Marama, Va'alepu individual stars as Ories and Norths win semis

Top qualifier Oriental-Rongotai and defending champion Northern United will meet on neutral territory at the Petone Recreation Ground next Sunday to decide the 2011 Jubilee Cup, after contrasting semi-finals wins in extremely windy conditions.

At the Polo Ground, two tries to first five-eighth Trevor Marama and massive defence at the end of the game won the day for Ories who saw off a gallant Hutt Old Boys Marist challenge to win 18-15.

After establishing their match winning lead through a Marama penalty in the 57^th minute, Ories spent almost the entire fourth quarter pressed hard on defence and only superior passion and commitment held out a number of Eagles drives and assaults close to the line. Then, in a final flurry of drama in injury time, HOBM broke out from their own end of the field and went desperately close to scoring again. But referee Wayne Dickson eventually blew fulltime with both sets of players out on their feet inside Ories' 22.

At Kilbirnie Park, Norths blasted past home team Poneke 29-3 after leading just 7-3 at halftime and turning into the stiff breeze for the second 40 minutes. Left wing AJ Va'alepu was the individual star of the show in scoring all five of Norths' tries - the most in any game of Wellington Premier club rugby since MSP fullback Mike Kingsbeer scored six tries in one match against Wainuiomata back in round 5 of the 2009 Swindale Shield.?

Top qualifier Old Boys-University and second placed Tawa will meet in the Hardham Cup final next Saturday at Fraser Park, after OBU saw off the hard challenge of Norths B 35-20 at the Hawkins Basin Reserve and Tawa pulled clear of Rimutaka late in their match for a comfortable 62-18 victory.

In the semi-finals of the John E Kelly Memorial Trophy U21 competition, MSP beat Wellington A 48-0 and Ories overcame HOBM 12-3. MSP and Ories will thus meet in the final next Saturday, which is the curtain-raiser to the Hardham Cup final.?

In Wellington First XV college rugby, Wellington College beat Rongotai 24-5 and St. Pat's Silverstream quelled the challenge of fourth placed St. Pat's Town 15-5 in the other semi-final. Wellington College and St. Pat's Silverstream will meet in the Jubilee Cup curtain raiser in the Premier 1 Secondary Schools final next Sunday.

In the Senior 1 Ed Chaney Cup, the four semi-finalists were found with a week to spare after a day of high drama. OBU and Petone remain locked together at the top of the table after OBU beat Stokes Valley 30-7 and Petone over-ran Avalon 51-15. With a six-point buffer to third place, this pair will host the two semi-finals with Johnsonville and MSP fighting it for third and fourth. Johnsonville overcame Paremata-Plimmerton 22-10 and MSP beat Tawa 25-16.

In the other Ed Chaney match, Wainuiomata leapt from ninth to fifth equal with a 61-14 over midtable side Ories.

In the HD Morgan Memorial Senior 2 competition the two home semi-finalists have been found, but the two other playoff challengers will have to be decided between four teams in next week's last round.

In penultimate round results, joint leaders HOBM and Wellington (both on 36 points) had differing wins, HOBM beating rivals Petone 15-0 and the Wellington Axemen accounting for the Wests Roosters 47-24.

Amongst the challengers, OBU and MSP are equal third on 21 points heading into the last round after OBU pipped fifth placed Norths (19 points) 26-24 and MSP beat seventh placed Poneke 40-20. In the other match of the round sixth placed Upper Hutt (18 points) just edged out bottom placed Johnsonville 16-13.

Jubilee Cup

They've shown tremendous heart several times already this season, but over the last 15 minutes of their match against HOBM, Ories displayed that extra desperation and commitment needed to lift the Jubilee Cup.

Needing just a try to take the lead and seemingly snatch the semi-final win from Ories' grasp, the Eagles set up camp inside the windswept, north eastern corner of the Polo Ground and launched assault after assault on the tryline. Keeping it tight, the Eagles picked and drove many times, but each time the Ories big men up front kept them at bay.

Prop and captain Donal McNamara, right ear bloodied, led the way, young lock Vaiele Tauloa made at least two try saving tackles on his own and all three loose forwards Joe Maiava, Pau Halafihi and Iani Pahulu were huge.

Earlier, the game had come alive just before and after halftime with a flurry of three tries scored by both teams.

Ories had struck in the opening minutes with a lovely 80-metre breakout try, started by left wing Ambrose Curtis and finished off by first five-eighth Trevor Marama, to take a decisive 7-0 lead. Much of the first half was then a stop-start affair as both teams settled down to battle both each other and the windy conditions.

Ories went close to scoring a second try soon after their first,?following a?concerted raid deep inside HOBM's territory. Before first five-eighth Brandyn Laursen replied with a dropped kick on a penalty advantage?and Marama answered with a penalty to make it 10-3 to Ories after 27 minutes.

All the while, HOBM were getting into the game and their tactic of one-off runners and building pressure through phase play was looking good. Right on halftime, halfback Nick Risdon tapped a penalty 35 metres out and fellow veteran Polonga Pedro carried the move on. From the next ruck bullocking tighthead prop Elijah Fonoti burst through the middle and was tackled short. But loosehead prop Taniella Raikabula picked and drove to score a try under the posts. Laursen slotted the conversion and all of a sudden it was 10-10.

Two minutes into the second half, Ories broke out from long range and left wing Curtis passed inside at the end of the movement, but if he'd looked on his other shoulder to his unmarked support player it would've been trytime.

But it didn't matter as centre Paulo Aukuso broke the line from an ensuing ruck and got a hurried pass away in the tackle that was picked up on the bounce by Marama and he darted in to score his second try in the right hand corner. He couldn't convert from the edge of the softball diamond, but Ories were back in front 15-10.

HOBM came right back at them with another long, patient period of sustained attacking rugby with ball in hand and were soon rewarded when their talisman blindside flanker Pedro crashed over their second try from a ruck. Again, the conversion was missed, but it was all square again at 15-15.

HOBM next dodged a bullet after a hurried HOBM clearing kick was partially charged down by Marama, the ball was a hot potato inside the Eagles' tryline and an Ories player was held up under a pile of bodies deep in the in-goal.

This period of ascendancy didn't go unrewarded, Marama kicking a penalty to put his side ahead 18-15 - which proved to be the last scoring play of the match.

Not far up the road at Kilbirnie Park, a massive tussle developed between home team Poneke and Norths. Playing into the wind in the first half, the red and black machine played brilliantly throughout the first 40 minutes and held Norths to just a converted try.

Norths had scored early through eventual five-try hero AJ Vala'lepu, running on to a grubbed kick after a turnover. Poneke replied with a penalty to first five-eighth Jeremy Te Huia to close the gap to 7-3 as Poneke's forwards got into their stride and held the ball for long periods and were effective in starving their opposites of quality possession. However late in the half Norths showed what was to come later when AJ Va'alepu made a telling run and passed inside to fullback James So'oialo, only for So'oialo to drop the ball with the line open.

Early in the second half, Norths broke out from inside their own territory and centre Nene Va'alepu handed his brother AJ a second try and Norths went up 12-3. More rampant attacking play into the wind followed and AJ Va'alepu scored his hat trick under the posts, fullback James So'oialo converted and suddenly Norths were ahead 19-3.

Poneke's chance to get back into the game was aided by the sinbinning of replacement Norths prop Daley Ena, but this time it was the turn of Norths to dig deep and hold off a desperate period of Poneke pressure.

Once more, Norths broke the shackles and cut loose from well inside their own territory. AJ Va'alepu scampered through to score his fourth try, increasing the lead to 24-3 and sending his team to its fourth straight Jubilee Cup final. Just for good measure, that man Va'alepu grabbed an intercept and ran away to score his fourth try of the second half and fifth of the match to give Norths a comprehensive 29-3 semi-final victory.

Hardham Cup

Up the road a bit further and through the tunnel at the Basin Reserve, home team and top qualifier Old Boys-University were made to work hard for their semi-final win over Norths B.

Both sides scored three tries, but it was boot of OBU first five-eighth Mike Newell that proved the difference, Newell kicking five penalties, a conversion and a dropped goal for a 20-point haul

Playing with the strong wind at their backs, OBU struck first through centre Luke Fiso, his seventh try of the year and fourth of the ?second round. Norths left wing Malili Taofiga answered for Norths and it was 5-5.

OBU stretched their lead to 10 points through a Newell penalty and a penalty try, before Newell's second penalty gave them an 18-5 lead at the break as they turned into the wind.

Norths closed the gap after the break with a try to second five-eighth Perry Hayman, but The boot of Newell and a third try to fullback Jesse Johnson in the corner extended OBU's lead to 29-15. Newell then sealed the win with two further penalties, creating a 20-point lead. Norths fought on and replacement lock Denis Veisairu scored a consolation try at the end.

At Lyndhurst Park, the 62-18 scoreline suggested a one sided romp to the home team Tawa, but it was only late in the match when Tawa ran away with it.

Whilst the victory was assured when centre Jason Roache flew in to make it 34-13 not long into the second half, the Rams had competed well up to that point. With the wind in their favour, Rimutaka had closed to 13-15 behind. Veteran Tawa halfback Stephen So'oialo scored his side's third try on halftime and they took a 22-13 lead into halftime.

Long serving wing Junior Togia flew in for the first of three tries early in the second spell, ahead of Roach's try that put them comfortably ahead. Rimutaka replied with their third and final try, to wing Jason Douglas to make it 34-18 to Tawa.

From there, Tawa took control and scored a clutch of tries towards the end, including two more to Togia. In all, Tawa scored nine tries with goal kicking fullback Randall Bishop scoring 16 points.

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