Premier Rugby Round 5 Report - Anzac Day

North Shore appear to have taken a firm hold on the premier first round competition for the Buck Shelford Shield after continuing their unbeaten record in the two rounds played over the Anzac weekend.

Shore gained a significant 13-10 win over one of the other impressive sides of the competition so far, Marist, then went on a scoring spree to secure a 52-20 bonus point win over Northcote on Sunday.

That has placed Shore five points clear of second placed Takapuna and Marist and seven points ahead of the only other side with a mathematical chance of winning the first round, Massey.

Having played all of these three sides, Shore have what should be a comfortable draw over the final three weekends of the first round series. They still have to play the two grand finalists from 2012, Silverdale and Western Pioneers, but neither of these sides has recaptured last year’s authority and, with losses in each of the Anzac weekend matches, have had just two wins from six matches.

Both also face the formidable task of meeting Shore on their home ground at Vauxhall Road. Shore’s only other Buck Shelford round will be away -- the finale on May 18 against struggling Mahurangi at Warkworth.

By Lindsay Knight

Though Shore won an arm wrestle on Anzac Day against Marist, the Frano Botica-coached side was in much more imposing form playing away against Northcote, running in eight tries, two of which went to the in-form veteran halfback Luke Hamilton.

Marist recovered from their narrow loss to Shore to win their Sunday match against the Pioneers, after another tense struggle, 11-7. Takapuna also underlined the threat they might be if Shore should have an unexpected stumble and especially in the second round, by winning two important games, 13-10 over Massey, when Nick Elrick kicked a late penalty goal, then much more comfortably 24-5 on Sunday over Silverdale.

Massey, as did Takapuna over Silverdale, secured aH H bonus point with their 34-22 Sunday win over Glenfield, to maintain a slight championship hope.

Mahurangi’s difficult season continued firstly with a 38-17 defeat to Glenfield on Anzac Day when they were over-run in the second spell after having a 17-0 halftime lead, then on Sunday when they suffered yet another massacre, 95-5 from East Coast-Bays. Outside backs Jason Donnelly, Josh York and Jona Tuitoga were in rampant form for Bays, scoring 10 of the side’s tries and Codey Rei with a try, a penalty and 11 conversions contributed 30 points.

The Anzac Day matches featured a number of upsets. Bays won for the first time this season, 36-30 over Pioneers and Northcote took advantage of Silverdale’s goal-kicking woes to win 25-20.

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