Poneke bounce back for emphatic Jubilee Cup win

Above: Johnsonville halfback EammonTawhiwhirangi and centre Imanueli Bese celebrate their team's penalty try late in the first half against Paremata-Plimmerton, which proved to be the match-winner in their 22-13 win.

Poneke held Tawa scoreless for an hour to score a thumping first win in the Jubilee Cup and to cap off a busy week of matches for the club on a high.

Poneke should have beaten Norths on Wednesday night and directed much of their frustration from that lost oppunitunity upon Tawa today and won 44-10.

After about 50 minutes, Poneke led 17-10 when fullback Michael Sage retrieved a shallow defensive clearance and sailed through the visitors’ defence to touch down under the posts. Already scrambling to stay in contention, Sage’s solo effort was the nail in the Tawa coffin.

Poneke first-five Pakai Turia chipped over two penalties to make it 30-10, before two more tries, the last well taken by rookie wing Johannus Taankink, ensured a blowout. Turia finished with 17 points, slotting seven goals from eight attempts.

Poneke started with aggression and polish and when captain Greg Foe steamed into a hole it was 17-3 after 20 minutes.

Tawa fullback PJ Iosefo inexplicably dashed 30-metres untouched from a scrum a short while later to make it 17-10, but Tawa was never in the hunt. Their discipline was poor and their handling worse as Poneke scored a commanding victory in a game that won't be remembered as a classic.

Tawa are now none from two in the Jubilee Cup, winless along with Marist St Pat’s who fell 26-35 to Old Boys University today at Nairnville Park.

MSP struck early with a try scored and converted by fullback Andrew Wells. OBU came back to score with MSP wing Rez Tasale in the sin-bin. MSP scored the next tries, second five-eighth Isaia Petelo crossing from a chargedown and Tasale back on the field to take an intercept and run 60 metres.

OBU’s midfield of Jared Verney and converted lock-flanker Will Mangos helped put the Goats ahead 23-19 at halftime. Centre Verney stood up the defence to score and second-five Mangos broke to set up a try for returning openside flanker Daven Candy.

The Goats ran in the first two tries of the second half and at 35-19 ahead they were in the box seat. Petelo crossed for his second try but that was as close as MSP were to get. OBU defended the Bill Brien Challenge Cup.

The third Jubilee Cup fixture at the Hutt Recreation Ground saw home side Hutt Old Boys Marist beat Oriental-Rongotai 42-37.

Ories led 27-20 at halftime, but a key 10-point burst of scoring allowed HOBM to take the lead 30-27 and they kicked on to win.

In the Hardham Cup, there were away wins to Petone and Wainuiomata and a first home victory of the season to the Johnsonville Hawks.

Petone defeated the Wellington Axemen 31-17 at Hataitai Park. Petone won the match with two consecutive tries from midway through the second half. Prop Marcus Roil scored from a lineout drive and their backs scored out wide. Both tries were converted.

Wellington had led 14-12 at halftime, following a 95 metre breakout try to halfback Gareth Simpson and another well-taken try to fullback Tearangi Hakiwai. Petone got on the board through hooker Bruce Kauika-Petersen and then scored their second try just before the break.

The run of play was tight early in the second half, with scores advancing to 17-17 prior to Petone scoring two tries to take the game away from the Axemen.

At Fraser Park, Wainuiomata held off the home side Avalon to win 22-17.

Wainuiomata scored the game’s first two tries, to their wing three-quarter and to halfback Waiariki Koia, to lead 12-0.

Avalon hit back but a Matt Jacobs penalty gave Wainuiomata a 15-10 halftime lead.

Wainuiomata second five-eighth Mike Lealava’a burst through to score just after halftime to increase their lead to 22-10, before Avalon wing Poata Tuisamoa dashed 80 metres to close the scores up. A tense period of play followed, but the green and blacks kept the Wolves at bay.

At Helston Park, a dominant scrum and three quickfire tries later in the first half paved the way for Johnsonville’s 22-13 win over Paremata-Plimmerton.

On the flipside, Johnsonville’s discipline was appalling and they conceded no fewer than four second half yellow cards. Paremata-Plimmerton also conceded two and the game lost all momentum and structure.

Visitors Paremata-Plimmerton started the match off with purpose and were awarded with a Blake Neve penalty and a try to prop Teariki Kie Tonga for an 8-0 lead.

This shook Johnsonville into some sort of urgency and they scored two consecutive tries to go ahead 12-8. Fullback Jacob Walmsley made a break from a scrum near halfway and set up a try to right wing Waisea Yabakivou. Two minutes later, Paremata-Plimmerton’s backs had a mix up in going wide from a scrum and left wing Romu Senileba picked up the scraps and galloped away.

This was followed in short order by a penalty try from an attacking scrum and Johnsonville now turned with a 19-8 lead.

Johnsonville should have scored again early in the second half following a big run by prop Tietie Tuimauga and a series of attacking scrums in the corner. But they turned the ball over and Paremata-Plimmerton cleared.

Second half substitute Kane Thompson wanted a breather so he got in an altercation with Paremata-Plimmerton lock James Hansen and they were both sin-binned.

Another four yellow cards followed over the next 25 minutes, with senior Johnsonville players Api Naikatini and Jeff Makapelu both amongst those also shown yellow.

Paremata-Plimmerton finally scored in the right hand corner to No. 8 Peni Tapau to close the score to 13-19 and a possible grandstand finish was on the cards. But Johnsonville kicked a penalty from a rare second half foray down into opposition territory and that was the game.

In the Premier Reserve Ed Chaney Cup, Old Boys University inflicted a second defeat of the season, and of the second round, on Marist St Pat’s.

The going was tough early in windy conditions at a heavy Newlands Park for both teams, but OBU were the more switched on side, getting on top early in the scrum battle and offering few holes in defence for MSP who have scored no shortage of points this season.

MSP lost their wing to the sinbin and OBU scored tries in their 30th and 35th minutes to take a 15-0 lead into halftime. Both tries came from attacking scrums, with their halfback and first five-eighth both also playing well.

OBU then scored their third try early in the second half to sail to a 20-0 lead. MSP finally hit back with a converted try but OBU replied with their bonus point try to advance the score to 27-7. MSP then struck back with two consecutive tries to close the margin to 21-27 and a comeback win was on the cards. But OBU snuffed that out by scoring a try off the next phase from the kick-off.

Elsewhere in the Ed Chaney Cup, Ories beat HOBM 46-38 and Poneke pipped Tawa 21-16.

In the HD Morgan Memorial Premier Reserve competition, Wainuiomata beat Avalon 50-33 and in another high scoring affair Petone out-gunned Wellington 62-17.

The third HD Morgan fixture was more competitive, with Johnsonville beating Paremata-Plimmerton 21-11. Johnsonville scored the winning try with several minutes remaining after Paremata-Plimmerton had scored a try on halftime and then kicked an early second half penalty to close the gap to 11-14.

The second round of Women’s club rugby kicked off this afternoon, with the Division 1 Tia Paasi Memorial Cup and Division 2 Izzy Ford Cup competitions.

Norths beat Petone 34-22 and Ories beat Paremata-Plimmerton 39-10 in the Division 1 games, while the OU Impalas beat Poneke 46-5 and HOBM beat Avalon 44-5 in the Division 2 games.

Tries were shared around for OBU, while centre Tyler Bentley scored four tries for HOBM in their win over the She-Wolves.

In Division 1 Les Mills Colts rugby, Marist St Pat’s lost their first match of the season in going down 25-27 to Northern United.

HOBM Green defeated the Upper Hutt Rams Colts32-29, Old Boys University beat Paremata-Plimmerton 36-10 and Petone met Tawa in the other Division 1 fixtures.

In U85kg JC Bowl matches, Paraparamu beat Eastourne 31-10, Johnsonville beat Wellington 37-5, the Upper Hutt Rams beat the Tawa Titans 23-17 and Wests met HOBM.

Avalon beat the OBU Bunnies by default, meaning the lightweight Wolves have won the first round with next week’s final round of games to spare.

In Premiership College First XV matches, co-leaders St Pat’s Silverstream and Scots College marched on relentlessly with their fifth straight bonus point wins.

Silverstream defeated Porirua College 72-5, while Scots College inflicted another blow on Wellington College in hammering them 53-10.

Elsewhere, St Pat’s Town overcame Wairarapa College 58-12, whilst the other two games today were both much closer. HIBS defeated Rongotai College 23-22 and St Bernard’s pipped Kapiti College 29-28.

In a top-of-the-table Premier 2 game, Aotea College edged Hutt Valley High School 22-20.