Old Boys-University, who beat Tawa 25-10 at Lyndhurst Park to stay alive for another week, while Northern United shrugged off the absence of seven first choice players to the Vodafone Wellington Lions squad to dispatch a struggling Wests Roosters outfit 40-13 at Porirua Park.

With two rounds to go, MSP can now turn their attention to a home semi-final encounter, despite failing to collect any bonus points from their five wins, while both Northern United and Petone have leapfrogged HOBM into second and third respectively. With a five point buffer between HOBM and fifth placed OBU, Norths, Petone and HOBM will be favoured to join MSP in the top four. OBU and Tawa are both still alive to make the semi-finals, but both also play Norths in the last fortnight, who at full strength would be worthy Ranfurly Shield challengers.

Poneke will have to start planning their 2008 season in advance, the regular playoff protagonists unable to get past Petone in a forwards dominated battle. It's been a tough old season for the red and blacks. Symptomatic of their problems this year was centre Dwayne Waterman forced to fill the flyhalf role with Toto Moananu still in transit from a weeklong work trip to Queensland and not expected at the ground until at least halftime.

Playing into the wind, Poneke scored first and led 5-3 throughout much of the first half, before Rasch struck twice more to give his side a 9-5 lead at the break. The second half was more of the same, Rasch adding another penalty to give the villagers the win.

OBU overcame an early deficit to defeat Tawa, centre Paula Kinikinilau scoring one of his two tries to give the students a 10-5 lead after 30 minutes, after Tawa No. 8 Ioana Fuatai had opened the scoring for the home side. It was a similar story up the motorway at Porirua where Wests held an early 7-3 advantage, before Norths scored two tries to lead 14-13 at halftime. It was one-way traffic from midway through the second half for Norths, eventually sailing to a comfortable win with four further tries.

It was also tough slog in the top of the table clash between MSP and HOBM, where MSP retained the Bill Brien Cup that they won off Tawa the previous week. In difficult underfoot conditions that deteriorated as the game progressed, HOBM were left lamenting a one-point loss that they probably should have won, given the ample territory and pressure they were able to apply on their Marist counterparts.

But time and again a lack of accuracy and poor handling let them down and as the ground cut up it became increasingly difficult for them to breach a tenacious MSP defence that was also a hallmark of their performance.

In contrast, MSP took their chances on attack, sending electrifying winger Jope Naubo over for all three of their tries, which proved the difference on the scoreboard.

HOBM established an early ascendancy, their big pack, minus first choice locks Jeremy Thrush (with the Lions) and Steven Bradshaw (injured), making inroads with their one-off the ruck running. MSP's early discipline was woeful, conceding a slew of penalties at the breakdown, from which HOBM first five-eighth Jon Bentley kicked two goals to see the visitors 6-0 ahead after 25 minutes.

But the tempo of the game changed when Naubo scored the first of his three tries completely against the run of play, MSP winning a midfield turnover and counterattacking shortside to Naubo's wing. The flying Fijian showed exhilarating speed to flash up the sideline to score in the corner.

This was followed only minutes later by his second, giving MSP a 10-6 lead at halftime. Started from an MSP scrum on halfway, halfback Reece Poutawera attacked blindside, putting through a kick for Naubo and fullback Jackson Martin to chase, Martin winning the loose ball and Naubo coming up with another try in the same corner.

HOBM had their chances early in the second half, stretching MSP's defence on both sides of the field, but their only reward was a further Bentley penalty to bring them to within a point behind. MSP hung on to the three-quarter mark, before playmaking first five-eighth Fa'atonu Fili created half a gap again from a turnover and freed up an unmarked Naubo to run 40 metres for his hat trick. Centre Chris Slade converted from out wide and at 17-9 in front, MSP were looking likely.

The tension increased once more when HOBM finally cracked the line, replacement halfback Troy Emery darting 20 metres to score beside the posts. Bentley's conversion made it 17-16, but MSP held on over the final minutes for their fifth straight win.

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