Late penalty miss keeps title race alive for another week

Swindale Shield round 10 scores (home team first): Tawa 17 - MSP 20; Oriental-Rongotai 21 - Petone 6; Rimutaka 0 - Hutt Old Boys Marist 67; Wainuiomata 36 - Wests Roosters 6; Old Boys University 13 - Northern United 25; Poneke 5 - Upper Hutt 27

If Marist St. Pat's go on to scoop the first round Swindale Shield next week at the expense of current frontrunners Hutt Old Boys Marist they will thank Tawa fullback Randall Bishop for missing a late penalty against them at Lyndhurst Park on Saturday.

Bishop's late miss meant MSP held on for a 20-17 win over Tawa and the four competition points from the resulting win puts them three competition points behind HOBM who now need to beat an in-form Wainuiomata at home in round 11 to ensure they win the Swindale Shield.

If MSP had drawn with Tawa, the two competition points would have put them five points adrift of HOBM, and unable to win the title next week if they had gone on to draw level with HOBM?on points by virtue of?the Eagles'?19-14 win over them back in round five.

Instead, MSP can still win the Swindale Shield if they beat Petone next week and HOBM lose to Wainuiomata.

For their part, HOBM - needing a bonus point win to put themselves in contention to win the Swindale Shield with a week to spare - beat Rimutaka 67-0 in their round 10 fixture.

On a day when the title race stayed alive for another week, the desperate struggle for top eight spots and places in the Jubilee Cup became much clearer in round 10.

Two more clubs booked their unwanted places outside of the top eight and in the Hardham Cup for the second round, with the Wests Roosters and Poneke confirmed as joining minnows Rimutaka in that competition.

The Wests Roosters went down 36-6 to Wainuiomata on the latter's Old Timers' Day at William Jones Park, while Poneke missed out 5-27 to Upper Hutt at Kilbirnie Park.

These two defeats have left the Roosters on 15 points and Poneke 14, both too far back to the current eighth spot occupied jointly by Tawa and Old Boys University who are both on 21.

Poneke's demise also had a domino effect down the grades, with their Senior 1 Harper Lock Shield side fourth equal with a round to play after beating Avalon 22-13?but unable to also play in the Hardham Cup should they qualify.

In another significant result of the 10^th round, Petone went down to Oriental-Rongotai 6-21 away at the Polo Ground, keeping them outside the top eight but living to fight another day.

To make the Jubilee Cup, Petone - still on 18 points - will need to beat MSP at home next week and rely on either Tawa losing to the Wests Roosters at Ian Galloway Park or OBU losing to Upper Hutt at Maidstone Park.

In the round's other match at the Hawkins Basin Reserve, Norths booked their spot in the Jubilee Cup with a week to spare with a hard fought 25-13 win over OBU, who were kept inside the top eight largely through other results.

Meanwhile, MSP were confirmed as Senior 1 Harper Lock Shield winners with a round to spare. By beating Tawa 30-3, MSP's second XV has opened up an eight-point lead at the top of the table to second placed OBU who edged out Norths 17-15.

The battle to finish inside the top four of the Harper Lock Shield remains tight, with four teams left chasing the remaining two spots up for grabs in next week's final round.

In other Senior 1 round 10 results, Johnsonville climbed from fourth to third with a convincing 62-19 win over Wainuiomata, Petone climbed from eighth to sixth equal by beating Ories 34-19 and HOBM dropped a spot to seventh after losing to Paremata-Plimmerton 35-10.

In the Senior 2 National Mutual Cup, MSP's third XV nearly pulled off the upset of the round and ensured the title race will go down to next week by losing to them just 7-3.?

The narrow win for the Axemen keeps them in the lead with a round to go, but with just a four-point buffer to second placed Upper Hutt who beat Poneke 42-13, they can still be pipped at the post by them next week if they lose to lowly Wests and Upper Hutt earns a bonus point win over fifth placed OBU.

Nevertheless, the two frontrunners Wellington and Upper Hutt are the two teams who have qualified from this grade for the Senior 1 Ed Chaney Cup in the second round.

In other Senior 2 round 10 results, Stokes Valley and HOBM battled to a 10-10 draw, Ories pipped Petone 36-31, Norths battled past OBU 29-20 and Avalon beat Wests 51-3.

The Premier Women's Victoria Tavern Trophy took a week off, while, Wellington College beat Rongotai 45-5 in their televised Heron Cup Traditional match, St Bernard’s College upset St Pat’s Silverstream 28-26, Aotea beat HIBS 17-8 and Scots College rolled over St Pat’s Town 29-15.

Around the grounds, gusty conditions made for a tough day at the office in Wellington club rugby, with combatants at all three of the Swindale Shield matches struggling to adapt to the conditions and settle down and play rugby.

Scoreboard operators were kept in abeyance at the Polo Ground, Kilbirnie Park and the Hawkins Basin Reserve until deep into the first halves of play when the games finally got off the mark.

At the Polo Ground, affected by a stroppy crosswind, Ories scored two converted tries late in the first half to hooker Charles Paese and second five-eighth Jarrod Henry to take what proved to be a match winning 14-0 lead into halftime. Ories had a player sinbinned early in the second half and Petone closed to 14-6 through two Jared Kahu penalties. Ories halfback Sean Hay missed a straightforward penalty on goal which would have extended their lead, but left wing Hayden Whelan ran in a converted try to seal the win and the Jim Brown Memorial Trophy for his side.

Poneke opened the scoring at Kilbirnie Park to fullback James Solomon when he crossed after a long, patient build-up. From then it was all Upper Hutt who replied and took a 13-5 lead into the halftime break and then turned into the wind and shut Poneke out in the second half. It was a 50 metre intercept try that clinched their win. Centre Jason Henry, on Premier debut, scored two of Upper Hutt’s tries and scored 22 points in the Alby Makeham Shield win.

The physicality of Norths’ big, hungry forwards and OBU's ill-discipline contributed to Norths’ hard won victory over the students. Norths’ big men and loose forwards were strong around the fringes and the breakdowns, with No.8 Mana Faraimo, openside Dean Brunsdon and props Jermoe Vaai and Siaosi Mafi all prominent.

Playing into the wind, Norths twice went close to scoring before tighthead Vaai burrowed over to score the first try after 20 minutes. OBU immediately replied with a Jesse Johnson penalty, filling in at pivot for Seminar Manu who was taking a week off in Australia.

A rampant Norths raid just before the break led to their second try to wing Titi Esau, who slid through a gap from close range after Norths had stretched the sudents’ defence and quickly brought play back across the posts from the far touchline. The conversion put Norths ahead 12-3 at halftime and turning with the wind at their backs.

Norths opened the second half with a booming 60 metre penalty to Esau that never looked like missing, putting them ahead 15-3. Another strong assault asked questions of OBU’s defence, too many for replacement hooker Josh Nicho who was sinbinned in? front of his line. Norths pressed hard before settling for another penalty to push them out to 18-3.

Needing to score next, OBU forged into the ascendany, but a turnover and a kick down field led to a Norths lineout and fullback Johnny Teleauga running in the try of the match directly from the set-piece, extending their lead to 25-3 and it was game over early in the fourth quarter.

In previous encounters between these two teams, Norths might have cut loose from there, but too their credit OBU hit back with two tries, to replacement loose forward Steve Aki and centre Paula Kinikinilau, and the match ended with them very nearly scoring a third which would have given them a crucial bonus point. Despite their loss, OBU look a Jubilee Cup side and it would be a cruel blow if they miss out on the top eight next week.

Tawa are another team coming into form at the right time, and they struck first against MSP when prop Tolu Fahamokioa crashed over in the leafy surrounds of Lyndhurst Park after a penalty and lineout drive in the corner.MSP replied through first five-eighth Andrew Wells, who kicked the first two of four first half penalties with the wind at his back as MSP dominated territory but couldn’t kick on, before Tawa struck with their second converted try just before the break and they took a 14-12 lead into halftime.

Tawa extended their lead to 17-12 early in the first half, before a fired up MSP pack sent soon-to-be Hawke’s Bay Magpie Arden David over for an equalising try from a lineout drive and a 17-17 score. Wells pushed MSP ahead, with his fifth penalty giving them a 20-17 lead. His supporters were then left breathing a collective sigh of relief as Tawa fullback Bishop’s late penalty missed and they took the points.

HOBM supporters were willing Tawa on from afar, after they had duly wrapped up their match against Rimutaka much earlier in the contest. The Eagles had their four-try bonus point in the bag after half an hour, extending their lead to 40 nil at the break and 67-0 at the close. Individual highlights for them were wing Tupeni Kamakorewa scoing a hat trick and taking his season tally to 11 tries in 10 games and Greg Strickland scoring a brace as part of 11 tries scored by eight different players.

Wainuiomata’s Old Timers’ Day victory against Wests was basically assured by halftime when they scored two tries, including a penalty try, and led 21-6 at the break. Wests kept in touch at 13-6 down late in the opening spell, but two further penalties to halfback Frae Wilson extended their lead.

Front row injuries meant scrums were reduced to golden oldies, depowering much of Wainuiomata’s advantage, but three further tries after halftime sealed their win and kept them in third place on the standings heading into the final week.