Rugby: Late show wins Challenge Cup for Papatoetoe

Wayne Shelford. Photo / Greg Bowker

AUCKLAND

A fired up Papatoetoe beat unbeaten tabletoppers University 12-0 to win the Sir Fred Allen Challenge Cup at Colin Maiden Park yesterday.

Papatoetoe's win was set up by a dominant second half performance after a scoreless first half. Captain Ben Masoe and midfielders Viliami Tahitu'a and Junior Tavaga crushed University with some big defence.

No 8 Masoe scored his ninth try of the season with just seven minutes left after Papatoetoe camped on University's line. An individual kick and chase try from speedster Desma Liaina clinched the deserved win.

University had their chances in the first half but poor tactical kicking and handling cost them. Papatoetoe committed more players to the breakdown and defended superbly to grind out the win.

Grammar Carlton moved into second place after scoring five tries in a bonus point 34-3 win over Otahuhu, while fourth-placed Ponsonby had a 21-6 victory over Eden. Pakuranga move to third after beating Waitemata 34-19, Marist beat East Tamaki 29-6, and Suburbs struggled past Teachers Eastern 6-0. College Rifles beat Manukau Rovers 46-3 and Waitakere City beat Te Papapa-Mt Wellington 13-3.

- Peter White

NORTH HARBOUR

North Shore rewarded their illustrious coach, former All Black captain Wayne Shelford, by winning the North Harbour silverware named in his honour for the second consecutive year yesterday.

Shore won the Buck Shelford Shield, contested over the nine games of the first round, by outplaying last year's champion side, Northcote, 24-6 - breaking a three-match losing streak to Northcote.

In atrocious conditions and heavy downpours, the Shore pack adapted better to the conditions, with hooker and captain James Hincho and lively young loose forward Josh Blucher providing excellent leadership.

Blues squad member Matt Luamanu, despite a sin-binning, was also effective and powered over for one of Shore's three tries.

Shore finished a point ahead on the first round table of Western Pioneers, who were unworried by the wet to run in 16 tries and thrash bottom side Mahurangi 103-0.

One major upset occurred when Silverdale, who, like Western, had been in hot pursuit of Shore, were upset by the second bottom side Marist 18-13.

Marist were another side to adjust well to the conditions and were helped by Silverdale's many errors. East Coast Bays continued their improvement with a 29-13 win over Glenfield, their four tries earning them a bonus point, and Takapuna slipped into third place on the ladder by being too strong for a depleted Massey side with a 22-0 win.

Representative players James Parsons and Chris Smith headed a superior Takapuna pack and, as usual, Jon Elrick was a major factor with his boot, though it did appear to most spectators, and even the touch judges, that one of the goals he was awarded may have been outside the posts.

- Lindsay Knight