MSP beat Ories in the wet to win Jubilee Cup

Above: MSP's non-playing captain Arden David (left) and? and retiring skipper for the day Kas Lealamanua hold aloft the Jubilee Cup together. Hurricanes prop and Player of the Final Jeff Toomaga-Allen is between this pair.?

In the words of retiring prop Kas Lealamanua, Marist St Pat's were dancing in the rain at the Hutt Recreation Ground on Sunday afternoon after holding off defending champions Oriental-Rongotai and winning their 14^th Wellington club rugby Jubilee Cup title.

In extremely wet conditions, MSP kept their noses ahead all day to win 14-8, winning the final through their forwards and playing a smart territorial game through halfback Peter Sciasica and first five-eighth Fa'atonu Fili.

The result was an absorbing arm-wrestle between two gladiatorial packs, but in the at times atrocious conditions MSP's tactics won over those of Ories whose best laid plans of playing expansive, counterattacking rugby -? as they have played all season - came unstuck.

The final hung in the balance until deep in the second half when the game's key moment fell in the 63^rd minute with the sinbinning of two of Ories' front rowers for fighting off the ball.

Replacement prop Steve Fa'atau and Hurricanes hardman Motu Matu'u were both shown yellow after the melee. Holding a two-man advantage, MSP capitalised.

Leading 6-3 lead at the time MSP were able to score the match winning try through veteran prop Lealamanua after a chargedown that led to a golden oldies 5-metre scrum and a series of drives at the line.

Now at 3-11 behind and needing to score next, Ories came back into the match with a desperate edge to their play. Outstanding openside flanker Ardie Savea led the charge up field into MSP's territory.

With seven minutes remaining, halfback Sean Hay missed a penalty as Matu'u and Fa'atau re-joined the fray, before wing Matt Proctor scored an unconverted try in the corner in the 79^th minute to make it 11-8.

But Ories failed to secure the kick-off and MSP were awarded a penalty. Fili stepped up to the tee and sealed the win with the last play of the game.

MSP's try scorer and captain for the day Lealamanua was delighted with the win.

"Against these guys they can attack from anywhere, so our game plan was to keep it simple," said Lealamanua. ?"In conditions like that you can't really step outside that box too much or else you will get punished."

Lealamanua said that his side still had to keep working hard when Ories were reduced to 13 players.

"It went all the way down to the wire - ?the worse thing for us is that when the opposition gets guys binned they always seem to step it up even more so it's hard for us."

The win was Lealamanua's fifth Jubilee Cup title since winning his first in 1997, an outstanding achievement.

"I didn't think this one was going to be as special as it was. I wasn't meant to me involved this year, but right now I'm so happy that I am."

"Five that's it. The boots are going in the bin".

Lealamanua's propping partner, young gun Jeff Toomaga-Allen won the Jim Brown Serving Platter for being the Player of the Final.

Other players to stand out for MSP were locks Bernie Upton and Lua Lokatui and openside flanker Sio Tuia who made several strong runs in the first half.

For Ories, Ardie Savea once again demonstrated why he is a future superstar, with his busy workload and ability to make ground every time he touched the ball. No. 8 Joe Maiava battled hard against his old MSP teammates, as did halfback Sean Hay and wing Afa Fa'atau. Centre Paulo Aukoso carried his strong form into the final with some big tackles and several powerful bursts.

Earlier, the Jubilee Cup final had kicked off in pouring rain. MSP's pack kept it tight, attacked Ories at the set-piece. and Sciascia and Fili endeavored to keep Ories pinned in their own half. Ories looked to move the ball wide from the outset but the conditions negated their key strengths.

Fili kicked penalties in the 12^th and 27^th minutes for MSP and Hay found his range with a penalty in the 24^th minute.

Fili missed a third penalty on the half hour mark, before a clean-up from a messy MSP lineout and a big break by Aukoso, carried on by second five-eighth Ahtun Masun, led to a penalty chance to Ories. But Hay failed to convert and MSP went into the break ahead by three.

A ding-dong battle continued well into the second half, with both sides striving for accuracy and ascendancy up front and a spark that would break the game open.

Fili missed with a penalty chance in the 55^th minute to go further ahead, ahead of the final's flashpoint that saw the two Ories players sinbinned and the drama of the game unraveling at the end.

The win for MSP is their 14^th Jubilee Cup title, won or shared, since their first in 1978. They last won it? back-to-back in 2008 and 2009.

Meanwhile, there was drama aplenty in the First XV curtain-raiser final between St Pat's Silverstream and Wellington College.

Silverstream held off wave after wave of concerted Wellington College attack in the second half, but their outstanding defence held firm and won the day.

With two penalties, Silverstream led 6-0 early and eventually 6-3 at halftime.

In a sign of what was to come, Wellington College missed a clear try scoring chance in the 21^st minute when prop Etimani Sului peeled off the back of a maul and hurtled towards the line. His pack followed, but after several thrusts they knocked on and Silverstream cleared.

Wellington College were relentless in the second half, but a combination of their own errors and Silverstream's defence around the fringes meant they couldn't crack the tryline. Through all this Silverstream also had a player sent to the sin-bin.

Play also carried on for a long time after the hooter sounded for the last time, adding to the drama and excitement felt by all those playing and in attendance.

Silverstream will now play Gisborne Boys' High School in next week's Hurricanes region knockout encounter. Details of that match to follow.