Wellington took out its fourth consecutive Hurricanes U18 title when it beat Hawke's Bay 24-14 in the 2011 final at Taradale on Saturday.
Wellington survived an initial onslaught to dominate the first half with the breeze at its back. Wellington player of the day and fullback Jackson Garden-Bachop opened the scoring with a try on the quarter hour mark and it was his break ten minutes later that led to right wing Falelima Siieni crossing the line, the latter ably converted by first five-eighth Andrew Wells from wide out.
Several further Wellington line breaks came to nothing when final passes couldn't be held. The match then took on a very different look when an attacking Wells kick was taken on the fly and Hawke's Bay had a 60 metre, albeit unobstructed, dash to score against the run of play. A Wellington penalty goal on the stroke of halftime pushed the lead back out beyond one score, but assured the second half would be a tight tussle.
Hawke's Bay failed to convert two penalty goal attempts ten minutes after the break and, after Wellington replaced half its forward pack with fresh legs mid-way through the second stanza, it gradually looked the more likely team to take the spoils. A strong forward drive from a scrum, which completely dominated its opposition all game, culminated in No.8 Tuakana Metuarau forcing his way over the line beside posts.
A second Hawke's Bay try seven minutes from time made for an anxious finale, but Wellington held on for a deserved championship win.
Scores: Wellington U18 24 (Jackson Garden-Bachop, Falelima Siieni, Tuakana Metuarau; Andrew Wells pen, 2 con) beat Hawke's Bay U18 14. HT: 15-7
The Wellington Pride played their way into next week's women's NPC final with a resounding 48-13 win over Canterbury at a bright and breezy Petone Recreation Ground on Saturday.
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