Shock First Round Hardham Cup Loss For Johnsonville

Johnsonville's shock 23-13 loss to Premier Two side Poneke was the talking point of the opening Hardham Cup round. In an upset that could have major ramifications in the weeks ahead, Poneke also crossed for a late try to deny Johnsonville a crucial bonus point.

Johnsonville's first loss of the season overshadowed the two opening round Hardham Cup clashes involving Swindale Shield sides, between Wainuiomata and Upper Hutt and Oriental-Rongotai and Avalon.

At Fraser Park, Oriental-Rongotai beat Avalon 17-12, outscoring the home side three tries to nil with centre Steve Tavoi (2) and fullback Fa'avae Tuma'ai the try scorers. For Avalon, first five-eighth Stephen Cross kicked four penalties as Ories pulled clear from a 5-3 halftime advantage.

At William Jones Park, Upper Hutt defeated Wainuiomata 18-13 in this week's Hardham Cup feature match at a chilled William Jones Park. The conditions didn't douse the intensity, but it did however mean both teams lacked cohesion throughout the game.?Nevertheless the attacking pedigree of these teams was clear for all the hardy spectators to see.

Wainuiomata signalled their intentions early by turning down several kickable penalty opportunities, instead opting to back their lineout and strong forward runners to bust the sturdy Upper Hutt line. With the steady wind behind them Wainui applied pressure, but too often the Hutt defence was able to shut down the inside backs and disrupt Wainui's dangerous inside runners.

Upper Hutt's polished backs were always threatening and managed to defuse much of the pressure with help from the strong ruck-work of the loosies?especially openside Blair Cowan. Anthony Davidson ran with pace and direction from fullback and linked well with both wingers to win back any territory Wainui could gain from some lacklustre tactical kicking.

While set pieces were somewhat even, Wainui was unable to convert their considerable forward power - exemplified by two 30-metre mauls, which left the crowd heaving but the backs with cold hands.

Wainui's forwards showed plenty of skill, prop Vela Kamuta regularly turning up at centre, ably drawing defenders and distributing to his outsides in space. One particular pass set Feterika Sage down the line, and ended with the game's first points courtesy of a penalty try awarded by referee Phil Smith.

With the conversion, the home crowd felt just a little warmer at 7-0 after 30 minutes and soon after they retreated to the clubrooms with Wainui up 10-0 at the break.

With some fresh legs in the forwards and the wind at their back, Upper Hutt set about their work quickly in the second half.

A deft grubber by Cowan and a hard chase from wing Mo Taito left Wainui scrambling to clear the ball. From the resulting lineout drive, Hurricane Alby Mathewson put the ball on a platter for first-five Daniel Beckett who duly jinked through two tacklers and shrugged of another to score between the posts.

A missed touch kick from Wainui set Taito on a run down the right wing, and from the set-up another Mathewson gem to Cowan on the blindside meant a simple draw and pass sent replacement hooker James Wilson sliding over in the corner. Upper Hutt 12, Wainui 10.

As the rain swept in again, Hutt went cold and Wainui cracked on the pressure. The teams traded penalties with Shannon Nightingale securing a vital three points for Upper Hutt from 45 metres out. Wainui kicked into gear and were helped when constant ruck infringements in the red zone from Upper Hutt saw second five-eighth Willie Clark sin-binned for the last ten minutes.

Wainui continued to pound away at the line - running tap penalties and backing themselves to bust across the chalk. A clever kick through by veteran replacement Earl Va'a just beat John Monu to the dead-ball line, and prop Semisi Taleni couldn't pull in a high-lofted pass close to the line at the death - much to the dismay of the Wainui faithful.

There was also much excitement at Kilbirnie Park where wet deck specialists Poneke made a much better fist of the cold, slippery conditions than their Johnsonville counterparts to reverse their first round 22-10 Harper Lock Shield score line.

Poneke made good use of the wind at their backs in the second half, keeping Johnsonville scoreless and overhauling Johnsonville's 13-7 halftime lead. Two penalties drew them level to 13-13 inside the third quarter, before they captured the lead on 65 minutes through with a try to lock Sefi Tafua after some concerted lead up work through the forwards.

Aided by a squally rain shower, Poneke managed to maintain the pressure, clinching victory through halfback Brad Faulkner who scored his second try, in support of a rapid sideline break by left winger Rhys Jackson.

Earlier, Johnsonville had recovered from an early 7-0 deficit with two tries to right wing Kua Palakua to lead at the interval in a spiteful first half, involving two fights and the sinbinning of a Poneke player. Johnsonville also had the worlds heaviest ever test player Bill Cavubati in their ranks, but the big dog failed to make an impact.

Rounding out the Hardham Cup action across the road at Evans Bay Park, Northern United defeated Marist St. Pat's 17-10.

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