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Manurewa produced a huge result at Mountfort Park 1 on Saturday, defeating Ardmore Marist South Auckland Motors 23-18 in their Challenge Cup Premier fixture.

It was Ardmore Marist who got off to a flying start, scoring a try off the first kick off. Manurewa made a mix up with the kick off and lost the ball, with Ardmore Marist picking it up and crossing the white chalk. The score was tight at the halftime break, with Ardmore Marist leading 12-10. Manurewa assistant coach Josh Levi said it was an awesome result to fight back in the second half and take the win.

“The boys are stoked. It was a great result on a special day as we were playing for the Yates Family Memorial Trophy. We had a chat about it before the match and I think it motivated the boys. It got really close in the second half and Ardmore Marist playmaker Luteru Laulala made a 50 metre break and we thought we were going to lose it, but we were solid on defence for the last 4 or 5 minutes and we managed to hold them out.”

Levi said the whole day was a great occasion because they also celebrated Mother’s Day, with mother’s drinking champagne and eating canapes on the sideline. Levi credited a couple of guys in his side who really stood up.

“We had Mark Selwyn back in midfield and he was outstanding, he was just into everything. Our captain and prop Lachlan Collier had another great game and so did Jordan Ah-chong who played at halfback for us. He kicked well and got us some good valuable position.”

Manurewa have a bye next weekend but Levi said they are really starting to get a good roll on.

“We have a lot of self-belief in the side now which is great to see. It’s amazing what can happen when you get a couple of wins under the belt. We’ve now had three wins in a row and I don’t know when that would have happened last. It was disheartening to lose our first few games but we are now taking a step in the right direction and starting to really click.”

Counties Power Cup Holders, Karaka, came away with a 46-9 victory over Onewhero Counties Bulk Haulage/Carters at Karaka Sports Park. The home side ran in seven tries, with Onewhero’s Luke Makris kicking three penalties. Karaka remain at the top of the Challenge Cup Premier standings, with Patumahoe Hotel in second, Bombay Gough Cat in third and Onewhero in fourth place.

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At Colin Lawrie Fields, Pukekohe Mitre 10 Mega came away with a 52-14 victory over Te Kauwhata EnviroWaste. Pukekohe only led 12-0 at the break and coach Rhys Cullinane said it took his side a while to get into the game, after having a bye last weekend.

“Te Kauwhata were a very committed side and it just took us a while to get our structures going. We took a long time to adjust to the referee as well. It was 11-3 in the penalty count in the first half, so we needed to adjust to the ref earlier.”

Pukekohe scored eight tries, including two to Gary Dalbeth, while Te Kauwhata got a penalty try and another to Owen Paletau.

Waiuku Brian James Contracting beat Weymouth 65-9 in their fixture in Waiuku. The home side shot out to a 33-6 lead at half time, before scoring 32 more points in the second spell. Waiuku coach Jimmy Robinson was happy his side kept going hard in the second forty.

“That was a pleasing aspect, that the boys were able to continue what they were doing in the second half. Even though we were up by quite a bit, we managed to keep doing the basics right.”

Robinson credited his openside flanker Ethan James and stand-in captain Daniel Fitzharris in the victory. He’s also excited about their new Fijian winger.

“Tevita Nabura scored four tries for us yesterday. Every time he touched the ball he either scored or set someone else up. He looks really good. He’s 6 foot 4 and 105kg and can run like the wind. It’s really exciting for us because we have had lot of injuries in our backline this season.”

Patumahoe Hotel got back to their winning ways, with a 36-5 win over a spirited Papakura Ray White side. Tamati Fromm, Joshua Van Lieshout, Aloisio Massi, Robert Wallis, Sam Furniss and Kamaliele Sakalia all scored for Patumahoe, while Darryl Hemopo scored Papakura’s try in the second half. Riley Hohepa kicked three of Patumahoe’s conversions.

In the Counties Power Game of the Week, Manurewa defeated Ardmore Marist 44-12 at Mountfort Park in the Auckland Premier Women’s competition. Manurewa coach Kallum Adams said it was a great spectacle.

“It was a great game to be honest. I was really pleased with the girls up front and at set piece time. I think us and Ardmore Marist have the two biggest forward packs in the competition, so we were pretty evenly matched, but it was a great result for the girls and good to win at home too.”

Manurewa started the match strong, but Adams said Ardmore Marist definitely had a better second half than his side.

“We fell into a bit of a comfort zone in the second half, because we were up by quite a bit at half time. They came out firing so we had to adjust. But all in all they have a good side and it would be great to see both Counties side go through to the top four and go right to the end.”

Manurewa lock Stacey Brown was the A S Wilcox & Sons Limited Player of the Day. She had a huge game defensively and played well up front. She went home with a big vegetable pack from A S Wilcox & Sons Limited.

In the other women’s game, Glenfield defeated Waiuku 35-7.

In the Don Shuker Premier Reserve fixtures, Karaka were too strong for Onewhero Hinemoa Produce/Livestock NZ 77-15. Patumahoe Hutton Builders came away with a convincing 73-0 win over Papakura Ray White. Pukekohe defeated Te Kauwhata Trailers & Cabins 47-13. Ardmore Marist Harcourt’s beat Manurewa 41-21 and Waiuku were too good for Puni 57-12.

Ardmore Ross Roof Group defeated Karaka 31-12 in their Massey Cup Under 21 match. Patumahoe Albycon defeated Waiuku 29-7 and Pukekohe were too strong for Bombay Roger Gill Agriculture 29-5.

In the Bright Cup Under 20 Beachlands Maraetai beat Papatoetoe 55-7.

The Under 85kg games saw a close result between Ardmore Marist Harcourt’s and Waiuku, with Waiuku coming away with a 27-24 victory. Patumahoe Pak ‘N’ Save defeated Bombay Lincoln Farms 32-6 and Karaka beat Onewhero 38-15.

In the First Grade, Manurewa defeated Pakuranga 29-26.

The 1^st XV Premier Secondary Schools competition kicked off over the weekend, in the Chiefs Cup, Trophy, Bowl. Rosehill College defeated Hauraki Plains College 25-7, Wesley College 1^st XV beat Tauranga Boys 26-12. The Wesley College 2^nd XV were too good for Morrinsville College 35-5, Cambridge High were too strong for Waiuku College 98-3, Hamilton Boys 2^nd XV beat Pukekohe High School 29-22 and St Peters defeated Alfriston College 63-12.

A S Wilcox & Sons Limited Leaderboard after Round Nine

Richard Spranger Photo Credit