On form they will be favourites to beat Takapuna this Saturday and claim the first round honours.
A depleted Glenfield fell 37-6 to the dangerous Western Pioneers, for whom Pita Volavola scored a brace. But Glenfield did lead 6-3 at halftime until they were over-run.
In blustery conditions, Marist registered their first competition points of the season, a dour 3-all draw with Silverdale, Max Asera kicking the sole penalty for the home side and Sebastian Langridge the three points for the Dale.
Northcote, with a number of their injury concerns behind them and the big unit in Jason Alexander playing his 100th premier game, notched up a convincing 47-19 win over Mahurangi, Renata Roberts-Tenana scoring a double.
North Shore went to 6-2, and fourth position, with a fine 55-23 win over old rivals Takapuna. Daniel Hilton-Jones and Ben Stewart crossed for a pair of braces, as did Takapuna loosie Jordan Manihera, while Willie Walker kicked 20 points for Shore.
This weekend's most enticing match will be North Shore v Western at Vauxhall Road, though Northcote and Bays will surely have a tight tussle.
Auckland
(Blue pool)
Waitemata 30 Papatoetoe 27
Suburbs 20 Pakuranga 10
University 47 Waitakere City 0
Otahuhu 45 Maungarua 23
(White pool)
Grammar TEC 16 Manukau 13
Ponsonby 65 East Tamaki 25
College Rifles 31 Eden 11
It is tight as drum as 10 teams vie for just eight available places in Saturday's final Alan McEvoy Memorial Trophy qualifying round.
In the hotly contested white pool, Grammar TEC needed a late penalty goal by Simon Hickey to sink Manukau Rovers 16-13, who were again staunch on defence but were guilty of carelessness and ill-discipline. Hickey and replacement hooker Andrew Makalio scored the tries for Grammar TEC and Ranjan Tupuola for Rovers.
Ponsonby scored eight tries to three to dispatch East Tamaki 65-25, veteran No 10 Murray Williams helping himself to 23 points, while 2014 NZ Schools lock Sam Ulufonua crossed for a try. College Rifles won a vital, bonus point, 31-11 victory over Eden.
The upshot is that the loser of the Rifles-Ponsonby game on Saturday could be playing second tier rugby from May 30. Manukau should defeat East Tamaki, while Marist are not yet 100 percent safe, and they travel to Grammar TEC.
The picture is even cloudier in the blue pool. University should remain at the top, after they beat Waitakere City 47-0, though leading by just 7-0 at the half, centre Taylor Millar with a brace. Suburbs won a critical clash, 20-10 over Pakuranga, and Otahuhu recorded their second win of the season, 45-23 over Maungarua.
The key result was Waitemata's narrow 30-27 win over Papatoetoe, who had beaten them in the March final of the Waka Nathan Challenge Cup. Karl Siemsen's 20 points were like gold for the westerners, but Papatoetoe scored four tries and thus picked up two bonus points, which may be decisive after Saturday's final round.
Papatoetoe No 8 Amos Mataia scored the solo try of the match, but Waitemata loose forward Gary Saifoloi's score, from a John Vui break, was equally emphatic.
This all means that, assuming Pakuranga defeat Waitakere City and Waitemata do likewise to Maungarua, it all goes on the line in the Papatoetoe v Suburbs encounter in south Auckland. The loser could be heading for the bottom seven. Papatoetoe have scored more points than any other team in the competition, but have dropped three matches.
Suburbs' attack has proved strong most of the season as well.
Counties Manukau
(Challenge Cup)
Te Kauwhata 26 Papakura 19
Patumahoe 41 Onewhero 22
Manurewa 70 Drury 3
Ardmore-Marist 19 Pukekohe 16
Karaka 66 Weymouth 0
Bombay 35 Waiuku 10
Ardmore Marist retained the Counties Power Cup and moved up to second on the Challenge Cup log after a tight 19-16 win over Pukekohe on Saturday.
Though missing No 8 Maama Vaipulu, on Chiefs duty, Pukekohe went to the break 13-0 to the good. Ardmore Marist, marshalled strongly by halfback Jason Guthrie, who has represented at sevens level, played with more commitment and energy in the second spell, and Steelers loose forward Onosa'i Auva'a was among the three tryscorers.
Reece Joyce was the standout player for Bombay in their good 35-10 win over Waiuku, starting at fullback and ending at second five.
Manurewa moved into seventh position after hammering Drury 70-3, Robert Ofisa scoring a double and Brand Maihi a hat-trick.
Patumahoe maintained their solid recent form to defeat Onewhero 41-22, with Riley Hohepa accurate again with the boot. Onewhero secured a bonus point via their four tries.
Karaka made no race of it, repelling Weymouth 66-0, with Kieron Rollinson scoring 26 points and wing Tavite Gadeisuva nailing his 16th try of 2015 to lead all comers.
Te Kauwhata picked up just their third win of the season in edging Papakura 26-19.
This coming Saturday sees the final series of round-robin matches in the Challenge Cup, before the competition splits, with the top eight section playing each other. Karaka can seal the Challenge Cup if they win at Waiuku, while Pukekohe host Manurewa in what should be the other close encounter.
Thames Valley
(Silcock Shield)
Te Aroha COBRAS 24 Mercury Bay 16
Thames 27 Waihi 8
Hauraki North 61 Ngatea 3
Paeroa West 42 Tairua 27
Bay of Plenty
(Baywide premier)
Mt Maunganui Sports 76 Opotiki 10
Te Puke Sports 13 Rotoiti 6
Tauranga Sports 42 Te Puna 11
Whakarewarewa 20 Greerton Marist 8
Rangataua 45 Waikite 21
Whakatane Marist 32 Paroa 22
Whakarewarewa outside back Te Rangi Fraser continued with his Baywide Premier tryscoring spree this season when he bagged another double against Greerton Marist on Saturday.
The first half was a real arm-wrestle with neither side able to score any points, before Whaka used a stiff breeze in the second half to good effect, as they ground out a 20-8 win. Fraser dotted the ball down twice to take his season tally to eight touchdowns in just three Baywide games, with Ryubyn Vaipo kicking two penalty goals and two conversions.
The Greerton Marist points came from a Cody McGovern try with Tim O'Malley slotting a penalty. The Whakarewarewa victory sees them just one point behind multiple Baywide titleholders Tauranga Sports, however their big test will come next Saturday, when they meet the Western Bay competition leaders on Tauranga Domain.
Tauranga Sports took their season points tally to 140 in just three games, when they defeated Te Puna 42-11, at Maramatanga Park. A Te Puna penalty opened the scoring in the opening minutes before the visitors to Te Puna headquarters ran in two tries. A Te Puna touchdown awarded to Keegan Long right on halftime saw Tauranga Sports take a narrow 15-11 lead into the break.
At 20-11 entering the last quarter, the game was still up for grabs, before Nick Evemy, Jesse Acton and Phillip Togotogorua busted the Te Puna defence to dot the ball down and propel the visitors to bonus point victory.
Whakatane Marist grabbed their second win of the Baywide season, when they won the local Eastern Bay derby against Paroa. Marist went to the halftime break trailing by seven, before taking control in the second spell to take out a 32-22 victory. The Whakatane Marist points came from tries awarded to John Boy Butler, Mana Williams, Pineaha O'Neill and Jona Sawailau, with Williams adding 12 points with his boot.
Te Puke Sports returned home from the Rotoiti fortress at Emery Park with a hard fought 13-6 win, Mount Maunganui Sports ran away from Opotiki 71-10, with Rangataua taking home their first win of the season when they beat Waikite 45-21 in Rotorua.
Waikato
Fraser Tech 36 United Matamata Sports 10
University 56 Hamilton Marist 15
Te Awamutu Sports 35 Melville 27
Morrinsville Sports 20 Hamilton Old Boys 6
Otorohanga 34 Hautapu 27
University thoroughly outplayed defending champions Hamilton Marist at the University grounds in the feature match of the weekend's club rugby.
The students scored five unanswered tries in the first spell to lead 34-0 at halftime before going on to win the match comfortably by 56-15. Country sides returned good results in the other matches. Otorohanga beat Hautapu 34-27 at Cambridge, Morrinsville Sports travelled to Hamilton and easily beat Hamilton Old Boys 20-6, while Te Awamutu Sports used home advantage to head Melville by 35-27. In the fifth match, Fraser Tech continued their winning form of recent weeks with a 36-10 win over United Matamata Sports at Bedford Park.
King Country
Taupo Sports 30 Waitete 25
Tongariro 22 Taupo United 15
Kio Kio 49 Coast 36
Taumarunui Eels 29 Pio Pio 15
Waitomo 35 Taumarunui Districts 0
East Coast
Waiapu 25 Tokomaru Bay United 20
Hikurangi 25 Ruatoria City 14
Tokararangi 32 Hicks Bay 16
Uawa 28 Tawhiti 10
Poverty Bay
Ngatapa 18 HSOB 8
OBM 42 Pirates 10
Hawke's Bay
(Tui Nash Cup)
Taradale 35 Napier Pirate Rugby and Sports 7
Clive 20 MAC 8
Central 17 Tamatea 0
Napier Old Boys Marist 23 Hastings Rugby and Sports 20
Napier Technical 25 Havelock North 22
Taranaki
NPOB 43 Clifton 13
Coastal 34 Southern 26
Spotswood United 32 Stratford 25
Tukapa 37 Inglewood 31
Wanganui
(Grand Hotel Challenge Shield)
Pirates 26 Border 5
Taihape 46 Kaierau 26
Ruapehu 52 Marist 0
Utiku OB 41 Ratana 16
Manawatu
Old Boys Marist 17 Varsity 13
College Old Boys 27 Feilding 10
Kia Toa 27 Te Kawau 20
Feilding Old Boys-Oroua 29 Linton Army 22
Horowhenua Kapiti
Levin College Old Boys 20 Athletic 10
Paraparaumu 64 Foxton 14
Wairarapa-Bush
Carterton 36 East Coast 3
Greytown 12 Pioneer 7
Marist 29 Eketahuna 26
Gladstone 15 Martinborough 14
Wellington
(Swindale Shield)
Poneke 50 Hutt Old Boys-Marist 28
Marist St Pat's 61 Paremata-Plimmerton 6
Oriental-Rongotai 39 Johnsonville 25
Wainuiomata 28 Wellington 11
Petone 25 Avalon 23
Tawa 38 Northern United 8
Old Boys-University 38 Upper Hutt Rams 22
Tasman
(Tasman Trophy)
Moutere 27 Nelson 26
Wanderers 47 Central 24
Kahurangi 78 Renwick 5
Waimea Old Boys 76 Harlequins 17
Waitohi 78 Stoke 0
Buller
(Albion Cup)
(Life Members Trophy)
Ngakawau/Karamea 27 Old Boys 10
White Star 17 Westport 15
West Coast
Blaketown 28 South Westland 22
Kiwi 33 Wests 14
Marist 66 Grey Valley 12
Canterbury
(Hawkins Cup)
Lincoln University 41 Shirley 15
Linwood 22 Christchurch 16
HSOB 42 Burnside 13
Marist Albion 38 Sumner 15
University 71 Belfast 0
Sydenham 28 New Brighton 27
Mid Canterbury/Canterbury Country
(Section one)
Rakaia 24 Hornby 0
Lincoln 15 Prebbleton 12
Oxford 21 Southbridge 20
Glenmark 43 West Melton 15
Celtic 27 Kaiapoi 24
(Section two)
Hampstead 43 Ohoka 15
Methven 20 Ashley 18
Southern 43 Burnham/Dunsandel/Irwin 26
Darfield 19 Waihora 15
Saracens 39 Rolleston 5
North Otago
(Citizens Shield)
Excelsior 33 Valley 20
Athletic Marist 29 Maheno 15
Otago
(Metro)
Taieri 59 Pirates 13
Southern 17 Kaikorai 13
University A 31 Alhambra-Union 16
Zingari-Richmond 28 Green Island 17
Harbour 34 Dunedin 10
(Central Otago)
Maniototo 23 Matakanui Combined 0
Arrowtown 28 Upper Clutha A 16
Alexandra 23 Wakatipu 3
Upper Clutha B 14 Wakatipu Wanderers 10
Roxburgh 41 Cromwell 34
Southland
Woodlands 18 Eastern-Northern Barbarians 5
Pirates-Old Boys 46 Midlands 0
Marist 43 Blues 8
