Samoans - Centurions matches and Pride highlight rugby tomorrow

The Wellington U18s Centurions and U18s Catholic Colleges sides after their match last Saturday on Porirua 2. The Centurions are back there tomorrow to play the Wellington Samoans U18s in their final, while the Catholic team meets Wanganui U18 over at Ascot Park.

Porirua Park is the place to be at tomorrow if you’re after your fix of local rugby action, with six representative sides in action.

The headline game is at midday on Jerry Collins Stadium, as the Wellington Pride take on the Auckland Storm in their Farah Palmer Cup Women’s NPC clash. Auckland are the perennial heavyweights of the competition but have been usurped in the past 12 months by Counties-Manukau, who they lost to 12-36 last weekend. That result followed their 41-12 win over Canterbury, while they were surprisingly held to a 10-all draw by Bay of Plenty in the opening round.

While their team tomorrow doesn’t include Black Ferns captain Fiao’o Faamausili, it still has three members of the World Cup winners in props Aldora Itunu and Aleisha Nelson and No.8 Charmaine McMenamin, and the 100-game veteran Emma Jensen at halfback. They’re co-captained by hooker Karina Stowers and centre Mele Hufanga who scored 16 tries for Auckland in 2015.

The Pride sit second on the Premiership ladder behind Counties-Manukau, and having rebounded from the defeat to Manawatu to beat Waikato 11-5 on a very heavy track in Hamilton last Saturday. The vastly experienced Auckland side are another step up for the side and will be a good indicator of where they’re at ahead of the trip south to Dunedin to come next weekend.

Ross Bond has tweaked his side with Janet Taumoli coming into the front row and Sinead To’oala making her starting debut in the loose forwards. In the backs Jane Bryce forms an all-teenaged midfield pairing with MSP clubmate Monica Tagoai, with Vaine Marsters moving onto the wing and Tove Svanborg onto the bench. OBU pair Tawny Burgess and Holly Macdonald, and MSP’s Tina Vaaua-Hamlin are all recalled to the reserves.

The first game at Porirua Park, however, gets underway on the #2 ground at 11am, with the U18 Girls facing their Poverty Bay counterparts. The Girls have had two contrasting matches so far beating Tasman 112-0 two weeks ago before going down to Auckland 0-12 last Saturday.

Following them on the back field are the U18 Samoans and U18 Centurions who will battle out the final of their competition. The two had contrasting results last Saturday with the Centurions easing past the Catholic Colleges side 48-10, while the Samoans left it late to edge Wanganui 8-6. Expect this contest for the title and bragging rights to be keenly fought.

The final game of the day pits the senior Samoan and Centurions sides against each other in their last round Hurricanes Shield match, following the Pride match at 2.30pm. With neither side able to claim the title – the Hawke’s Bay Saracen’s win over Wellington Maori saw them all but do that – the two sides might just through caution to the wind and throw the ball around, if the weather permits. At the back of players’ minds though might be making the Development side for their two upcoming matches against Auckland and Canterbury.

The Catholic Colleges team are the seventh side at home, and they conclude their Hurricanes regional campaign against Wanganui not too far from Porirua Park at the Ascot Park artificial turf, with kick-off at 1pm.

At the college level the Derek Wootton Memorial Sevens is on at Wakefield Park with eight boy teams expected to front. That gets underway at 9.30pm with the final expected to take place around 12.30pm.

Just four sides are away this weekend. The Under 13’s are in Levin where they face the Horowhenua-Kapiti U14s and will be followed there by the U16s who take on Manawatu. Slightly further south at Otaki the U16 Development team is against Horowhenua-Kapiti’s U16 side.

The fourth team on the road are the Wellington Lions, who take on Waikato in the Men’s NPC in Hamilton with kick-off just after 5pm. Coach Chris Gibbes – facing his former side – has made a number of changes to the side that destroyed Canterbury last Sunday. Two of those are enforced; Jeff Toomaga-Allen’s recall to the All Blacks means Alex Fidow returns at tighthead while James Blackwell’s injury sees his Petone clubmate Mateaki Kafatolu shift to blindside with Du’Plessis Kirifi back in the #7 jersey to face players he came up against in the club season. The remaining changes have a ‘rotation’ look to them. Sitiveni Paongo swaps places his Tawa teammate Tolu Fahamokoia at loosehead, Will Mangos comes in at lock for Isaia Walker-Leawere, and Sheridan Rangihuna and Dan Kirkpatrick start in the halves in place of Kem Hauiti-Parapara and Jackson Garden-Bachop who are both on the bench. Joe ‘Apikatoa and Galu Taufale return to the 23, and Norths’ Chris Middleton (who has previously played for Waikato) and MSP’s Billy Proctor will make their debuts should they get the call. Julian Savea again captains the side.

Matches between Wellington and Waikato are generally high-scoring affairs; with the 19-14 Lions win in Hamilton in 2013 the lowest-scoring of their recent clashes. More typical was the 2008 match, which saw Wellington lead 26-18 after just 18 minutes before winning 45-33 in a 12-try extravaganza.

The two first met in 1923, but aside from a match in 1929 didn’t place each other until establishing an annual fixture in 1952. In the NPC-era they have met every year since 1981 – except 1986 when Waikato were in the second division – and have split their last two meetings. Waikato triumphed 37-27 last year, while Wellington took the spoils in 2015 by 21-14. Overall Wellington lead the head-to-head with 37 wins to 31, with one draw.

Wellington’s biggest win over the Mooloo remains their 55-18 win in 1988, with Ories’ All Black fullback John Gallagher scoring 27 points; and five Wellington players have scored hat-tricks against Waikato; Keith Hawea (1973), William Proctor (1976), Emosi Koloto (1988), Tana Umaga (1995) and Hosea Gear (2006).

Waikato sit fifth in the Premiership standings, but have lost their last three matches with the most recent two against the Lions Championship division rivals Northland (7-37) and Manawatu (10-23).

Teamlists (as received, subject to change)

Wellington Pride
1 Angel Uila (Petone)
2 Alicia Print (Oriental-Rongotai)
3 Janet Taumoli (Oriental-Rongotai)
4 Petra Krikalova (Petone)
5 Sanita Levave (Norths)
6 Kiri Mei (Wainuiomata)
7 Sinead To’oala-Ryder (Marist St Pats)
8 Jackie Patea-Fereti (Wainuiomata)©
9 Accacia Te Iwimate (Petone)
10 Kauna Lopa (Oriental-Rongotai)
11 Ayesha Leti-l’iga (Oriental-Rongotai)
12 Jane Bryce (Marist St Pats)
13 Monica Tagoai (Marist St Pats)
14 Vaine Marsters (Norths)
15 Reijeli Uluinayau (Oriental-Rongotai)
16 Rosie Stirling (Hutt Old Boys Marist)
17 Raylene Lolo (Oriental-Rongotai)
18 Joanah Ngan-Woo (Oriental-Rongotai)
19 Tawny Burgess (Old Boys-University)
20 Tina Vauua-Hamlin (Marist St Pats)
21 Tove Svanborg (Paremata-Plimmerton)
22 Holly Macdonald (Old Boys-University)

Auckland Storm
1 Aldora Itunu
2 Karina Stowers ©
3 Aleisha Nelson
4 Rebecca Burch
5 Charlene Gubb
6 Joanna Fanene
7 Moana Fineaso-Levi
8 Charmaine McMenamin
9 Emma Jensen
10 Ruahei Demant
11 Eleni Leiataua
12 Onjeurlina Leiataua
13 Mele Hufanga ©
14 Lose Mafi
15 Tiana Ngawati
16 Faasea Sao Taliu
17 Maki Saena
18 Leanne Thompson
19 Bridie Reeves
20 Corina Nanai
21 Aeron Warbrooke
22 Malia Tova

U18 Samoans
1 Stanley Paese (St Patricks Silverstream)
2 Manaaki Tiatia-Boyle (Scots College)
3 Werdna Maligi (Scots College)
4 Mellenniumma Leota (Wellington College)
5 Jaydin Tiatia (Wellington College)
6 Junior Uelese (Scots College)
7 Adam Tone (Norths)
8 Denzel Leota (Wellington College)
9 Misi Faimalo (St Patricks Kilbirnie)
10 Malo Manuao (Scots College)
11 Darius Patau (Bishop Viard College)
12 Eli Moata’a (Porirua College)
13 Jason Tuitama (Rongotai College)
14 Jeremiah Lokeni (St Patricks Kilbirnie)
15 Tominiko Maiava (Wellington College)
16 Bronson Aiono (Wellington College)
17 Josh Oloapu-Atoni (St Patricks Kilbirnie)
18 Shaquile Fiso (Rongotai College)
19 Gabriel Meredith (St Patricks Kilbirnie)
20 Caleb Aiulu (St Patricks Kilbirnie)
21 Herman Seumanufagai (Wellington College)
22 Chester Palauni Aiono (Onslow College)

U18 Centurions
1 Moala Katoa (Scots College)
2 Kaitu Ioane (Tawa College)
3 Taliauli Sina (Hutt Valley HS)
4 Tama Kapene (Scots College)
5 Jack Wright (Upper Hutt Rams)
6 Eparama Salio (Scots College)
7 Alex Faifailoa (Wainuiomata HS)
8 Mitch Stringer (Hutt Valley HS)
9 Kyle Preston (Tawa College)©
10 Matiu Samuel (Rongotai College)
11 Josh Morgan-Ranui (Wellington College)
12 Connor Fitzsimmons (Wellington College)
13 Maika Fifita (St Patricks Silverstream)
14 Caleb Cavubati (Scots College)
15 Jack Gray (Scots College)
16 Tai Misa-Bryce (Hutt Valley HS)
17 Tama Kirk (Rongotai College)
18 Lawrence Lim (Old Boys-University)
19 Olly Wrigley (St Patricks Silverstream)
20 Ish Perkins (Wellington College)
21 Olly Paotonu (Wellington College)
22 Elijah Tuigamala (Wellington College)

U18 Catholic Colleges
1 John Schaumkell
2 Nick ‘Apikatoa
3 Puna Manaia
4 Connor Wanden
5 Dominic Bell
6 Adam McRandle
7 Mike Alaifatu
8 Anthony Pesamino
9 Devon Bell
10 Waylon Tuhoro-Robinson
11 Misi Misa
12 Chris Hemi
13 Ricky Manulaitea
14 Ben Kuresa
15 Oria Andrews
16 Moeva Vaeau
17 Tyler Brown
18 Tamati Poki
19 Brayden Knight
20 Luke Bond
21 Pene Tuiketei
22 Jamie Rhys-Ioane

U18 Girls
1 Laina Semu
2 Hope Sa’u
3 Leva Mulikihaamea
4 Emma Brown
5 Syntyche Maiava
6 Damaris Samani
7 Precious Auimatagi
8 April Pugatupuna
9 Milly Mackey
10 Grace Stewart
11 Heidi Coleman
12 Luhia Tufele
13 Harmony Hunter
14 Kayla Faitele
15 Shadal Tamatoa
16 Miracle Nua
17 Hosanna Aumua
18 Paige Misky
19 Tiara Nanai-Iafeta
20 Rosi Lomani
21 Christina Lafaele
22 Julie Tusa

Wellington Samoans
1 Andrew Mamea (Wainuiomata)
2 Valentine Meachen (Marist St Pats)
3 Johnwhite Silva (Norths)
4 Telea Seumanutafa (Tawa)
5 Taisson Lealaisalanoa (Paremata-Plimmerton)
6 Matt Peni (Marist St Pats)
7 Josh Brown (Upper Hutt Rams)
8 Lise Soloa (Hutt Old Boys Marist)
9 Ken Kapeli (Marist St Pats)
10 Fa’atonu Fili (Marist St Pats)
11 Fereti Soloa (Hutt Old Boys Marist)
12 Isaiah Mamea (Wainuiomata)
13 Aukuso Tuitama (Oriental-Rongotai)
14 Losi Filipo (Petone)
15 PJ Iosefo (Tawa)
16 Vince Sakaria (Marist St Pats)
17 Aasa Sanerivi (Marist St Pats)
18 James Tuiatua (Marist St Pats)
19 Fala Tuala (Norths)
20 Isaia Petelo (Marist St Pats)
21 Jeff Makapelu (Johnsonville)
22 Paulo Aukuso (Oriental-Rongotai)
23 Penieli Poasa (Oriental-Rongotai)

Wellington Lions
1 Sitiveni Paongo (Tawa)
2 Asafo Aumua (Avalon)
3 Alex Fidow (Oriental-Rongotai)
4 Sam Lousi (Marist St Pats)
5 Will Mangos (Old Boys-University)
6 Mateaki Kafatolu (Petone)
7 Du’Plessis Kirifi (Loan)
8 Teariki Ben-Nicholas (Old Boys-University)
9 Sheridan Rangihuna (Hutt Old Boys Marist)
10 Dan Kirkpatrick (Petone)
11 Malo Tuitama (Oriental-Rongotai)
12 Regan Verney (Old Boys-University)
13 Thomas Umaga-Jensen (Wainuiomata)
14 Julian Savea (Oriental-Rongotai)©
15 Ben Lam (Tawa)
16 Leni Apisai (Norths)
17 Tolu Fahamokioa (Tawa)
18 Joe ‘Apikatoa (Hutt Old Boys Marist)
19 Chris Middleton (Norths)
20 Galu Taufale (Poneke)
21 Kemara Hauiti-Parapara (Tawa)
22 Jackson Garden-Bachop (Norths)
23 Billy Proctor (Marist St Pats)