North Harbour
Kumeu 29 Glenfield 22
Massey 22 Marist 9
East Coast Bays 40 Mahurangi 12
Northcote 19 Takapuna 16
Silverdale 32 North Shore 23
Northcote had an almighty tussle to repel Takapuna 19-16 and retain the Les Pearce Memorial Shield at the Harvey Wright Fields.
Fullback Nick Smith, a former Blues Development rep, scored a try and kicked four penalty goals in a player of the day display during what was a typically physical derby with no quarter asked or given. Takapuna hooker Steven Misa scored his club's sole try. Shane Neville raised a century of games for Takapuna.
Northcote played well into the wind in the first half and their defence was superb. The second stanza was one of punch and counter-punch. Northcote's Blake Hall captained the side in his 80th appearance.
The upshot is that Northcote are tied at the top of the log with Massey, who scored a 22-9 win over Marist via two doubles to Junior and Mark Telea. Massey's set-piece laid the platform, while there was a tremendous halfback tussle between Massey's Nalu Tuigamala and Marist's Raymond Daniels.
Silverdale toasted Evan Marshall's 40th and blazer game with a 32-23 win over North Shore. Zane Turner scored a double, but Silverdale had to bring it in the second spell after trailing 18-10 at oranges. Daniel Lee scored 18 points, including two tries, for the vanquished.
Glenfield outscored Kumeu three tries to two, including a double to Brandon Payn, but the westerners won 29-22 largely thanks to 19 points from the boot of Todd Doolan.
East Coast Bays hold fifth position thanks to their 40-12 result over Mahurangi, which featured a hat-trick to Judah Moala-Liava'a. New Zealand Universities rep Harrison Groundwater, who has come up from Lincoln University in Canterbury, kicked three conversions.
© 2022 North Harbour Rugby | Web Design by Benefitz.