Battle of dueling All Blacks in Ponsonby-Marist draw

Isaia Toeava won the battle of the second-fives in an engrossing Auckland premier club rugby encounter yesterday, helping his team battle to a 17-17 draw with Ponsonby after a direct match-up with fellow All Black Sam Tuitupou.

Marist are a long way below Ponsonby on the ladder but, as Auckland club fans know, they can beat anyone on their day.

It's probably been a while since Marist's Liston Park has seen four All Blacks, but with Tuitupou and lock Ali Williams turning out for Ponsonby and Toeava and Doug Howlett (at fullback) for Marist, the game had extra zing.

Toeava showed some snatches of the class the All Black selectors see in him. From broken play, he reeled off a sizzling break to set up Marist's first try. In the second half, he swerved around Tuitupou and stood on the gas in a classic outside break to leave his All Black colleague behind him.

However, Toeava also ran away from his support and was taken in a tackle.

The chance might have been lost but Marist, down 17-10 after trailing 10-7 at halftime, retained the ball, kept the pressure on and when winger Fetu Vainokolo was blocked in a kick-and-chase near Ponsonby's line, the referee had no hesitation in awarding a penalty try.

Not that Tuitupou was without his moments. One of his trademark hits rattled the fillings of a Marist player and he sent Ponsonby flanker Chris Lowrey into a huge gap in the second half to set up excellent halfback Chad Tuoro for his second try and that 17-10 lead.

Marist were a bit unlucky. They were shaded in all departments by the bigger Ponsonby pack but contested hotly at ruck and maul, and their defence held under real pressure. They could have stolen the match when they were camped on Ponsonby's line close to the end.

University and Ponsonby are now tied on 25 points at the head of the premier one table with two weeks of matches before the Gallaher Shield semifinals.

University gained a valuable bonus point with their five-try, 38-23, win over Waitakere City at Colin Maiden Park.

East Tamaki is in third place three points behind the co-leaders after their 12-6 win over a Suburbs team destined to play in the end-of-season promotion-relegation series.

Waitemata fought out the closest of draws at Pakuranga's Bell Park with each side scoring just the one converted try and three penalties.

Otahuhu have come right at the tail end of the season with their third successive win, this time 16-10 over Grammar Carlton.