Petone Seal Playoffs Berth With Sensational Comeback Win Over MSP

Petone produced the comeback of the 2007 club rugby season to secure the fourth Jubilee Cup semi-final spot next weekend, beating top qualifier Marist St. Pat's 39-34 in a thrilling round seven encounter at the Petone Recreation Ground.

Petone fullback Tu Umaga-Marshall provided the final pass and veteran winger Willie Moala scored the try in the right hand corner with the last act of the game to break a 34-34 deadlock and complete a blockbuster Petone win - after they had trailed 26-8 at halftime.

A monumental forwards effort - inspired in large part by super-sub Neemia Tialata - and consistent attacking pressure throughout the second half saw Petone fightback to lead 29-26 with 15 minutes to go, and then comeback a second time after MSP regained the lead.

The two teams will meet again next week in the first semi-final at Evans Bay Park, while Northern United will host Hutt Old Boys Marist in the other at Porirua Park, after Norths ended Tawa's challenge to win 44-13 in Porirua and HOBM edged out Old Boys-University 23-17 at the Hutt Recreation Ground.

When all was said and done, Petone's last-gasp victory needn't have mattered, as both Tawa's and OBU's losses cemented the top four contenders.

Nevertheless, OBU's last-ditch challenge was a gallant one, coming up short after holding a 17-10 lead early in the second half. The students had hope on their side when hooker Daryl Gore crossed for their third try after the break, following tries to blindside Maehe Austin and centre Paula Kinikinilau, but HOBM eclipsed them late in the match to hold on to qualify third.

It was a similar story for Tawa, who led 13-5 after centre Nigel Hunt scored before the break. But like lightning, Norths struck after the oranges with six further tries to blow them away. Wing Francis Seumanutafa scored two tries to notch 14 for the season and centre Rob Fruean also bagged a brace.

At Ian Galloway Park, Poneke ended their season on a high, beating the plucky, but ultimately unsuccessful Wests Roosters 32-0, despite No. 8 Neil Meyer being shown his marching orders early in the second spell.

The talking point of the round was at the Village where Petone sensationally fought back against MSP with four tries and 26 unanswered points to turn an 18-point halftime deficit into a 34-26 advantage.

Not to be outdone, MSP then added further drama to an already epic encounter, centre Chris Slade adding a penalty and a try to bring his side back to level pegging.

But with fulltime fast approaching, Petone set themselves one final attack in perfect position under MSP's posts through their completely dominant scrum. Going for a pushover, replacement No. 8 Piers Gordon was held up to the left of the posts, but halfback Cam Incledon swung the ball out to the backs on the other side and Willie Moala dotted down just inside the grandstand corner.

MSP captain Craig Simeon was awarded the Andy Leslie Trophy by the NZRFU President himself at the end for winning the Jubilee Cup round robin, secured last week, as both teams turned their attention to facing each other again next week when the other results became apparent.

This result could never have been predicted less than an hour earlier when MSP's fleet-footed flyhalf Fa'atonu Fili intercepted?a Petone pass and screeched 50 metres for MSP's fourth try at the end of an action-packed first half.

Slade's conversion of Fili's try on halftime gave MSP a seemingly safe lead at the interval, despite a nagging norwester his side had to turn and face, Tialata warming up on the sideline and star No. 8 Alex Tulou cooling his heels in the sinbin until early in the second half.

This intercept try and three others, all coming directly from broken field situations and largely off Petone mistakes, separated the two sides in a much closer first 40 minutes of play, in which Petone dominated for long periods but couldn't finish off.

Petone made all the early running, committed as always up front and expansive out wide they went close early. But in a sign of what was to come, MSP fullback Jackson Martin went the closest to scoring in the first 20 minutes when he was pulled down only metres short of the line in an 85-metre breakout run totally against the run of play.

This was followed by the outstanding Fili who ghosted through a generous shortside gap provided to him by virtue of almost the entire Petone pack tied up in the previous ruck, and linked up with right wing Jope Naubo and Slade for the first try under the posts.

Petone hit back almost immediately through Moala, counterattacking from a midfield ruck with urgency and Moala producing all his finishing skills to scorch in to score up the right hand flank.

The Fili show resumed when he ran back a poorly aimed Petone clearing kick from halfway, scything through some weak defence and setting up a try for his captain and blindside Simeon in the corner.

Petone's defence evaporated again moments later with Victor Vito shrugging off previous injury niggles to run 35-metres to the tryline for the easiest of tries and a 19-5 lead.

Once more Petone camped themselves inside MSP's 22 for an extended period before the halftime break, going close from a rolling maul straight out of the 1970s and a series of drives, with MSP prop Jonathan Hopgood making a bootlace tackle on Incledon to snuff out one such foray and Tulou shown yellow for killing the ball in front of his posts.

MSP hung on with the sort of defence that last saw them lose a game in round seven of the Swindale Shield, and adding anxiety to the Village cause, first half star Fili completed proceedings with his intercept try.

If the first half was high drama, the second was rugby entertainment at its finest for the hardy crowd on an increasingly gloomy day. Needing to score first, Petone's first move was to bring on the powerhouse Tialata, initially to No. 8, then to loosehead prop. The second was to hit back early, fullback Tu Umaga-Marshall running around to score untouched under the posts and first five-eighth Dan Kirkpatrick converting to close the score to 26-15.

Ten minutes later Umaga-Marshall screamed in to score again under the bar for another converted try after his forwards had pushed MSP's off their own scrum ball.

This was then followed by another try, this time to Tialata, scored near the touchline off a lineout win and another drive.

Next it was the turn of Petone?left wing Greg Walker to score a scintillating try, one that saw his side hit the lead for the first time. Walker followed up and scored from a pinpoint cross kick put through by New Zealand U19s first five Kirkpatrick. Kirkpatrick was unable to curl his conversion through, but Petone still led 34-26.

Slade then kicked a penalty for MSP to make it 34-29, before another sloppy Petone clearing kick helped set up the next try of the match for MSP. Fieldng the kick in centre field, MSP swung on to attack across both sides of the field, the slick Slade eventually scoring out wide. His conversion missed, but at 34-34 it was action-Jackson. Not the fullback though, he had left the field earlier injured.

Kirkpatrick had a chance for victory when a late penalty attempt hit the uprights and was cleared into touch by replacement MSP right wing Lome Fa'atau, and then went for glory with an ambitious dainty solo chip. But this needn't have mattered as Petone set themselves up for one final assault at the line and duly obliged with another cracker of a try on fulltime.

If you missed this, don't miss their rematch next week. Petone will be buoyant, while MSP might have some injury concerns on their plate, including?Martin and in the locking department. The Club Weekly will bring you all the semi-final news as it comes to hand.