Ories, Norths and Petone shine in the big wet

Driving rain right around the Wellington region made for a tough fourth round of Swindale Shield matches, but three teams to emerge from the deluge in good shape were Oriental-Rongotai, Northern United and Petone.

Ories maintained their unbeaten record after the opening month of Premier rugby with a hard fought 14-3 over Marist St. Pat's at home at the Polo Ground, while fellow unbeaten side Northern United, and Petone each earned convincing home victories over Upper Hutt and Old Boys-University respectively.

At Porirua Park, Norths grabbed their fourth straight bonus point victory in their 31-9 win over Upper Hutt, and at the Petone Recreation Ground, the home side put in a textbook wet weather performance to overcome OBU 38-21.

In the round's other three matches, Hutt Old Boys Marist also grabbed a four-try bonus point in their 35-20 win at home over minnows Avalon, Wellington club rugby wet-weather specialists Poneke held off Wainuiomata at William Jones Park and the Wests Roosters came back with a late converted try to spoil Tawa's Old Timers' Day and draw 13-13 at Lyndhurst Park.

Down the grades, there were just three four-try bonus point wins in the 12 Harper Lock Shield Senior 1 and National Mutual Cup Senior 2 matches played, with the net result being three unbeaten teams at the top of the each of these grades after the opening four weeks.

In the Harper Lock Shield, joint frontrunners Hutt Old Boys Marist and Poneke were both bonus point winners over strugglers Stokes Valley and Paramata-Plimmerton. HOBM beat Stokes Valley 42-0 and Poneke overcame Paramata-Plimmerton 32-6. MSP also remain unbeaten in this grade after defeating Ories 18-15, while Norths beat Rimutaka 21-9 and Petone whitewashed OBU 18-0. Johnsonville beat Tawa 20-10 for the Carman Cup.

In the National Mutual Cup, leaders OBU soared to a 20-5 win over Petone, MSP pipped Wellington 23-17 for their fourth win and HOBM battled to a 7-0 win over Avalon to remain unbeaten. Wainuiomata kicked a late penalty to edge out Poneke 25-22, Upper Hutt beat Norths 43-5 and Wests beat Johnsonville 23-3 for the Duncan Cup in a bottom of the table clash.

Going into the round, there was much interest surrounded on the match at William Jones Park between Wainuiomata and Poneke, where just beyond the umbrellas and the waiting television cameras and pit crews Piri Weepu took the field for the green and blacks in his comeback game from a broken leg.

Weepu played the entire second half for Wainuiomata, but unfortunately for home fans wasn't able to inspire to a glorious win. Poneke took control early in the half, and came back with a try of their own and inched ahead through the measured boot of first five-eighth Jeremy Te Huia.

The Poneke pack drove lock Presley Tufaga over for a converted try in the 55th minute and Te Huia banged the first of two second half penalties over five minutes later to give the Poneke the lead for the first time.

As they so often do in similar and worse conditions at Kilbirnie Park, Poneke's pack lifted a beat and they played a smart territorial game and waited for Wainuiomata to make mistakes in their own half. It was only in the last several minutes that the home side managed to work their way back into a points scoring position for any period of time but were held out by Poneke's tenacious fringe defence and well-drilled set-pieces.

Weepu helped lift them at the end for a possible grandstand finish but it wasn't to be. They were also left lamenting two penalty misses in the second half by halfback-turned midfielder Frae Wilson that may have changed the outcome.

Earlier, it was Wainuiomata who made much of the play in the first half, Justin Va'a and James Saolele in the tight five and all three loose forwards, Geneis Mamea, Greg Lealofi and Sae Misa (back after three years overseas) all taking it to Poneke.

All three loosies were involved in the concerted build up to their well-executed team try in the 30th minute, left wing Jason Love crossing in the corner.

They were unlucky not to go further ahead in their best period of the game immediately before halftime, missing out on a try from a penalty and a lineout drive in the same corner. Maintaining the heat on Poneke, they were awarded another penalty and this time Wilson took the three points and they turned in still steady rain leading 11-3 - a lead that proved not enough and Poneke won back the Hakaraia Trophy off them.

It was another extremely tight clash at the Polo Ground between home side Ories, looking to make it four from four, and MSP, hoping to ignite their season.

In driving rain, Ories led MSP 6-3, before the key moment of the match in the form of the game's only try was scored five minutes out from halftime. Ories fullback Matt Proctor reeled in and ran back a MSP clearing kick but was held up just short of the line. But lock Vailele Tauloa was in support at the next phase to score in the corner. The conversion was missed, but the try gave Ories a 11-3 halftime lead, and unlike Wainuiomata, they were able to protect theirs.

MSP came back strongly in the second half, but equally concerted Ories defence kept them out time and again. The only other scoring of the match came after an Ories break against the run of play and a subsequent penalty that was converted by first five-eighth Trevor Marama.

The run of play was close early on between Petone and OBU, with Petone No. 8 Piers Gordon scoring the first of his two tries in the match and OBU first five-eighth Mike Newell kicking two penalties to see Petone ahead 7-6.

But the home side broke the match open with two tries before halftime and led 21-6 at the break. The first of these was scored by strapping wing Belgium Tutagaloa who ran back a kick in play and the second by fullback Tomasio Alosio after second five-eighth Michael Lealava'a put a kick through that was regathered by Petone's other wing Willie Moala.

OBU closed the margin up after the break through Newell's third penalty, before Petone replied almost straightaway with their fourth and bonus point try scored by Lealava'a.

OBU scored twice more, through wing Luke Harvey after a great run into open space by prop Mitch Andrews, and lock Mike Scott, but Petone crossed again through Gordon to make sure of their second win.

Old Timers' Day at Porirua Park began with something novel - hakas. In tribute to local tribe Ngatai Toa, Norths preformed Ka Mate and then Upper Hutt's Gisborne based first five-eighth Keelan Poi, alongside teammate Teihana Brown, responded with a spontaneous and rousing rendition of a traditional Ngati Porou haka.

The early action in this Terry Farrow Memorial Trophy match was as hot as the pre-match with Nene Va a'lepu crossing within two minutes. In fact Norths first half was sublime as they defied the conditions to play with their usual flamboyance. David Palu was all authority. He created Va'alepu's double with a trademark grubber before he combined with prop Eric Sione and lock turned temporary winger Eldon Paea, who scored in the corner to secure the four try bonus point.

Paea couldn't outdo his partner Tim Faleafaga's earlier try though. Api Naikatini soared to poach a kickoff and break away. A few rucks later he flipped the ball behind his head Harlem Globetrotters style to an astonished Faleafaga.

The second half was scoreless and mediocre as both sides make several errors but of note was the bustle of Campbell Beckett and the success of TJ Perenara at second five-eighth. Of alarm to the rest of the competition is the fact that Norths can score several tries in any conditions. In their 24 match Swindle Shield winning streak they have scored four or more tries in a single game 21 times.

At the Hutt Recreation ground, visitors Avalon scored the opening try to centre Ben Lua'ai after only a few minutes and they led 5-0. in a evenly fought contest, the next scoring play, an Avalon penalty, wasn't until the 25th minute. The Eagles finally got on the board with a penalty in reply and Avalon led 8-3 heading towards halftime.

But the Eagles struck just before the interval with a long-range breakout leading to a try to right wing Reuben Colquhoun, converted from out wide by first five-eighth Kahu Tamatea. Then from the kick-off HOBM broke out again and were unlucky not to score a second try when Colquhoun was brought down just short of the line. From the next play, they were awarded a penalty and they turned around leading 13-8.

The Eagles continued their rampaging attack in the second half and ran away with the game with four more tries, all scored through the outside backs - fullback Steve Honey, centre Parataiso Silafai-Leaanaa and left wing Taleta Tupuloa (2).

Too their credit, Avalon kept fighting and finished with two well-taken tries of their own, both scored by halfback Cameron Cross.

In the round's other match, the Wests Roosters live to fight another day (but possibly not next week as they play Norths in round five) with a late comeback try, converted by fullback Declan Mckeefry to tie up the scores 13-13.

In an even, spirited match for the Forsyth Trophy, both sides battled hard in the opening 40 minutes, but all the scorecard could show was penalties to McKeefry and Tawa first five-eighth Randell Bishop and a 3-3 score at the halftime break.

Tawa then scored a try in the corner after the break to J Tangitaniti to put them ahead 8-3. This was followed by a second, seemingly match winning try, to fullback George Tilsley - this fourth of the season. The conversion was missed but at 13-3 up Tawa now had a clear lead.

But to the dismay of their Old Timers' Day supporters, they couldn't protect it as Wests came back with a McKeefry penalty to make it 13-6 and then scored a try through blindside flanker Galu Taufele that was converted by Mckeefry