National club rugby results

Cardiff Vaega, seen here with ball in hand for Counties Manukau, scored for Karaka. Photo / Photosport

National club rugby results: March 18

Northland

Old Boys-Marist 50 Mid Northern 15
Hora Hora 17 Mid-Western 0
Hikurangi 25 Kamo 17
Western Sharks 54 Otamatea 12
Waipu 27 Wellsford 10

Auckland
(Waka Nathan Challenge Cup)

Ponsonby 31 Pakuranga 19
Suburbs 34 College Rifles 7
Papatoetoe 46 Grammar TEC 19
Waitemata 26 Marist 13
(Pollard Cup round one)
Manukau 18 Waitakere City 18
East Tamaki 31 Otahuhu 21
Eden 45 Mt Wellington 12

Counties Manukau
(McNamara Cup)

Manurewa 59 Papakura 7
Patumahoe 24 Pukekohe 11
Karaka 56 Bombay 3
Onewhero 36 Te Kauwhata 19
Ardmore Marist 57 Waiuku 27

Patumahoe have won the Tresco Cup in fine fashion after defeating close rivals Pukekohe 24-11 at home.

Led by two tries and two conversions by wing Harley Jenkins, some aggressive play by No 8 Tamati Fromm, lock Willy Furniss and fullback Sam Furniss, plus some staunch defence, Patumahoe harassed and harried the visitors into errors.

They now hold a 2-0 record with leaders Ardmore-Marist, who dispatched Waiuku 57-27 on the latter's new home turf, raining on the 150th game for veteran Sam Cole. For Ardmore-Marist, doubles to Savelio Ropati and Polynesia Crichton and 17 points to Solomona Paraki, led the way.

Manurewa dominated Papakura to the tune of 59-7 with braces to Francis Tafua, Peter White and Joshua Westerlund.

Onewhero's pack set the platform for their 36-19 victory over Te Kauwhata in the annual Gumboot Challenge. Zac Wootten scored two tries for Onewhero.

The big upset came at Karaka Sports Park, where the home side put the cleaners through the defending champions Bombay to the extraordinary score of 56-3. Karaka bounced back from an opening round defeat to pour the pressure on a depleted Bombay, leading 34-3 at the break, using quick ball to spark their talented backs. Among the nine tryscorers was Steelers midfielder Cardiff Vaega, while New Zealand Under 20s rep Orbyn Leger kicked 11 points

Bay of Plenty
(Baywide premier)

Tauranga Sports 28 Arataki 16
Rangataua 11 Mt Maunganui Sports 3
Whakarewarewa 24 Te Puna 20
Paroa 37 Whakatane Marist 18
Rotoiti 51 Poroporo 7
Te Puke Sports 54 Greerton Marist 12

East Coast

Uawa 85 Tawhiti 7
TVC 31 Waiapu 26
Ruatoria City 27 Tokararangi 17
Tokomaru United 44 Hicks Bay 31

Wanganui

Pirates 33 Marist 32
Border 65 Ratana 7
Kaierau 60 Ngamatapouri 29
Taihape 34 Utiku OB 10

Manawatu

Kia Toa 46 College Old Boys 28
Feilding 25 Te Kawau 18
OBM 63 Linton Army 6
Feilding Old Boys-Oroua 13 Varsity 12

With McDonald's Senior 1 club rugby underway for 2017, many predicted that the top four would look the same old, same old, however Feilding Old Boys-Oroua have scored a huge upset already, knocking over defending champions Varsity with a late try to take a 13-12 win.

Kia Toa's off-season recruitment seems to have added depth to the side and that showed as they make short work of College Old Boys, 46-28, at Central Energy Trust Arena in Palmerston North. Turbos wing Nathan Tudreu scored a hat-trick for Kia Toa.

OBM rolled out the big guns in the second half to run away from Linton Army 63-6 with eight tries. Meanwhile, at Johnston Park, the Yellows of Feilding got runs on the board early with a comfortable 25-18 win over Te Kawau.

Wellington
(Swindale Shield)

Wainuiomata 14 Avalon Wolves 13
Upper Hutt Rams 33 Hutt Old Boys-Marist 23
Wellington 37 Johnsonville 28
Marist St Pat's 31 Tawa 13
Northern United 25 Petone 19
Old Boys-University 27 Poneke 14
Oriental Rongotai 30 Paremata-Plimmerton 13

*On March 25, other unions to kick off their 2017 premier club seasons are Thames Valley, King Country, Poverty Bay, Hawke's Bay, Horowhenua Kapiti, Tasman, Mid Canterbury and Otago (Dunedin Metro).