Hutt Old Boys Marist come back from the brink to beat Upper Hutt Rams

Heart-stopper at the Hutt Rec: HOBM Eagles centre Taiso Silafai-Leaanaa scores in the corner today in HOBM's remarkable win over the Upper Hutt Rams

Has there been a comeback like it in Wellington club rugby in modern times? Not since Tawa's 42-35 win over Poneke in 2010 when they came back from 7-35 perhaps?

Today, the Hutt Old Boys Marist Eagles came back from being 17-40 down on the scoreboard and at that moment treading water on the Swindale Shield points table to bonus point 41-40 winners and within a matter of minutes right back in the race for first round Swindale Shield honours.

Seemingly down and out, no one read the script to the 30 players on the field at the Hutt Recreation Ground at the time and the Eagles laid on three converted tries and then a penalty on the stroke of fulltime to Glen Walters to win the game.

In another stunning last-gasp win today, Old Boys University halfback-turned first five-eighth Tomasi Palu was the hero for his side in kicking the match winning penalty with the final play of the game to give Old Boys University a 30-29 win over Marist St Pat's and retain the Jack Lamason Cup.

In a see-sawing match, in which both sides scored beautiful long-range tries, MSP thought they had done enough to win when their goal kicking ace Fa'atonu Fili kicked a penalty to put MSP back ahead 29-27. This penalty in turn had come directly after OBU had scored a converted try under the bar to put themselves back in front.

At Lyndhurst Park, Johnsonville very nearly grabbed the biggest scalp of them all today, leading Tawa deep into the match, before conceding a late try to give the home side their sixth straight victory of the competition.

A committed Johnsonville took the game to Tawa, whose discipline let them down and they played much of the game with players in the sin-bin. Johnsonville led 8-3 at halftime. Tawa scored their first try early in the second half to get them to 8-8. But Johnsonville kicked a penalty for the lead once more and they held on for long periods.

Tawa retained the Bill Brien Challenge Cup and won the Carman Cup off Johnsonville.

At William Jones Park, Wainuiomata held off a fast finishing Wellington Axemen before winning 30-26.

Wainuiomata scored a decisive try just before halftime to left wing Jason Love, who collected a loose ball and sprinted 60 metres to score to put the green and blacks ahead 23-7.

Camped on Wellington's line, Wainuiomata pressed hard to wrap up the contest there and then. But the Axemen had other ideas - winning a tighthead scrum and Wellington Sevens star Vaea Fifita finishing off a 95-metre try to close the gap to 23-12.

Wainuiomata pulled ahead again, through a try to lock Bevan Clark, but Wellington replied with two consecutive converted tries to set up a grandstand finish as Wainuimata had to dig deep to win.

The Axemen outscored the home side four tries to three, but the difference was the boot of Wainuiomata wing Tyler Tane who kicked 15 points as Wainuiomata won the Bill Jones Cup.

At Porirua Park, wing Andy Ellis scored two first half tries to give Oriental-Rongotai a 15-8 halftime lead over Northern United. Ories then scored a key try just after halftime to extend this lead to 22-8, and this was enough to see them to a hard fought 32-22 bonus point win over Norths whilst denying the Bulldogs any points from the contest.

The influence of returning former Hurricane and British and Irish Lion Riki Flutey was telling in Petone's 39-18 F.J Tilyard Memorial Shield win over Poneke at Kilbirnie Park.

Flutey ran the young Poneke backline with aplomb, as the Villagers went to a match winning 20-3 lead by halftime.

Poneke came back after the break to score two tries to close the gap, but Petone pulled clear over the final quarter and won well. Fullback Sam McNicol scored a brace of tries.

The remarkable win to the Eagles over the Rams and OBU's one-point victory over MSP also reverberates on the points table, where Tawa lead on 29 points but several teams are still alive for first round honours should Tawa stumble. MSP lead the chasing pack on 23, with six teams separated by just one heading up the mid-table contenders.

In other grades today, Northern United bounced back from their loss to Ories last week to beat OBU 46-17 in the third round of the Premier Women's competition.

Ories had the biggest win of the day, beating new team Tawa 124-0, while Avalon defeated Wainuiomata 19-14 and Stokes Valley beat Poneke 62-0 in the other Fleurs Trophy encounter.

In the Senior 1 Harper Lock Shield, Avalon continue to set a demanding pace for the other teams. Avalon earned their sixth straight victory today, beating Wainuiomata's second XV 57-7.

MSP have moved into second on the Senior 1 standings, beating OBU 31-24, ahead of Tawa and Paremata-Plimmerton equal in third. Tawa accounted for the Wests Roosters 60-8 and Pare-Plim beat Petone 22-13.? Elsehwere, HOBM beat the Upper Hutt Rams 35-17 and Ories edged Norths 12-11 in a tight result.

In the Senior 2 National Mutual Cup, Poneke's second XV are holding the lead, beating Petone 40-7. Avalon have leapfrogged Wellington into second by beating them 39-31, ahead of Hutt Old Boys Marist who defeated Stokes Valley 48-26 for the Patterson Memorial Trophy.

In Division 1 Colts rugby today, Wellington beat last year's beaten finalists HOBM 29-12, Norths beat Ories 19-11 and the Poneke Cav's and Petone Blue battled to a 35-35 draw.

In first XV rugby, St Kent's of Auckland defeated St Pat's Silverstream 34-30.

Awesome April thus concludes.

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