Rugby: Ponies loose forwards take control

If Ponsonby win the Gallaher Shield in Auckland club rugby this season, pictures of loose forwards Bevan Leckner, Ed Langi and Stanley Afeaki should be as prominent in their Western Springs clubrooms as the famous trophy itself.

Against Waitakere City on Saturday, Ponsonby's loose trio turned up the heat in the second half as their team added 26 unanswered points to win 39-11.

The victory took the blue and blacks to a share of second place with Suburbs, the pair two points adrift of Otahuhu and five ahead of Waitemata, University, Grammar Carlton and Waitakere City with four first-round games remaining.

Leckner, who played for Southland in the national provincial championship last season, has decided to stay at home this year and take his chances of wearing Auckland's colours.

He is not the biggest loose forward around, but there are few players more industrious in ball retrieval or as accurate in the tackle.

Once he took control against Waitakere City after the break, he orchestrated the attack and the westerners, partly masters of their own demise through having two players sinbinned and one eventually ordered off, hardly had a sniff of the ball.

Langi, the No 8, is very big and has strength to match.

His running in broken play brought one try when he finished off a move by mercurial halfback Kevin Senio, and he was a constant threat with his ability to turn defence into attack.

By his own admission he has a way to go to reach optimum fitness, but he is rapidly approaching that goal.

Afeaki basks in the skills of Leckner and Langi and is the ferret in the side whose foraging feeds the trio's appetite for action.

Waitemata leapt from ninth to a share of fourth place by winning a tough battle with Grammar Carlton, 21-15.

Suburbs stayed close with a 22-17 win over Teachers and University showed their true colours when they beat Tamaki, 26-6.