The bonus point win over Manawatu means they will host Taranaki in the final, after the amber and blacks toppled Hawke’s Bay by a similarly comfortable margin in the other match played on Saturday.
Wellington and Taranaki will meet in the final at Westpac Stadium at 5.10pm in the curtain raiser to the Vodafone Wellington Lions versus Taranaki round 12 ITM Cup encounter. This fixture will be weather dependent and could be transferred to Porirua Park. Please check the website for more information.
Also at Porirua Park on Saturday, the Wellington U20s were defeated by the Waikato Colts (U21s) 18-34 in a non-competition game, the Waikato side protecting a three tries to nil halftime lead and holding on to for their win.
The Wellington U20s are back at Porirua Park this Wednesday at 1pm to host the Auckland Colts and travel to Christchurch on Saturday against the Canterbury Colts, to complete their busy season.
In the main game on Saturday at a fine but blustery Porirua Park, the Wellington Development XV overcame a high penalty count against them, including the early sinbinning of prop Simon Malaeulu, and an off day on the kicking tee by fullback James So’oialo to blast in four wonderful first half tries and lead 22-8 at the break.
In a free-wheeling match, they then survived a brief Manawatu comeback soon after halftime before pulling clear with three unanswered tries and bringing up their half century of points several minutes before fulltime.
Wellington had added a penalty and a try to hard running second five-eighth Joe Wright to extend their lead early in the second half, but the boys in green came roaring back into the match with two tries in two minutes to close to within 10 points.
In scoring eight tries in all, Wellington were hungry and sharp on attack. The backs all played well, with halfback Ruki Tipuna, first five-eighth Fa’atonu Fili and second five-eighth Wright each breaking the line several times, left wing Willie Moala a livewire with both ball in hand and on defence and right wing Leka Tupuola a constant threat. In the forwards hooker Motu Matu’u and skipper and blindside Galu Taufale led the charge, while the reserves that came on all had impacts.
Wellington were fast out of the blocks and laid on two tries to lead 12-0 after as many minutes. Playing into the wind, Matu’u thought he was in for the first try in the 3rd minute following a break into the 22 by No. 8 Andrew McWhirter but the final transfer was a forward pass.
From this incursion Manawatu cleared back to near halfway, Wellington took a quick throw in, Matu’u charged back up into Manawatu territory and offloaded to a flying Moala who showed great pace and a swerve to score the first try.
A clean break by Tipuna led to the second try to lock Shahn Eru ranging up in support and So’oialo added his only successful kick of the half for a decisive early lead.
Wellington’s momentum was clipped with the shrill pea of referee Barnett sending prop Malaeulu to the sin bin, also forcing Taufale to the sideline and a propping replacement to come on for scrummaging. After a concerted build-up, Manawatu’s tighthead prop Beni Kapiolani crossed the chalk.
Manawatu added a 40 metre penalty to narrow the deficit to 12-8 after 25 minutes.
Back to 15 players, Wellington then scored a wonderful 65-metre try from a scrum. An eight-nine pick up and pass off the back put Tipuna in space, Tipuna sprinted 40 metres, drew the Manawatu fullback and passed to first five-eighth Fili in support who flew in for a great try.
Next it was Manawatu who should have replied with their second try, but a forward pass with an overlap and the line open proved to be just one of several clear opportunities and defensive lapses that the visitors slipped up on throughout the match.
One such error was a relieving defensive penalty by Manawatu that failed to find touch, which led directly to Wellngton’s fourth and bonus point try just before halftime. So’oialo fielded the kick in field, put up a pinpoint up and under and right wing Tupuola leapt out of the sky to win back possession. Wellington quickly recycled and standout first half forward Matu’u deservedly rumbled over for the try.
Second five-eigthth Michael Schmidt-Lealava’a’s covering tackle in the grandstand corner saved a near-certain Manawatu try early in the second half, followed by a bootlaces tackle by Moala on the far side to keep them out again.
Wellington swung back on to attack and So’oialo extended the lead with a penalty in front, before second five-eighth Wright steamed up in support of a Wellington kick and intercepted a Manawatu pass at the back and strolled through to score. So’oialo’s conversion put Wellington ahead 32-8.
Manawatu’s centre Caleb Kahupukoro ran away for the next try, followed by Manawatu halfback Steven Treleaven picking up a dropped Wellington pass off the deck and scuttling half the length of the field for another try. This second seven-pointer narrowed Wellington’s lead to 32-22 and with over 25 minutes still remaining the game was far from decided.
However the pressure was thrown right back on to Manawatu, and following a So’oialo penalty miss and Tupuola being bundled into touch in the corner, Wellington replacement loose forward TJ Ioane gratefully accepted an overthrown lineout and fell over the chalk to score. Wellington’s sixth try made it 37-22 with 20 minutes to play.
Wellington’s seventh try four minutes later was a contender with Fili’s earlier one from Tipuna’s scrum break as the try of the match. From a lineout 70 metres out, Wellington turned defence into attack with Tipuna and Fili quickly passing on to Wright who busted the line and charged into space. Wright found Tupuola in support who in turn passed to Schmidt-Lealava’a who scored the try.
The conversion doubled the lead to 44-22 and the game was safe, replacement winger Tau Mamea adding the icing by running away for Wellington’s eighth and final try soon after.
In the earlier game, the Wellington U20s struggled to break open a cohesive Waikato U21s side, who’s three first half tries into the wind gave them a 20-3 halftime lead.
Wellington initially came back strongly in the second half and No. 8 Parekura Lalaga charged over for a well-worked try off the back of a scrum for the first points of the second half.
But Waikato regrouped and pulled clear with two further converted tries of their own, their second five-eighth Glen Robinson and fullback Nathan Lamb combining off a scrum for the first and Robinson again and first five-eighth Nathan George splitting the defence for the second.
Behind by 26 points, Wellington put these twin setbacks behind them over the final quarter and came back to score two tries of their own in the last 10 minutes. Both of these tries were scored by left wing Parataiso Silafai-Lea’ana in a continuation of his outstanding representative season form. The second of these tries particularly stood out, Silafai-Lea’ana beating three defenders in a 20 metre run to the corner flag.
Earlier, Wellington played well in the opening exchanges and took a 3-0 lead in the 14th minute through a penalty to first five-eighth Dudley Parsons.
Waikato hit backwith a try to their right wing threequarter Kane Adams, who scored a second try five minutes later with an intercept and runaway.
This was followed by a penalty to Adams after another turnover and break into Wellington territory, Adams scoring all of Waikato’s first 15 points.
The visitors went further ahead on the stroke of halftime when blindside flanker Whetu Douglas rumbled over the line near the grandstand touchline.
WRFU representative results 9 October:
At Porirua Park:
Wellington U20 18 (Parataiso Silafai-Lea’ana 2, Parakura Lalaga tries; Dudley Parsons penalty) lost to Waikato U21 34. ht: Waikato 20-3
Wellington Development XV 51 (Joe Wright, Willie Moala, Michael Schmidt-Lealava’a, Shahn Eru, Fa’atonu Fili, Motu Matu’u, TJ Ioane, Tau Mamea tries; James So’oialo 2 con, pen; Fili 2 con) beat Manawatu Development XV 22. Ht: Wellington 22-8.
At Masterton:
Wellington U13 65 beat Wairarapa-Bush U14 7