Wainui to defend Hardham title against rampant Tawa

Hardham Cup semi-finals: Wainuiomata will defend the Hardham Cup in next weekend's final against an on-form Tawa, after disposing of Avalon 26-6 in a mudfest at Fraser Park. Across the Belmont Hills, a try-happy Tawa accounted for Wests 33-24 in a free-flowing game at Lyndhurst.

Tawa made no race of it on their home track, dominating the first sixty minutes to lead 33-7, before letting in three late tries to bring the scoreline back to something nearer parity. Once more it was Tawa's backs who made the difference, with the return of Willie Lafaele in the midfield doing no harm to the home side's performance. In fact, it was the substitution of Lafaele, along with halves Damian Madsen and Gene Johnston midway through the second-half which let Wests back into the match.

Once more, Tawa struggled in the forwards, often going backwards, but the class of players like Shaun Treeby and Lafaele in the midfield - forcing, tellingly, a shift to wing for the gifted newcomer Makea Pokere - won the day. Taking a pass on halfway from Johnston, Treeby drew from his repertoire of steps, swerves and feints to score a brilliant solo try. Other tries for Tawa went to brother Matthew Treeby, stalwart prop David Fa'atafa, and halfback Madsen. Johnston was his usual reliable self with the boot, adding two conversions and three penalties, to notch up a personal tally of 50 points in the Hardham Cup.

For Wests, it was the last day of a disappointing year. The Roosters have had little to crow about in 2008, and while loosehead Kasimilo Mekaio will - like Tony Woodcock - savour his two tries during the off-season, the brains trust at Ian Galloway Park has some thinking to do.?Long-serving fullback?Toby Robson also scored for Wests, along with up and coming winger Liam Townsend.

At a mud-ridden Fraser Park, Wainuiomata and Avalon played out an at times bitter semi. In a visually arresting example of the pathetic fallacy so favoured by 19th century novelists, the blend of cloud, rain and mud seemed to mirror a malaise within the players' spirits. On three separate occasions in what was a scoreless second-half, questionable engine-room incidents gave rise to some proverbial how's-your-father, alarming the large contingent of Wainuiomata fans who'd made the trek over the hill to watch their team. Referee Phil Smith was forced to dish out yellows, in the first instance to Avalon hooker Manuel Efaraimo and Wainui prop Ben Taiao, and in the second to Avalon prop and captain Errol Weston.

It was a game which Wainuiomata sealed early, rushing in tries by Tau Mamea and Mike Williams within the first ten minutes. By the time Michael Lealava'a had added the extras, Wainui was 14-0 up, leaving mud - the great leveller - 70 minutes to even the scores. It wasn't enough. Avalon clawed back three points through an Aaron Turley penalty on 20 minutes, only to concede a further five when Wainui lock Glen Angus came off the back of a maul and ran into a wide right-hand blindside, stepping neatly off his right to beat a man and go over. Angus had a fine game, creaming ball off the top of the lineout all day for his side, and showing agility around the field.

With time almost up in the first half, Wainui scored once more. Jason Love fielded a box kick from Avalon halfback Eamon Tawhiwhirangi just outside the twenty-two, before running directly across field to link with opposite winger Isaiah Mamea. Ignoring men outside him, Mamea danced infield with a series of jinks, evading all efforts to tackle him in the process, and dotting down just right of the posts. Lealava'a's conversion saw the half close at 26-6.

That's how the score remained. Though providing no points, the second-half was nonetheless entertaining. Avalon showed patches of inventiveness, with fullback Laith Rua especially impressive at the back. His anticipation on defence in fielding kicks was astute, and he displayed confidence with the ball in hand, as well as a deft boot. Jonathan Tupuse also looked good in the loose for the home side. Indeed, the battle between the two forward packs was abrasive and would no doubt have left a few bodies feeling pleasingly battered at the end of the eighty.

A superior 8-9-10 combination in adverse conditions, however, was a telling difference between the two sides. Wainui captain Genesis Mamea played no-nonsense rugby from the back of the scrum, communicating well with halfback Trevor Bull and veteran first-five Yogi Rogers to give the Green and Blacks' backline the best ball possible. Rogers played methodical football, doing the basics right. Each time he took the ball from Bull in his own territory, it was time for the boot, and his knack for finding the touchline meant the stronger Wainui lineout could harry Avalon's.

So it's Wainui-Tawa next week at the railyards. The two teams have met twice this year, winning once each. Wainuiomata's forward power and lineout should guarantee them a healthy supply of ball in the final. Tawa, on the other hand, will be desperate to improve their forward performance, but with the likes of Treeby, Lafaele, Pokere and Makapelu out back, they'll be dangerous from anywhere.

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