Good weekend for rep teams
The Manawatu Under 19s overcame a determined Hurricanes Heartland Barbarians XV 27-18 in Palmerston North on Saturday.
It was a messy performance for Manawatu, who looked to be in store for a major upset midway through the second half.
They can thank agile wing Tobias Wickham-manuel and replacement halfback Hunter Waller for getting them back on track after a sketchy showing in the first half.
Prop Tavita Manu scored the first try with a short-range rumble, but the Heartland side responded through wing Harry Symes.
Throwing too many 50-50 passes and dropping a lot of ball was stinging Manawatu, as was having props Manu and Sione Asi seemingly stationed permanently in the midfield rather than hitting rucks.
Adam Boult put Manawatu in the lead and Manu grabbed his double before halftime.
When Symes crossed just before the break, Manawatu’s halftime lead was cut to 15-10.
The Heartland side equalised through Chris Brewer and then pulled ahead with a penalty.
But that was the wakeup call Manawatu needed with the side
turning on its best phase of rugby.
Waller crossed after a scrum 10m out from the line and then Boult and Wickham-manual combine for a impressive long-range try.
The Manawatu Under 19s play Wellington next weekend in their final match of the Hurricanes qualifying matches.
The Manawatu Development XV were in good form as they beat the Wellington Samoans in Porirua on Saturday.
Wellington came out physically which starved Manawatu of the ball. Paora Rakatau kicked two penalties, but Wellington took a 7-6 lead into the break.
It was a different story in the second half as Manawatu fired back.
The forwards started to take more control of the game which allowed Manawatu to attack.
With 16 minutes to play, Manawatu took the lead and they would hold on to it for the rest of the match as the tries started to flow, including a double to wing Ben Werthmuller.
The Development XV take on Wellington Maori next weekend.
The Manawatu Cyclones beat Wellington 24-10 in their final preseason match before the Farah Palmer Cup gets underway next weekend.
Meanwhile, Feilding Hight School beat Wairarapa College 45-15 to move within one game of returning to the Co-ed Top Four playoffs.
Feilding turned on a strong display to blow Wairarapa off the park.
Their set piece was in dominating form, despite the side missing Ethan Mcquinlan (shoulder) and Jack Fleury (suspension).
Leo Wiki and young Javier Wharerau both had standout games.
David Parker led the strong defensive effort, while James Bolton played the enforcer role with some big hits.
Parker, Drew Wild and Wiki all crossed for two tries each and Josiah Maraku grabbed the other.
Feilding take on Porirua in Palmerston North in the final of the Hurricanes region on Saturday.
Palmerston North Boys’ High School have been knocked out of the boys competition after a 50-22 loss to St Pat’s Silverstream.
It was a massive improvement from the 71-0 hammering they were dealt earlier this year.
But it ends the side’s domestic campaign with their tour to the United Kingdom to come.
St Pat’s Silverstream will now play Hastings Boys’ High School to see who will represent the Hurricanes region in the Top Four competition.
Manukura beat Aotea College by three points to qualify for the Hurricanes girls’ competition to qualify for the final against St Mary’s next weekend.