Club rugby titles for OBU, Tawa, Poneke; rep rugby wins for Wellington Samoans and Maori

Three more Wellington club rugby trophies went to Old Boys University (celebrations pictured above), Tawa? and Poneke today after respective wins for the trio in the Senior 2, Colts Division 2 and Reserve Grade Division 1 finals.

Old Boys University collected the Senior 2 HD Morgan Memorial Cup with a 22-8 win over Johnsonville in the final at Nairnville Park, after Tawa had beaten OBU Black 26-20 in the final of the Colts Division 2 Vic Calcanai Memorial Cup on the same ground.

Across town at Kilbirnie Park, the Poneke Ruffnuts defeated the Marist St. Pat’s Internationals 29-13 in the Reserve Grade Division 1 final.

Sticking with club rugby, there were semi-finals of the Senior 3 Johnsonville Centennium Cup and U85 kg Division 1 lightweight grades today. The Senior 3 semi-finals resulted in Petone beating the Hutt Old Boys Marist Originals 36-22 and the Hutt Old Boys Marist Barbarians beating Wellington 22-9.?The HOBM Barbarians will thus host Petone at the Hutt Rec in next week’s final.

The U85 kg Paul Potiki Shield semi-finals saw the MSP Blues defeat Eastbourne 61-8 and the Tawa Titans overcome the Old Boys University Spartans 25-5. Tawa will host the MSP Blues in next week’s final.

In the final of the Senior 2 grade, OBU second five-eighth Dan Toleafoa charged down a Johnsonville kick and rushed through to score off the last play of the game to seal a hard fought victory in their final.

Previously, Johnsonville had scored their one and only try of the match with about 10 minutes to play but the conversion that would have put them to within a seven-point margin was missed, allowing OBU to hang on.

Johnsonville’s goal kicking No. 8 Nick Binet had also missed two first half penalties and the Hawks had come close to scoring from an earlier second half raid up field that could have changed the game. They were also left rueing having their loosehead prop Daniel Fletcher sinbinned in the second spell.

For their part, OBU were clinical up front, dominating the scrums in particular. First five-eighth Jack Hawkins sliced through to score and then convert his own try on 15 minutes, which gave them a 7-3 lead at halftime.

OBU should have scored a second try from a series of attacking scrums early in the second half, eventually coming away with a Hawkins penalty to increase their lead to 10-3. The match winning try came with just over 15 minutes to play when left wing Kevin Lee cut through in broken play.

Scores from the Senior 2 final: Old Boys University 22 (Jack Hawkins, Dan Toleafoa, Kevin Lee tries; Hawkins 2 con, pen) beat Johnsonville 8 (Andrew Mitchell try; Nick Binet penalty). HT: 7-3.

In the curtain-raiser, Tawa came from behind to take out the Colts Division 2 title, beating OBU Black 26-20 after trailing 7-8 at halftime.

Earlier in the day a combined OBU club side won easily over a visiting Australian team from Robb College at New England University in NSW.

In the Reserve Grade final, the Poneke Ruffnuts led the MSP Internationals 7-3 at halftime, pulling clear after the break to win comfortably in the end.

Representative Rugby

In Taupo, the Wellington U20s went down 10-41 to their Waikato counterparts after trailing 3-22 at the break.

At Lyndhurst Park in Tawa, the Wellington Samoans scorched to a 28-27 victory over the Wellington Development XV.

The Wellington Development side out scored their Wellington Samoan counterparts four tries to three, but the kicking and general play of Fa’ataonu Fili proved decisive. Fili added 13 points with his boot and his kicking in general play was key.

So were two intercept tries that the Samoans scored, one in each half. Both tries took the wind out of the Development team’s sails after periods of pressure.

For the Wellington Development side, lock James Wall scored a try off a lovely run by left wing Ambrose Curtis, who is returning from a long stint out injured. Curtis himself scored a try, as did his Ories teammate and fullback Hayden Whelan and Wellington lock Vaea Fifita.

At Helston Park in Johnsonville, the Wellington Maori side came back at the end to beat Manawatu Maori 39-31 in an exciting, if loose match.

Both sides were guilty of opening up? gaping holes in their defences at times, but it was the Wellington Maori team’s dominance up front and powerful scrum that won the day over their more expansive and bigger Manawatu backs.

Trailing 27-31 with only several minutes remaining, Wellington finally capitalised on a strong period of ascendancy when flanker turned No. 8 TJ Fermanis crossed for the match winner.

His club teammate and fullback Randall Bishop added the extras to put Wellington in front by three, before Upper Hutt lock Jamie Norman stormed through to score at the end to give Wellington a 39-31 win.

Previously, Manawatu had stunned Wellington just after halftime by running in two tries in a few minutes to turn a 12-20 halftime deficit into a 24-20 lead.

Wellington then scored a try to starting No. 8 Tane McMillan-Parata from Paremata-Plimmerton, but Manwatu replied immediately with their third try of the second half to take the lead into the fourth quarter when the pattern of the game settled down again and Wellington probed for a winner.

Wellington had scored tries at the start and the finish of the first half,? through Ories prop Whetu Henry and Wainuiomata left wing Jason Love who flew away to score after a break by Norths centre Daley Harper.

Representative scoreboards:

Wellington Samoans 28 (Simon Tevita, Faresa Tasele, Johnny Teleaga tries; Fa’atonu Fili 2 con, 3 pen) beat Wellington Development 27 (James Wall, Ambrose Curtis, Hayden Whelan, Vaea Fifita tries; Hamish Buick 2 con, pen). HT: 11-8

Wellington Maori 39 (Whetu Henry, Jason Love, Tane McMillan-Parata, TJ Fermanis, Jamie Norman tries; Randall Bishop 4 con, 2 pen) beat Manawatu Maori 31(scorers not available). HT: 20-12

Waikato U20 41 (scorers not known) beat Wellington U20 10 (Jackson Garden-Bachop try; Sosi Tuimavavae con; Garden-Bachop penalty). HT: 22-3.

College Rugby

Wairarapa College won the Premier 2 Murray Jenson Cup in today’s College Finals Day at St Pat’s Silverstream, beating Hutt Valley High School 20-12 in the final.

Paraparaumu College beat St Pat’s Town’s second XV 46-5 to win the Premier 3 final, Scots College’s second XV defeated Onslow 36-24 to claim Premier 4 honours and Tawa College overcame Aotea College 31-12 to win Premier 5.

St Pat’s Town beat Rongotai College 39-15 to take out the U15 Division 1 grade, Wellington College beat Silverstream 18-10 in the final of the U14 Division 1 grade, Silverstream beat Wellington College 40-12 in the final og the U65 Division 1 grade and Silverstream defeated St Pat’s Town 19-5 in the final of the U55 Division 1 competition.

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