Norths stamp their authority as Wests upset Ories

Updated Sunday: There’s still five weeks of the 2011 Swindale Shield to play but Wellington’s first round Premier title is defending champions Northern United’s to lose, following their sixth consecutive bonus point win over Avalon and Oriental-Rongotai’s shock loss to the Wests Roosters in the latest round of matches on Saturday.

Norths brushed aside Avalon to win 84-9 at Porirua Park to move to a maximum 30 points on the points table, now seven clear of second placed Ories on 23 who were outpassioned by the Wests Roosters at the Cage and lost 17-16 to the previously winless Roosters. Rodney So’oialo took the field for the Wests Roosters in the second half, and together with fellow lose forwards Scott Fuglistaller and Galu Taufele, helped overcome an error-stricken Ories. Fuglistaller charged down an Ories clearing kick with about 10 minutes remaining and ran 20 metres to the line with So’oialo on his shoulder for the match winning try that brought the Keith Mettrick Memorial Cup back to Ian Galloway Park.

Norths, who moved past 300 points for the season with their latest victory, could lose their first game of Swindale Shield rugby since round one of 2009 next week against Old Boys-University and still claim the first round title.

The real action is down the table, where the race to finish inside the top eight and make the Jubilee Cup round starting on 11 June could get very interesting in the weeks ahead. In other sixth round matches, there was another upset at the Petone Recreation Ground, where Wainuiomata captured the Darren Larsen Cup off Petone for the first time with a thrilling 36-33 win. Wainuiomata ran hot in the first half and galloped to a 25-8 halftime lead before holding off a comeback by the home team in the second half. Petone scored three tries early in the second half and came back to hold a 26-25 lead at one stage, before Wainuiomata’s Genesis Mamea scored in the corner and the green and blacks held on from there.

There was also an exciting match at Nairnville Park where visitors Upper Hutt mounted a withering second half comeback to blast past the students 27-23. Upper Hutt, who have already been involved in three knife-edge thrillers in the past four weeks against Petone, Ories and Marist St. Pat’s, scored 20 unanswered points in the second half to beat OBU. Trailing 7-23 at halftime, Upper Hutt added two converted tries and two penalties to clinch victory over OBU. Jason Woodward, who started at fullback and then switched to first five-eighth, scored 17 of their points including their first try which he also converted from the sideline.

At Evans Bay Park Marist St. Pat’s held on to beat Poneke 26-19 for their fourth win of the season and to capture the Horan-Millar Trophy. MSP scored two first half converted tries to take a match winning 14-3 into halftime. Poneke came back and closed to within a point in the second spell, but after a long injury break in which Poneke captain Palauni Monanu was stretchered off the field with a serious neck injury, MSP held on for an important victory. * EDIT: not Judd Baker as originally reported. The injury is not too bad either by reports.?

At the Hutt Recreation Ground, home side Hutt Old Boys Marist overcame the challenge of Tawa 27-10. HOBM’s forwards worked hard to gain ascendancy against a dangerous Tawa who defended well but couldn’t create sufficient chances to push them close. Fullback Steve Honey was the leading protagonist for the Eagles, scoring two of their tries and having a direct hand in two more.

The sun shone brightly all afternoon in the sixth round and none more so than on the Wests Roosters who deserved their 17-16 win over Ories who simply didn’t do enough to win.

Led by loosies Fuglistaller and Taufele, Wests won the battle of the breakdown against Ories who were penalised heavily and struggled to get any flow on throughout the whole game against the plucky Roosters.

Playing into the southerly breeze, Ories opened up with a sweeping movement up field leading to centre Paulo Aukuso being dragged down just short of the line in the 2^nd minute. They kicked an ensuing penalty, but there was little more joy for Ories in the first half. Wests grew in confidence and hooker Koji Shigeeda scored in the right hand corner from a lineout drive in the 20^th minute. Fullback Declan McCreefry converted from out wide and Wests lead 10-3.

Ories answered with a second penalty with the only other scoring of the first half and Wests continued to frustrate them. McKeefry missed two penalties late in the half as Wests turned with a 10-6 advantage and with Rodney So’oialo stretching on the sideline.

After early pressure, Ories finally crossed for a try in reply in the 50^th minute, fullback Matt Procter crossing near the right hand corner after a potent run up the shortside channel by first five-eighth Trevor Marama. Marama’s sideline conversion put Ories ahead 13-10 as So’oialo joined the fray.

The penalty and mistakes count kept mounting against Ories and Wests remained right in the game. The game’s flashpoint came about 10 minutes from fulltime, with an Ories player sent to the sin bin for repeated infringing followed by Fuglistaller charging down an Ories kick for touch, regathering and sprinting 20 metres to score near the posts to put Wests ahead 17-13.

Ories weren’t done yet, and Wests survived a tense five minutes camped inside their own 22. Marama kicked a penalty in front of the posts to close to within one scoring play. But, summing up their day, Ories made an error from the kick-off and Wests maintained territory over the closing few minutes to hold on to win.

At Wests’ former home ground of Nairnville Park, Old Boys-University let slip a 23-7 halftime lead against an Upper Hutt side still smarting from being pipped at the post by MSP last weekend.

OBU left wing Luke Fiso grabbed a first half double, including a brilliant solo try when he ran back a kick by Upper Hutt halfback Kayne Hammington. Centre Luke Harvey also scored a first half try as the students skipped to a 20-0 lead.

Upper Hutt fullback Woodward converted his own try scored in the corner, but OBU first five-eighth Mike Newell added a penalty late in the half.

Upper Hutt came right back into the game early in the second spell with hooker Anaru Rangi scoring their second seven-pointer to cut the lead to 23-14. No. 8 Campbell Beckett added a third and suddenly it was 23-21. Woodward then kicked two penalties to give his side a memorable win.

Wainuiomata’s win over Petone was also a game of two halves. Wainuiomata raced to a decisive 25-5 lead at one point before halftime, only for the Villagers to hit back with three successive tries to wings Belgium Tutagaloa and Willie Moala and centre Cam Incledon to take the lead. But unlike Upper Hutt, Petone couldn’t protect it and Wainuiomata pulled ahead with a penalty to Earl Va’a and a try to Genesis Mamea. Petone threatened again with a fourth try to Ben Aoina, but Va’a sealed victory with another penalty and he finished the match with 21 points.

Tawa led HOBM 10-5 midway through the first half in their match, but the Eagles scored 22 unanswered points to quell their challenge. HOBM had opened the scoring with a long-range try to fullback Steve Honey, but Tawa replied with a penalty and a try to prop Thomas George. Honey then scored again before the break and HOBM lead 17-10 at the interval. Mobile prop Simon Malaeulu scored his second try of the season and centre Alexis Time crossed for the bonus point try later in the half to seal the win.

At Evans Bay Park, home side MSP scored two first half converted tries, to fullback Apoua Stewart and first five-eighth Trent Vatselias. Stewart scored after a run by right wing Ryan Setephano and Vatselias scored a runaway seven-pointer. Poneke first five-eighth Jeremy Te Huia kept his side in the match with a dropped goal and a penalty and MSP led 14-6 at the interval. It was game on early in the second spell when Garvie crossed for Poneke, followed by MSP’s third try to halfback Anthony Bradshaw and another Poneke penalty, making it 19-16 to MSP. Vatselias added two more penalties to make it 25-16, before Poneke kicked another to close it to 25-19.

At Porirua Park, it was a procession once the floodgates opened. Avalon opened the scoring and let 3-0, followed by the first try to Norths to wing Eli To’omaga. Avalon fullback Joyner Keys was then sinbinned, during which time Norths scored twice more to ease to a 17-6 lead. They should have scored a third in this period by fullback Inoke Rasabale put his foot out over the deadball line before dotting the ball down. But it hardly mattered as they scored twice more to lead 31-6 at halftime. Norths cut loose after the break, piling on the points at will. Prop Jacob Ellison, halfback Tomasi Palu and replacement wing AJ Va’alepu all scored braces.

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Harper Lock Shield

Then there was one. Hutt Old Boys Marist remain the only unbeaten team of the 2011 Harper Lock Shield following their bonus point 34-27 win over Tawa and Poneke’s 22-23 defeat at the hands of Marist St. Pat’s at Evans Bay Park.

Hutt Old Boys Marist now have a significant four-point lead at the top of the table to second placed Poneke who were consoled with a bonus point in their one-point defeat to MSP.

The MSP-Poneke match was close all the way, with MSP coming back from 5-10 behind to lead 13-10 at halftime, Poneke pulling ahead with two tries to lead 22-13 and then MSP inching ahead with a penalty and a converted try.

Elsewhere, the match between defending Senior 1 champions Northern United and bottom of the table Stokes was not close. Norths became the first team of the season to raise the century, winning 111-7 and climbing to fourth on the table.

Back in fifth and sixth, Petone and Rimutaka traded places on the table following Petone’s 24-14 win over Paramata-Plimmerton and Rimutaka’s 30-49 defeat to Old Boys-University in another high scoring game.

Johnsonville remain steady in a mid-table position with a timely 44-12 bonus point win over Ories in the other match.

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National Mutual Cup

Heading into the sixth round, the National Mutual Cup points table was characterised by a demarcation line separating the leading six contenders and the bottom six – and the same was true post this round.

Leaders Hutt Old Boys Marist were pushed hard by Johnsonville in their top versus bottom clash, the Eagles made to work hard for their 37-32 victory. They still hold a one-point lead at the top of the table to new second placed Avalon who beat Norths 42-19 and were the big movers of he Senior 2 competition in round six, climbing from sixth on points differential.

Wainuiomata hold third after beating winless Petone 48-19, closely followed by OBU who held out Upper Hutt 20-16 and MSP who pipped Poneke 26-24 in the closest Senior 2 result of the day.

Midtable protagonists Wellington enjoyed a comprehensive 54-10 win over the Wests Roosters in the other game.

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Fleurs Trophy

Stokes Valley beat Marist St Pat’s, Eketahuna beat Old Boys-University and Wainuiomata prevailed over Petone. Leaders Norths had the bye.