Rugby: Wellsford survive early shocks

HALF A CHANCE: Hikurangi halfback Nick Jurlina is brought down by Wellsford second-five Dylan Lewis.

WELLSFORD will be counting their lucky stars after facing a fierce first 50 minutes from Hikurangi.

Despite coming away with a 42-10 win in round 12 of the Bayleys Southern Districts Premiers, the competition leaders were given a wake-up call by Hikurangi's niggly forward pack at the breakdowns.

After facing a similar assault in the first half of their round 11 match against Kamo, visiting Wellsford took a while to hit their straps on Saturday - even with the wind behind them.

Nonetheless, Wellsford coach Ross Neal said his team were intent on playing out the entire 160 minutes of their remaining round robin games - especially with a home semifinal on the line.

"We're really happy with how the boys bounced back in the second half," Neal said. "We were under a bit of pressure in the first half."

Despite a strong tail wind in the first half, Wellsford only managed 13 points to lead 13-3 at the break.

A quick try from Hikurangi at the start of the second half narrowed the gap to 13-10.

In a change of tempo, Wellsford turned up the heat despite the relatively strong southwesterly breezing in and ran in several well-executed tries to claim the win.

Standouts for Wellsford were fullback Matt Wright - who ran in three tries - and his brother Ross, who made crucial tackles and bustling carries.

"We turned it on in the last 30," Neal said. "We held the ball a lot more. [It was] a relatively strong wind so holding the ball in the second half paid off."

Hikurangi could not replicate their 14-7 win over the Western Sharks in the last round of the competition, as their performance deteriorated after the first 50 minutes of the match.

With two rounds remaining before playoffs, all eyes will be on the standings over the coming weeks.

Mid Northern, having secured a 60-8 bonus point win over Kamo on Saturday, are putting their best foot forward to secure a home semifinal and, with Hikurangi and Mid Western the only teams lying in the way of their playoff hopes, they look set to have a good run home.

Otamatea, the thorn in the side of many teams this season, have bounced to life since the Queen's Birthday weekend break.

Their 27-16 disposal of Hora Hora at the weekend has placed them in good stead for their remaining fixtures versus Kamo and Hikurangi.

Mid Western's 19-13 win over the Western Sharks on Saturday has kept them in the running for a semifinal berth, however, Old Boys Marist and Otamatea are hot on their heels.

The Maungakaramea-based side have one more away game this weekend, versus the in-form Wellsford, before returning home in round 14 to host Mid Northern.

Wellsford will have a their full repertoire of players returning for the remaining matches, which should see them return to the force they were in the first half of the season.

Old Boys Marist's winning run of late highlights them as serious playoff contenders also. They dismissed Waipu 29-8.