Poneke come from behind to beat OBU in Hardham Cup final

Members of the Poneke side with the Hardham Cup following their 20-17 win over Old Boys University in Saturday's final at the Petone Recreation Ground

Poneke are the 2012 Hardham Cup champions after beating Old Boys University 20-17 in the final at the Petone Recreation Ground this afternoon.

In an entertaining and absorbing Hardham Cup final played in bright sunshine, Poneke came from behind to score the winning try with just a few minutes on the clock and then held off one last determined assault on their line before claiming the win and the Premier 2 title.

Poneke No. 8 Sam Tui came up with the final try of the game and first five-eighth Mike Cody converted to put Poneke ahead by three points. A player down, with replacement hooker Stu Simomsen in the sin-bin, OBU launched one last raid but ultimately came up short to lose narrowly in the Hardham Cup final for the second successive year.

It was heartbreak for the students, who had made much of the play and contributed to a fast-paced final. They scored three wonderful tries themselves, including two to former Wellington and Otago wing Joe Hill, to lead 12-10 at halftime and then 17-10 early in the second half.

OBU could have scored a fourth and gone even further ahead soon after, but the final pass between wings Te Wehi Wright and Luke Fiso was ruled forward with Fiso over the line. At two converted tries down, Poneke would have struggled to come back.

Instead - with Hurricanes frontrowers Dane Coles and Reggie Goodes, Dutch international lock Stefan Vos and busy blindside flanker Presley Tufaga leading the way - they wound up a gear wrestled ascendancy back.

Cody made no mistake with a penalty 30 metres out, closing the gap to 17-13.

The run of play remained tight, both sides creating opportunities but both defences remained up to the task. For OBU their captain and openside flanker Andrew Smith was outstanding on defence, while first five-eighth Seminar Manu continued to control a dangerous back division who were probing for another chance.

With just over 10 minutes remaining, OBU's Simonson was sinbinned for a misdemenour in general play, not only reducing the students to 14 but forcing the scrums into no-contests with no available replacement front rowers to come back on.

From a subsequent golden oldies scrum, Poneke's forwards picked and drove at the tryline several times before replacement Sam Tui dived over for the winner.

At the post match presentation, the player Tui had replaced, veteran No. 8 and captain Misipalauni Monanau made an emotional dedication to injured former player Seti Tafua. Tafua was recently paralysed while playing club rugby in Sydney.

Poneke co-coach Sam Rasch also said afterwards that the win was a team effort, and he was quick to acknowledge OBU's contribution to the final.

"The last 10 minutes of that final could have gone either way, but our boys ground it out and we came back and were pleased to win in the end.

Rasch explained that OBU's try that wasn't early in the second half would have probably won the game for the students, but said that it was a "blessing in disguise" that served to get Poneke back into the game.

He added that a key factor in the win was Poneke's big game temperament and their experience.

"Our experience paid off out there today. Just in our forward pack there's probably 1,000 Poneke caps in there so it all comes down to their experience and knowing how to grind out games. All those players stepped up and did the job for us."

Veteran first five-eighth Rasch, who played in the previous week's semi-final win over MSP B, took over the coaching reins alongside skipper Moananu after Scott Keith (personal reasons) and then Inoke Afeaki (winning a coaching role in Singapore) stepped down from their roles during the year.

Rasch said this final win is a great achievement given these disruptions and the side's indifferent form earlier in the season when they won just two games in the first round.

"We've had a difficult season and have struggled at times to play at our best. For me, it was it was awesome to step into the coaching role and help out. Poneke's a family club and everyone helps out and everyone belongs, and that helped us today."

Earlier, OBU had lit up the Hardham Cup with the game's opening try in the 15^th minute, to right wing Joe Hill.

Playing an expansive game, OBU missed early chances to get on the board through a missed Manu penalty and a kick into the in-goal by fullback Beau Brown that forced an attacking OBU 5-metre scrum.

From the scrum, Hill made no mistake of his first chance, latching on to the end of the chain and beating his marker to cross in the right hand corner.

Hill was involved again in a near-miss from quick ball off the top of a lineout that was run through the backs once more, but his final transfer went to ground.

Poneke's pack fired into action and broke through, Goodes surging ahead and Coles carrying the raid on to score put the red and blacks ahead 7-5.

Cody kicked his first penalty and Poneke inched ahead 10-5 after 25 minutes.

OBU lost starting hooker Josh Nicho to injury, but Poneke lost captain Moananu to the sinbin for starting a scuffle with the opposition.

Now with a one-man advantage, OBU attacked through the forwards off a lineout drive. The ball spilled free and was hacked up field towards halfway by a Poneke player.

Collecting the loose ball, OBU left wing Te Wehi Wright counterattacked in broken play with his midfielders and then Joe Hill. The latter dashed 25 metres up the right flank to ?score his second try and put OBU ahead 12-10 at halftime.

Their third try just after halftime was a great team try, the forwards setting up a well-worked drive off a lineout that unleashed the backs inside Poneke's 22 and second five-eighth Ti Pairama-Lewington crossing for a seven-pointer.

OBU went close to scoring again, but what followed instead was an absorbing 25 minutes of finals rugby and Poneke coming back to take the Hardham Cup prize.

Meanwhile, in the playoff for fifth and sixth place in the Hardham Cup, Rimutaka beat Johnsonville 28-19 at home at Maoribank Park. Rimutaka will thus stay up in the Swindale Shield in 2013.

In the final of the John E Kelly Division One Colts competition, also on the Petone Recreation Ground, OBU defeated top qualifiers Wellington 23-14.

Wainuiomata Women 13 v Norths Women 8

?In the curtain-raiser on Petone's number one ground, Wainuiomata won the Victoria Tavern Trophy final, beating Northern United 13-8.

Wainuiomata came back from an 8-0 deficit at halftime to score two tries and 13 unanswered points in the second half to win their first Women's club title.

Playing with a moderate breeze in the opening spell, Norths started strongly. They kicked a penalty through goal-kicking lock Leah Conley, before a kick in play behind Wainuiomata's defensive line led to a try to fullback Brenda Collins.

Following this early setback, Wainuiomata grew into the game as Norths lapsed into a mountain of defensive errors and infringing, particularly at the breakdown where Wainuiomata were challenging hard. Flanker Gail Ah-Hi and No. 8 Kiri Mei were busy throughout.

Wainuiomata enjoyed a long period of momentum throughout the middle and latter stages of the first half, creating several chances and missing a penalty shot on goal.

Norths could have scored again just before halftime after a breakout up the left wing by Leitu Sa and a resulting attacking scrum almost on Wainuiomata's tryline that was held off.

Wainuiomata got on the board early in the second half with a penalty, before leveling the score up with 60^th minute try to replacement forward Loua Time. Five minutes later they scored again and then held on until the end.

Wainuiomata captain and second five-eighth Jean Oti was thrilled afterwards.

"This is the first time most of us have ever been in a rugby final, and I'm very proud of the girls on this win," said Oti.

"We worked so hard throughout the season and we knew we had to deliver and perform against the very strong Norths team.

Behind at halftime, Oti said coach Darren Larsen's message at halftime was to stay focused and to hold their discipline.

"We knew that if picked it up then the opportunities would come and we would be able to put pressure on them, which we did all we're really happy.

"A key point for us in the second half was to maintain our communication and to keep our heads up right to the end, because we were starting to waiver a bit towards the finish."

The Jubilee Cup final is at the Hutt Recreation Ground tomorrow, kick-off 2.35pm, preceded by the Premier 1 First XV final between Wellington College and St Pat's Silverstream from 12.15pm. Entry is by a gold coin donation. For those that can't make it both finals are being screened live on Sky Network Television's the Rugby Channel and broadcast on Newstalk ZB.

Senior 1 and Senior 2

The final day of round-robin matches for the season in both the Senior 1 Ed Chaney Cups and Senior 2 HD Morgan Memorial competitions were both thrillers.

Next week's Ed Chaney Cup semi-finals will see top qualifier Wellington host Tawa in one playoff match and second and third placed Paremata-Plimmerton and Poneke meet in the other at Ngatitoa Domain.

The Wellington-Tawa semi-final will be a replay of their final round match that saw Wellington pip Tawa 25-22.

Paremata-Plimmerton moved from third to second after beating Avalon 31-23, Poneke held on to fourth after beating Ories 26-12, ahead of fifth placed Petone who edged Upper Hutt 15-8 and OBU who kept out HOBM 21-10.

In the HD Morgan Memorial playoffs OBU will host Petone and HOBM will host MSP after another close round.

OBU beat Petone 24-12 in their last round match and HOBM edged out Poneke 14-11. Third placed MSP struggled to a 34-31 victory over winless Wests. The other two results saw wins to Stokes Valley over Avalon 31-15 and Ories over Norths 24-15.

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