Premier Rugby Report - 12th July

By LINDSAY KNIGHT

Massey and North Shore secured the top two spots for next weekend’s premiership semi-finals when qualifying rounds ended on Saturday and the smart money will be on them repeating their 2013 places in this year’s final.

But there was plenty of evidence in Saturday’s matches to suggest that neither of the sides they will meet next weekend, Silverdale and Western Pioneers, will be without a chance.

Massey, the dominant side for most of this season and last year’s champion, won comfortably enough against East Coast Bays 36-8 and, with a bonus point for scoring at least four tries, finished two points clear of Shore on the ladder.

Massey could even afford to spell two of their forward leaders, captain and flanker Matthew Howling and prop Adrian Smith. In their absence flanker Kima Iosua in his 50^th premier game for the club was captain against Bays.

But Shore almost conceded the second qualifying position to Western when it battled harder than it would have wanted, despite having home ground advantage, to just win 19-17 over Silverdale. Indeed, Shore trailed 17-14 into the final minute and were saved by veteran first five-eighths Willie Walker and outside back Tim Blundell. Walker placed a perfect cross-kick from which Blundell scored at the corner.

Though with the better scrum, Shore found the mauling play of the Silverdale pack hard to counter.

Silverdale will meet Massey in one of the semi-finals and, of course, will have the handicap of having to play away again, at Moire Park. Shore will host Western and could be again stretched by a Western side which was in confident form on Saturday with a 43-13 win over Takapuna.

Western’s star was the lively wing Ritchie Ah Chong, who advanced his claims for a Harbour ITM Cup position by scoring four of the side’s tries. Takapuna actually took an early lead through the boot of its champion goal-kicker Jon Elrick, but was quickly swamped by Western’s mauling drives from lineouts which brought two tries to Western flanker Mario Ozich.

Western was without its regular goal-kicker Kyle Nu’uali’itia and a number of other key players, but was much too strong for a Takapuna side, which was sorely depleted through injuries and overseas departures and with none of the motivation which in past years has made this club Harbour’s most successful.

Takapuna’s only bright note on Saturday was that its sole try went to one of its most loyal club men, James Ledwith, whose main priority in playing is an old school one, to enjoy the after-match beer. The 31-year old forward is in his 14^th season with the club and has only just recently passed his 50^th premier first appearance. Most of his games have been from the bench and, as was the case on Saturday, he has usually played the earlier match for the reserves.

Northcote emerged as the second top side, behind Takapuna, for the plate semi-finals by comfortably beating bottom side Glenfield 38-12. Northcote will face Bays in one of the semi-finals, with Takapuna drawn against Glenfield in the other.