Hurricanes region age grade competitions kicking off on Saturday

Above: The Wellington U18s in action against Manawatu in Palmerston North last year.

UPDATED: The Wellington U18s and Wellington 20s sides kick off their respective four-week Hurricanes age-grade competitions tomorrow against their rivals from the Hawke’s Bay, Taranaki and Manawatu provinces.

The two competitions take the form of three-match round robin series, leading up to Finals Day in Palmerston on 12 October where first plays second and third meets fourth.

The two Wellington teams start their show on the road. The U18s travel to Napier to play the Hawke’s Bay U18s and the U20s meet the Manawatu U20s in Palmerston North.

Both Wellington teams made last year’s finals, with the Wellington U18s beating Manawatu 24-16 to take the championship and the Wellington U20s missing out in a nail biting final to Hawke’s Bay 17-20, after also previously going down to the Junior Magpies 27-37 in round-robin play.

In the final, Hawke’s Bay scoring the title winning try in the 81st minute. Hawke’s Bay had spent the previous several minutes hot on attack launching a series of pick and goes and they crossed the whitewash just as it seemed that Wellington’s herculean defence might have done enough to hold them off.

In their other two round-robin matches last year, Wellington beat Taranaki U20 46-20 at Westpac Stadium and defeated Manawatu U20 50-0.

The Wellington U20s have had two good recent wins? leading into this year’s U20 competition, running in 41-18 winners over an understrength Wellington Maori side and then beating Manawatu Maori 52-19.

Hawke’s Bay have recently played four pre-competition games against other provinces, losing heavily to? Waikato (as did Wellington in their first match of the season), losing narrowly to Auckland, beating Poverty Bay and convincingly defeating Manawatu.

The Wellington Centurions U18 team, who last year competed in the main U18 competition in the absence of a Hawke’s Bay side, will play competition matches against their counterparts from Wanganui, Horowhenua Kapiti and Wairarapa Bush. Again, all roads lead to Palmerston North on 12 October for Finals Day. The Centurions meet Wanganui U18 away first-up tomorrow.

In the Women’s NPC, the Wellington Pride travel to Te Awamutu to face Waikato Women in a crunch third round Women’s NPC fixture.

With two losses so far, the Pride really need to win this match or their chances of making the Women’s NPC final could quickly slip away, pending other results.

Waikato have opened their season with a 16-15 win over Counties Manukau and a 27-15 loss to Otago. Both those encounters were away matches.

The feature clash of the third round of Women’s NPC matches is the battle of the weather patterns between unbeaten teams the Auckland Storm and the Manawatu Cyclones.

With the Ricoh Wellington Lions taking on the Canterbury Lambs in a top-of-the-table ITM Cup clash at Westpac Stadium at 5.35 pm, the curtain-raiser starts at 12.30 pm and is at Ngatitoa Domain.This is the match between the Wellington Development? XV and the Wellington Maori sides.

For the Development XV, who had last weekend off, this clash is in preparation for next week’s hoped-for friendly against the Canterbury Development XV in Renwick near Blenheim.

For the Maori, who beat Canterbury Maori 52-51 last week, this is their last scheduled match of the season.

This game is followed at 2.30 pm by a three-way clash between the Wellington Samoan Schools, a Northern United combined side and the Welligton U16As. The U16 A and U16 Development sides are playing in the Hurricanes region U16 tournament in Ruatoria all next week. The U16 Development side is playing its tournament opener away against Wanganui on Saturday. ?

The Wellington Maori Colts side also plays its last match of the four-week RDO competition on Finals Day at the Levin Domain, meeting Wairarapa Bush B in the playoff for third and fourth. Wanganui? B and Horowhenua Kapiti B play off in the title decider.

In a club game on Saturday, the Oriental Rongotai and Hutt Old Boys Marist Academies meet at Te Whaea at 3.00 pm.

Matches tomorrow at a glance:

• ITM Cup: Ricoh Wellington Lions v Canterbury at Westpac Stadium at 5.35 pm

• Wellington U20 v Manawatu U20 at Palmerston North at 2.15 pm
  

• Wellington U18 v Hawke’s Bay in Napier

• Wellington U18 Centurions v Wanganui U18 in Wanganui

• Wellington Maori v Wellington Development at Ngatitoa Domain at 12.30 pm

• Wellington Samoan Schools v Norths Combined v Wellington U16A at Ngatitoa Domain at 2.30 pm

• Wellington Maori Colts v Wairarapa Bush B at Levin Domain at 11.00 am

• U16 Development v Wanganui in Wanganui (Hurricanes U16 tournament competition game)

• Sunday: Hutt Valley Secondary Schools Sevens tournament, Riverside Park (near Fraser Park) 9.00 am - 3.00 pm
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Some Teamlists for 21 September:

Wellington U20s
1. Donald Brighouse; 2. James O’Reilly (captain); 3. Eti Sului; 4. Zac Power; 5. Taamilo Va’a; 6. Cameron Ross; 7. Gabe Pauni;? 8. Dylan Hayes; 9. Luke Campbell; 10. Jackson Garden-Bachop; 11. Andrew Ellis; 12. Tyler Tane; 13. Aukuso Tuitavia; 14. Soso Tuimavavae; 15. Andrew Wells. RESERVES: Zeke Sopoaga; 17. Adam Stewart; 18. Nick Harrison; 19. James Prescott; 20. Issac Marriner; 21. Tuga Mativa; 22. Siaosi Lealiifano

Wellington U18s
1. Gerard Faitotoa; 2. Lewis Ngatai; 3. Anthony Mamea; 4.Jack Ross; 5.Lui Okeamoa Luamanu; 6. Peter Pili; 7. Sam Dawson; 8. Henry Stowers (captain); 9.TJ Va’a; 10.? Chase Tiatia; 11. Varani Komaisavai; 12. William Tufui; 13. Troy Mohr; 14. Fereti Soloa; 15. Josh Robertson-Weepu . RESERVES: 16. Tony Coburn; 17. Joel Hintz; 18. James Zinol 19. Jarrod Adams; 20. Aleks Noble-Campbell; 21. George Boyhan; 22. Luke Coulston

Wellington Pride
1. Muteremoana Aiatu (captain); 2. Patsy Schwalger; 3. Tina Kelemete; 4. Jackie Patea;? 5. Sanita Levave; 6. Carol Sio; 7. Aimee Sutorius; 8. Miriam Ready; 9. Agnes Dean; 10. Vaine Marsters; 11. Jessika Akavi; 12. Pauline Piliae; 13. Maryann Collins; 14. Brenda Collins; 15. Katarina Simpkins. RESERVES: 16. Sharleen Fagalilo; 17. Noeleen Nonu; 18. Joanah Ngan-Woo; 19. Kirsten Stewart;? 20. Acacia Claridge; 21. Kauna Lopa; 22. Elizabeth Goulden

Wellington Maori
1. Ryan Nepia; 2. Jo Hopkins; 3. Kenny Anderson 4. Ara Nikora; 5. Richard Wasley; 6. Ainsley Mei; 7. Steve Aki; 8. Tane McMillian-Parata; 9. Campbell Woodmass; 10. John Monu; 11. Jason Love; 12. Eden Monu; 13. Deina Morete/Daley Harper; 14. Mike Williams; 15. Randall Bishop. RESERVES: 16. Doug Jones; 17. Andrew Burne; 18. Gene Lutton; 19. Manasah Winera; 20. Jamie Norman; 21. Eamon Tawhiwirangi; 22. Harper/Morete; 23. Taylor Henry; 24. TK Pak.