Ardmore Marist keeps in touch
Ardmore Marist overcame fourtime defending champions Bombay 41-20 at Bombay to move within touching distance of confirming top spot heading into the Counties Manukau premier rugby playoffs.
Doug Sanft’s side came through one of their biggest tests of the season – the defending champs at the business end of the season away from home – with flying colours.
The six tries to three win means that one more win from their final three games will secure top spot heading into the semifinals.
‘‘It was some good learnings,’’ Sanft said. ‘‘I am happy with the win but we learned a lot about where we are at and Bombay put us under a lot of pressure especially in the first 50 minutes.
‘‘It felt like a playoff game – it was intense right through the first half. We scored, they scored – it was real tight in the first half but maybe our skill-set stood out in the second half.’’
Sanft was particularly happy with the performance of his front row – the starting side and the one that came on as replacements.
Ardmore Marist retained the Counties Power Cup in the process.
Bombay falls to fifth on points differential and have one less game to play than their semifinal rivals.
Karaka moved into a share of fourth place with a vital 22-18 win over Waiuku.
The home side found themselves down 13-5 at halftime but produced a spirited second half performance to bag their second successive win.
‘‘I was really pleased with the team’s performance this week,’’ coach Scott Penney said.
‘‘We played a really good Waiuku side that had some injured players back this week and we managed to come out on top.
‘‘I am super proud of the guys.’’
Patumahoe took a big step towards securing a semifinal spot with a convincing 52-12 win over Onewhero at Onewhero.
Patumahoe scored eight tries in the one-sided result including a hat-trick to winger James Brady. Manurewa’s Willie Tuala still tops the leaderboard with 16 on the season.
It means Reon Graham’s side jumps ahead of Manurewa to second on the championship ladder.
‘‘The main thing for us is that we spoke all week about how tough Onewhero is at home and how they don’t traditionally give in so we needed a real 80-minute performance,’’ Graham said.
‘‘We stuck to our patterns really well for the full game.
‘‘Jimmy ran hard all day and played well. Tamati Fromm had a really good game and Palu Ale had his first start in a number of weeks. He ran hard all game and played well defensively.’’
The Patumahoe v Karaka match this weekend looms as one of the key match-ups that will have a big outcome on the semifinals.
Pukekohe got a much-needed win to boost their season after a string of disappointing performances. They proved too classy for Papakura 37-22 at Colin Lawrie Fields.
It snaps a skid of five losses and a draw for coach Mark Price’s side.
‘‘I think it was hugely important – more for the boys than anything else,’’ Price said.
‘‘It wasn’t so much the win itself but the way the boys won.’’
Pukekohe’s win keeps their semifinal hopes alive. With winnable games against Waiuku and Onewhero to go and a grudge match against Bombay, Price’s side remains in with a show of making the top four.
Patumahoe thrashed Onewhero 70-0 to collect five vital points in Premier 2 action and hold their spot in the top four. Pukekohe got back to winning ways – beating Papakura 65-10 while Ardmore Marist got a close win over Bombay 33-29. Karaka saw off Waiuku’s challenge with a 33-20 victory.