RUGBY - CLUB ROUND-UP

* WELLSFORD 38, OTAMATEA 5
Rugged forwards Simon Atkins and Api Rabele were to the fore as Wellsford beat Otamatea in a Northland-wide premier club rugby match played at Maungaturoto on Saturday.
Atkins, a blindside flanker, and Rabele, an uncompromising lock, laid the platform as Wellsford put the heat on the youthful but plucky Otamatea unit in the first half then hung on as conditions deteriorated underfoot in the second spell.
Without their coach Adrian Ferris, who is on holiday in Rarotonga, and minus their new swag of Northland representatives it was a reasonable effort from Wellsford against an Otamatea unit that refuses to lie down quietly.
But in the end it was a convincing win for the visiting side with several of their unbeaten reserve grade players taking the step up into the premier ranks and performing with distinction.
That was far from the case for Otamatea who were yet again forced to field players in both the premier match and the reserve grade game that preceded it and as a result ran out of steam in the latter stages of the match.
Otamatea did however manage to score the first try, from South African iimport Johan Pienaar, but could not manage to string together enough possession to really threaten much after that.
On a sodden track at Maungaturoto the game only rarely broke clear of repeated scrums for knock-ons or from lineouts as players opted for the safety of the touchline.
But Wellsford finished happy they had achieved their mission and collected the maximum five bonus points. That should please Ferris when he returns as well.
* AWANUI 14, WESTERN SHARKS 5
Fullback Gavin Clarke was the key yet again as Awanui were forced to dig deep to beat the Western Sharks in a physical Northland-wide premier club rugby match played at Dargaville on Saturday.
Clarke has been riding the crest of a wave in recent weeks, emerging as the main threat in a well-performed Awanui backline and playing with such gusto that he has even caught the eye of the Northland selectors.
Clarke played a cameo role with the Northland team against Manu Samoa on Friday night then fronted for Awanui on Saturday, scored a try, broke through the Sharks' defence at random and was handed player of the day for this efforts. But he had to do his fair share of defence as well as Awanui were almost upended by a fiery Sharks unit who were unlucky not to score at least four tries but ended up registering just one.
Roger Rowse scored for the Sharks but dropped the ball with the line open shortly after as did two other Sharks players who had seemingly been presented with open pathways to the tryline.
Yet again flanker Solomone Palu was a star for the Sharks, with his rugged defence and energy a key to the Sharks effort. Winger Matt McCully and Rowse also did well under pressure.
But Awanui won, their forwards responding to the challenge in the second spell and gaining just enough dominance to get the winning edge. Jeremy White scored the only other try in the game. He converted both.
* MID NORTHERN 28, MARIST 23
Veteran prop forward Joe Veitiyaki was both hero and villain as Mid Northern staged a remarkable comeback to beat Marist in a feisty Northland-wide club rugby match played at Pompallier College on Saturday.
Veitiyaki was sinbinned for felling a Marist player midway through the second spell, leaving his side shorthanded as they tried to come back from an 11-17 halftime deficit.
But the 130kg-plus former Fijian international made up for lost time on his return to the fray, anchoring several rumbling forward drives that produced two late tries that helped Mid Northern win the game.
Marist, battling into the wind in the first half, had shocked Mid Northern with two well-constructed tries and a series of breathtaking attacking sequences that had the visitors struggling to stay in the game.
But a try in the last seconds of the first half to winger Asher Whaikawa helped rejuvenate Mid Northern spirits for what was a remarkable second half from both teams, but in particular from Mid Northern.
Two penalties from Josh Levi extended the Marist lead to 23-11 before hooker Hamish Haika was bulldozed over by Veitiyaki and his mates in the forward pack.
Mid Northern skipper Brad Miller then dotted down to close the gap even further, his five pointer coming after repeated Veitiyaki-inspired forward charges at the tryline.
Whaikawa then got the game-winning touchdown in the final minutes of the game as Marist struggled to keep pace with Mid Northern's growing confidence in the dying stages of the match.
Marist had their chances in the final moments but were unable to breach Mid Northern's line despite some brave attacking manoeuvres.
* KAMO 28, HORA HORA 12
Winger Matt Ryan produced a barnstorming performance as Kamo announced their intentions by upsetting championship front-runners Hora Hora in a Northland wide premier club rugby match played at the ITM Stadium on Friday night.
Ryan scored one scorching try in the second half and was a threat throughout with his elusive running style and positional play one of the highlights of the game.
It was quite a performance from the entire Kamo team, though, as they out-foxed a big Hora Hora team jumping out to a handy halftime lead then defending grimly to keep a resurgent opposition at bay.
Hora Hora, thanks to the leadership of lock Glenn Taylor and some handy work in the backline from Richard Watts, Leon Baigent and replacement Darren Lockhardt, were never completely out of contention, though.
But it was Kamo's defence that won through, their ability to repel repeated forward surges from a fired up Hora Hora pack in the second half impressive.
Kamo managed to grab a 13-0 lead in the first half with a try to centre Francois Eckhardt and kicks from well-performed first five-eighths Rob Davis. They then extended that lead to 20-0 with a converted try to veteran Tony Mongahan at fullback.
Sensing that the game hung in the balance, Hora Hora replied with a 20-metre rolling maul producing a try to No.8 Jason Parangi and then started to get the upperhand by using their forwards to batter ahead.
But Kamo broke out once more and had Ryan slice through the defence to score the match clincher.