South Island Scorpions took a big step towards securing a semi-final spot in the 15s grade, when they accounted for Mid Central Vipers 26-16. Jensen Taumoepeau had Vipers on the board first with a try, but their rivals had swept to a 12-4 advantage by the break.
The Central side closed to 18-16 midway through the second half but the southerners closed out with two tries to give themselves a shot at Thursday's semis.
They will face Wellington Orcas tomorrow, with the winners progressing.
Akarana 15s got a wake-up call in their title defence, as they trailled Auckland Vulcans 6-0 at half-time of the their encounter. Vulcans are a squad made up of players that could not make the Akarana or Counties selections, so they feature many players with points to prove.
Tries to Matthew Timoko, Vito Tevaga and Micha Marsh saw Falcons home over the final 25 minutes for a hard-fought 16-6 win.
Vulcans also proved a handful for Counties Manukau in the older division, before succumbing 24-18.
The Stingrays sprang out to an early advantage and led 18-6 at the break, but Auckland rallied to draw level at 18-18, before their opponents edged clear at the death.
In the final result of the day, South Island Scorpions repeated their earlier 15s success in the older age group, defeating Northern Swords 26-16. Ahead 10-4 at half-time, the Scorpions allowed the Northlanders to sweep to a 16-10 lead midway through the second half. But they came back strongly down the stretch, scoring the final three tries to sneak through for victory
