Dramatic sixth round sets up massive final week of regular season matches

Above: It was a close struggle at Evans Bay Park, but Tawa prevailed in the end against the defending champions MSP who now must win this coming weekend and rely on other results going their way to make the semi-finals.

Next week’s seventh and final regular season rounds of the Jubilee Cup and Hardham Cup competitions will be going down to the wire, after another drama-soaked set of matches around the club rugby fields of Wellington this afternoon.

One major and one minor upset today in the Jubilee Cup has left the Jubilee Cup on tenderhooks heading into next week’s final set of matches, effectively leaving four teams chasing one playoff berth next week, three sides hunting for two home semi-final spots and just one club, Petone, out of contention.

In the Hardham Cup, three teams will be pursuing one semi-final spot next week, while promotion-relegation prospects will dominate the thinking of Premier incumbents the Wests Roosters and 2014 Swindale Shield hopefuls Johnsonville and Avalon.

Jubilee Cup results this afternoon saw leaders Hutt Old Boys Marist have their wings clipped by Poneke, who roared back after halftime to score 24 unanswered points and win 32-16.

In doing so, Poneke have raced up into fifth place and could make the semi-finals in a fortnight if they win next week and other results go their way.

Wainuiomata have kept their hopes alive for another week after holding off Oriental-Rongotai 18-12 in a Polo Ground quagmire, leaving Ories needing to beat Old Boys University in the last round to guarantee their place in the playoffs.

Defending champions Marist St Pat’s can still make the semi-finals if they win next week despite losing to Tawa 20-10 at Evans Bay Park.

Old Boys University can finish no lower than fourth next week, and will be battling it out with HOBM and Tawa for the two home semi-final spots, after beating Petone 20-0 in today’s other Jubilee Cup match.

For Petone, lock Chris Molenaar was playing his 200th Premier game for his club.

Today’s Hardham Cup results saw wins for Upper Hutt, Northern United, Avalon and the Wests Roosters.

Northern United flexed their muscles with a 41-10 win over the Wellington Axemen, who led the match midway through the first half before Norths struck back with a try just before halftime and then five more after the interval.

A feature of this match was Norths openside flanker Dean Brunsdon scoring a brace of tries to take his season’s tally to 16 tries for the season in 16 Premier starts.

Leaders Upper Hutt kept their unbeaten run alive with a 26-18 win over Johnsonville at Maidstone Park, confirming themselves a home semi-final with a round to spare and leaving Johnsonville’s campaign on tenderhooks for another week.

Avalon are also alive to the end, albeit needing at least two other results to go their way next week, after beating Rimutaka 41-14 at Fraser Park. Avalon scored three first half tries and eased to a 20-7 lead at the break, before pulling clear in the second half.

The Wests Roosters used their Get Out of Jail Card against Old Boys University B. The Roosters won the match 15-12, but not before surviving a tremendous scare at the end when OBU B lined up a pair of late penalties that would’ve at least given them a draw and left Wests four competition points behind Johnsonville heading into next week.

As it happened, OBU B missed and Wests took the four competition points that could be enough to see them remain in Premier rugby for another season.

In the Senior 1 Ed Chaney Cup the sixth round of nine proved another closely fought one, with Paremata-Plimmerton maintaining a three-point lead at the top of the table after beating Poneke17-7 today.

Tawa and Wainuiomata are second equal after Tawa blanked MSP 20-0 and Wainuiomata defeated Upper Hutt 29-17.Petone beat Norths 30-20 in a battle of two teams lower down the table.

The two promoted teams from the first round’s Senior 2 competition, Ories and HOBM fought out a doozy in the mud on the Polo Ground 2.

Ories were leading 13-7 with the clock ticking down and had just repelled a concerted period of attack by the forwards in the right hand corner. HOBM then launched another raid from centre field, this time up the other touchline, and their left wing scorched in to close the gap to 13-12. This was then converted from out wide to put the Eagles ahead 14-13, the final score. Ories weren’t done yet -? just missing a penalty with the last play of the game.

Results from today’s sixth round set of Senior 2 matches were even closer, with Stokes Valley’s 10-point 15-5 win over neighbours Avalon the widest margin of victory of all the five matches. The win moves Stokes Valley up into fourth equal, just behind Avalon.

Leaders the Wests Roosters edged out Old Boys University 19-16 in a top of the table clash.

Wainuiomata are fourth equal with Stokes Valley after beating Poneke 32-26, the combined 58 points scored the most of the 18 games today across the top four grades of Senior rugby.

In the two other Senior 2 matches, MSP grabbed their first win of the HD Morgan Memorial by beating Norths 15-12 and Petone usurped Johnsonville 16-8.

Unfortunately, most lower grades were cancelled owing to a spot of rain earlier in the week.

The Women’s Gala Day at Te Whaea went ahead, with three consecutive Premier Women’s matches.

In two results to hand, Norths beat Ories 32-19, to qualify top for the upcoming semi-finals and Old Boys-University defeated Avalon 33-21.

In the first game between unbeaten Norths and Ories, it was Ories that drew first blood by racing to a 7-0 lead early.

Norths came back with three unconverted tries in the first half to lead 15-7 at halftime. Norths replied first with a? try to centre Helen Collins after a long period of territorial ascendancy, followed by two quickfire tries later in the half.

Right wing Jess Akai showed good vision to sprint up the shortside and dash in to score from a turnover, followed by Norths’ forwards receiving the next kick-off and rumbling their way up field to cross again through prop Moana Aiatu after a nice run inside the 22 by lock Sanita Levave.

Norths pulled clear to 22-7 just after the interval when evergreen replacement flanker Aimee Sutorious scored under the posts.

Ories cut the lead with their second try, but Norths replied with two more five-pointers to lead 32-12. Ories battled on and were awarded a penalty try near the end.

In three Premier 1 college First XV quarterfinals today, Scots College beat St Pat’s Town 50-19, Naenae College defeated Rongotai College 12-7 and HIBS overcame Porirua College 30-7.

To read full match reports of the four matches from round six of the Jubilee Cup and from the Norths v Wellington Hardham Cup game click here