This weekend's National club rugby results.
Northland
Mid-Western 29 Kamo 12
Wellsford 54 Western Sharks 14
Hora Hora 33 Hikurangi 17
Mid Northern 33 Waipu 22
Otamatea 15 Old Boys-Marist 8
North Harbour
(Buck Shelford Shield)
North Shore 23 Massey 20
Western Pioneers 101 Marist 3
East Coast Bays 85 Mahurangi 19
Glenfield 38 Takapuna 12
Northcote 38 Silverdale 37
North Shore, the defending North Harbour champions, served a timely reminder that they are not a pale imitation of their 2014 selves with an upset 23-20 win at Massey.
The westerners looked the goods early, dominating possession and the collision area, and took a 15-6 lead to oranges. But Shore came out firing in the second spell, scoring three tries, to loose forward Dillon Wihongi and a brace to Jonny Yandall. Centre Matt Vaega scored a try and kicked two goals for Massey, who suffer their first loss of 2015.
Both Northcote and Silverdale have been involved in a number of close games this season, with both sides desperately unlucky not to have posted more than one win each throughout the first round. Northcote raced away to a 31-16 halftime lead but a strong Silverdale second spell almost saw them pinch the game with two notable braces from Rangiera Takarangi and Darren Wigg. There were 11 tries scored in this thriller.
Glenfield continued their impressive march with another strong display against a rebuilding Takapuna to record a 38-12 win and a first defence of the Les Pearce Memorial Shield. Josh Rowland scored two tries for Glenfield, who travel to Western next Saturday for a top of the table clash.
Western posted over 100 points on a Marist side that is doing it tough in 2015, the 101-3 victory featuring a 36-point haul from Matt McGahan and three more tries to the competition's leading tryscorer Ritchie Ah Chong.
East Coast Bays looked for a time as though they might also hit that mark over Mahurangi. The final score was 85-19, but the good news for Mahurangi was that they scored three tries. Bays had two doubles through AJ Tuhoro and Tua Saseve among their 12 touchdowns.
Massey remain at the top of the points ladder thanks to their earlier wins over their rivals, but the points table has closed right up, with five teams within one win of each other.
Auckland
(Blue pool)
Waitemata 22 Suburbs 7
Papatoetoe 65 Otahuhu 5
Maungarua 26 Waitakere City 19
(Sir Fred Allen Challenge Cup)
Pakuranga 6 University 6
(White pool)
Eden 20 East Tamaki 17
Marist 16 Manukau 12
Grammar TEC 34 Ponsonby 20
In a rare dusk (4.30pm) game played under lights, Pakuranga successfully defended the Sir Fred Allen Memorial Challenge Cup with a dour 6-all draw with fellow blue pool high flyers University.
A large crowd gathered at Bell Park to help celebrate Pakuranga's 50th jubilee, for which the premier match was one of several events to mark the milestone.
University recalled three of their four NZU reps who only flew back in from Japan on Thursday - lock Tom Robinson, flanker Sinclair Dominikovich-Murray and prop Marcel Renata. Pakuranga were not able to call on Blues squad members Joe Edwards and Sam Prattley, who were in Melbourne with the franchise.
This was a rugged, niggly, but hardly fluent, affair. The defence was top-notch across the park, and some of the handling and pushed passes would not have pleased the respective coaching staffs. Both goalkickers, Nick Smith for Pakuranga and Brenton Helleur for Varsity, missed opportunities.
Pakuranga had the better field position and flow in the second spell and Smith kicked a penalty goal on 59 minutes to level the scores at 6-all. He missed another for the win after Varsity centre Taylor Millar was unjustly yellow carded for a borderline high tackle on the assistant referee's recommendation.
The draw leaves Pakuranga with a one-point lead over Varsity with two more qualifying rounds to play. They will both safely make the top four, but there is a looming bun fight developing between Suburbs, Papatoetoe and Waitemata for the remaining two spots. The latter two will meet next Saturday in a crucial encounter.
Waitemata, helped by two tries to wing Jared Klaver, won a vital victory over western rivals Suburbs, while Papatoetoe flexed their muscle to the tune of 65-5 over Otahuhu. There were four doubles, and prolific fullback D'Angelo Leuila scored 20 points. The long-suffering Maungarua scored their first win of 2015, 26-19 over Waitakere City.
The playoffs picture is just as murky in the white pool, with five teams also vying for four places. Marist edged previously unbeaten Manukau Rovers 16-12, though Rovers scored two tries to one. Grammar TEC won a significant 34-20, bonus point, victory over Ponsonby, while Eden picked up their first win of 2015, 20-17 over East Tamaki.
Counties Manukau
(Challenge Cup)
Waiuku 74 Weymouth 8
Karaka 31 Pukekohe 24
Ardmore-Marist 68 Drury 8
Onewhero 26 Manurewa 24
Patumahoe 64 Te Kauwhata 12
Bombay 88 Papakura 0
There was a change at the top of the standings when Karaka toppled previously unbeaten Pukekohe 31-24.
Both sides scored three tries but Karaka's Kieron Rollinson kicked six goals to Nathan de Thierry's four. Pukekohe No 8 Maama Vaipulu was again a handful, and scored a try.
Karaka led 13-0 and then 20-14 at the break, and pushed on in the second stanza.
Ardmore Marist continue their hold of the Counties Power Cup with a 68-8, 10-try crushing of Drury, and will now host Pukekohe in a marquee match-up next Saturday. Ngataua Hukutai and halfback Jason Guthrie scored braces for the victors.
Onewhero, missing several personnel to injury, leapfrogged Manurewa into sixth position with a 26-24 win over the south Aucklanders. Michael McKinnon scored the late, decisive try, while Kieran Whyte was outstanding for Onewhero.
A resurgent Patumahoe moved up to seventh position after flogging Te Kauwhata 64-12. Sam Furniss recorded a hat-trick and Vaha Fili a double while Riley Hohepa contributed 24 points, including 19 off the tee.
Bombay stayed in third spot after an 88-0 shutout of Papakura, Tofaga Iese with a quartet of tries, while Waiuku hold fifth after dispatching Weymouth 74-8, Armyn Sanders crossing four times.
There is a clear top eight, bottom four division with two rounds to play in the Challenge Cup.
Thames Valley
(Silcock Shield)
Te Aroha COBRAS 37 Thames 22
Waihou 15 Mercury Bay 12
Hauraki North 35 Tairua 10
Waihi 22 Ngatea 5
Bay of Plenty
(Baywide premier)
Te Puke Sports 80 Opotiki 7
Tauranga Sports 36 Rotoiti 5
Te Puna 26 Greerton Marist 22
Whakarewarewa 44 Rangataua 22
Paroa 24 Waikite 13
Mount Maunganui 57 Whakatane Marist 25
Tauranga Sports and Whakarewarewa sit on top of the Baywide premier standings after both sides posted solid wins on Saturday.
However, the most emphatic victory of the weekend saw Te Puke Sports run over Opotiki 80-7 at Murray Salt Stadium in Te Puke.
Te Puke halfback Jono Kitto, who came off the bench, made his presence felt when he dotted down four second half tries in just 30 minutes. Curtis Dean grabbed a double with Lars Morrice, Chulainn Mabbett-Sowerby, Declan Barnett, Eru Smith-Wanu, Gideon Uelese and Dan Hollinshead also scoring tries for Te Puke. Hollinshead added 10 conversions, with long-time Opotiki player Dean Elmiger grabbing his side's touchdown.
The expected close battle between Tauranga Sports and Rotoiti, who had won their respective BOPRU 2015 sub-union championships, turned out to be mostly one-way traffic. The first quarter was an arm-wrestle, with neither team posting any points, before Jesse Acton crossed for Tauranga Sports first touchdown after 25 minutes. Two more Tauranga first half tries gave the home side a 19-nil lead at the break.
Flying Tauranga Sports winger Phillip Togotogorua scored a try after five minutes of the second half, with Dodds adding the conversion, to push his side out to a 26-nil advantage. A concerted Rotoiti forward attack was rewarded when No 3 Arapo Whata was awarded the five-pointer. A fifth home side touchdown saw Tauranga Sports take out the encounter 36-5.
Whakarewarewa came back from 11-15 down at halftime to take home a solid 44-22 win against Rangataua, in the Western Bay of Plenty. Te Rangi Fraser dominated the Whaka scoring with four tries, four conversions and two penalty goals for a personal tally of 34 points. Rangataua, who battled away throughout the encounter, picked up a valuable bonus point, for four touchdowns.
Mount Maunganui won a high-scoring encounter against Whakatane Marist 57-25 in the Eastern Bay of Plenty, running in nine tries while the home side also dotted the ball down three times. Te Puna sneaked home against Greerton Marist 26-22, reversing the Western Bay local round result, while Paroa beat Waikite 24-13 to grab their first Baywide points of the season.
Waikato
Otorohanga 32 University 16
Melville 48 United Matamata Sports 28
Hamilton Marist 45 Hamilton Old Boys 33
Fraser Tech 30 Hautapu 25
Morrinsville Sports 48 Te Awamutu Sports 33
Hamilton Marist continued their winning ways on Saturday in the Waikato premier club competition with a convincing 45-33 win at home over arch-rivals Hamilton Old Boys.
The Marist side was always in control of this match and continue to lead the competition from a Melville side who also won well, 48-28 at Collins Rd against bottom-placed United Matamata Sports. Otorohanga maintained third place with a 32-16 win over Waikato University at the Island Reserve. The other games also went according to ranking on a day of generally high scoring. Morrinsville Sports utilised home advantage at Campbell Park to outplay Te Awamutu Sports, winning by 48-33, while Fraser Tech managed their fourth win of the round, beating Hautapu 30-25 at Mill St.
King Country
Waitomo 40 Waitete 17
Taupo Sports 36 Taumarunui Sports 12
Pio Pio 39 Kio Kio 12
Taumarunui Districts 13 Bush 10
East Coast
Hikurangi 40 Waiapu 17
Tokomaru Bay United 15 Tawhiti 5
Ruatoria City 25 Uawa 22
Hicks Bays beat TVC by default
Poverty Bay
HSOB 36 Pirates 10
YMP 15 Ngatapa 15
Hawke's Bay
(Tui Nash Cup)
Havelock North 27 Clive 17
Taradale 21 MAC 20
Napier Old Boys Marist 22 Napier Technical 18
Napier Pirate Rugby and Sports 29 Central 21
Hastings Rugby and Sports 87 Tamatea 3
Taranaki
Inglewood 41 Clifton 17
NPOB 25 Spotswood United 15
Tukapa 46 Coastal 19
Southern 41 Stratford 14
Wanganui
Marist 30 Kaierau 21
Border 22 Utiku OB 18
Pirates 31 Ruapehu 6
Manawatu
Te Kawau 79 Freyberg 0
Linton Army 23 Feilding 11
Kia Toa 37 Varsity 9
Old Boys-Marist 21 Feilding Old Boys-Oroua 20
Horowhenua Kapiti
Waikanae 24 Levin College Old Boys 10
Paraparaumu 88 Wanderers 0
Shannon 35 Foxton 13
Wairarapa-Bush
Martinborough 23 Carterton 7
Marist 22 East Coast 14
Wellington
(Swindale Shield)
Upper Hutt Rams 31 Northern United 30
Old Boys-University 33 Marist St Pat's 17
Hutt Old Boys-Marist 54 Johnsonville 22
Petone 61 Paremata-Plimmerton 11
Wainuiomata 25 Tawa 18
Poneke 39 Avalon 10
Wellington 22 Oriental Rongotai 8
Tasman
(Tasman Trophy)
Moutere 35 Kahurangi 15
Wanderers 53 Renwick 5
Waimea OB 71 Waitohi 31
Central 20 Nelson 5
Harlequins 34 Marist 31
Buller
(Albion Cup)
White Star 13 Ngakawau 6
Westport 77 Reefton 15
West Coast
Blaketown 32 Wests 20
Kiwi 79 Grey Valley 3
South Westland 20 Marist 17
Canterbury
(Hawkins Cup)
Lincoln University 25 Christchurch 22
New Brighton 36 HSOB 27
Burnside 39 Belfast 12
Marist Albion 23 Sydenham 22
Linwood 41 Sumner 20
University 50 Shirley 19
Mid Canterbury/Canterbury Country
(Section one)
Lincoln 13 Southbridge 13
Kaiapoi 24 West Melton 19
Oxford 30 Prebbleton 15
Celtic 36 Hornby 12
Glenmark 47 Rakaia 33
(Section two)
Saracens 20 Ashley 19
Darfield 29 Hampstead 24
Waihora 37 Ohoka 13
Southern 18 Methven 12
Burnham/Dunsandel/Irwin 39 Rolleston 18
South Canterbury
Celtic 26 Temuka 22
Harlequins 33 Mackenzie 22
Waimate 48 Old Boys 17
Pleasant Point 32 Geraldine 10
North Otago
(Citizens Shield)
Old Boys 64 Valley 10
Excelsior 26 Athletic Marist 17
Kurow 42 Maheno 0
Otago
(Metro)
Harbour 18 Southern 17
Taieri 36 Dunedin 26
Zingari-Richmond 39 Alhambra-Union 35
Kaikorai 36 Pirates 31
University A 64 Green Island 12
(Central Otago)
Roxburgh 36 Wakatipu Wanderers 7
Maniototo 19 Arrowtown 11
Upper Clutha A 36 Cromwell 7
Wakatipu 19 Matakanui Combined 0
Alexandra 75 Upper Clutha B 0
Southland
Star 14 Marist 11
Woodlands 53 Midlands 0
Eastern-Northern Barbarians 45 Blues 0