Rugby: Marist's impressive record blown aside by hungry forwards

Grammar Carlton toppled Marist 19-5 in Auckland club rugby and made a significant start to the qualifying round for the Gallaher Shield playoffs.

Big guns Teachers Eastern, University and Ponsonby were also impressive winners.

Marist looked a shadow of the side who for 10 years have never missed a place in the semifinals, rarely looking capable of carrying that grand record on for the 11th time.

On paper Marist were up to beating the top echelon, but their bigger and more experienced pack were fragmented by the Grammar Carlton eight hunting as a unit and this, together with a high error rate, had their sideline fans and coach Mac Olsen in despair.

The Grammar Carlton loose trio of Todd Male, Leon Webb and Samiu Vahafolau ruled the roost in broken play and only desperate defence from Scott Palmer, Matt Grace and, in the second half, Pat Vainikolo, kept the score from climbing a good deal higher.

University sopped up the pounding from the powerful Suburbs pack in the first half and turned with a 17-10 lead and a licence from coach Graeme Syms to let loose.

The students reacted by piling on the points at one a minute in a brilliant display of running football and won 57-13.

Suburbs were a much better side than the score indicated, but the combinations thrown up among all 15 University players, allied with their fitness, were superb.

Teachers Eastern were given a stern test in their first half against Waitemata and the 10-7 scoreline was a fair indication of the run of play. But the class and speed of their backline, even with Tanner Vili, Sam Gibbons and Eleisa Tanivula missing, was too good for the westerners and Teachers finished strongly to win 36-7.

Ponsonby seemed at times to take promoted Tamaki a little too cheaply. They turned a 10-0 halftime lead into a 29-5 victory, but it took a typically grinding display by their pack to achieve the win.

Otahuhu had their nearest neighbours, promoted Papatoetoe, to contend with and had to pull out all stops to stave off a strong challenge 17-5.

Demoted East Tamaki stumbled against up-and-coming College Rifles in the opening round of second-division play, which has entry into the Jubilee Trophy playoffs and a place in the first division next season as the main prize. East Tamaki conceded a 12-0 first-half lead and could not make up the leeway against a brave defence and lost 5-12.

Pakuranga, so near to making the top division last weekend, gave Manukau a 17-0 halftime lead and lost the match 13-20.

North Harbour's two international referees, Steve Walsh sen and Steve Walsh jun, resting from Super 12 duties, played significant roles in the union's club round on Saturday.

Walsh sen awarded East Coast Bays a penalty try, the winning margin over Helensville, while Walsh jun, officiating in a North Shore-Silverdale cliffhanger reacted to over-vigorous play by banishing North Shore halfback Ben Meyer to the never-never.

Unbeaten Takapuna humbled Mahurangi 51-0 and, as dog ate dog in the chasing pack, stretched out to a 10-point lead.

Silverdale beat second-placed North Shore 23-12 and Marist toppled Massey 32-14 to climb into semifinal contention.

Shore's fall from grace let Kumeu, who beat Northcote 22-14, into second place in the hunt for semifinal berths still eight weeks away.