The results of the second round mean that all the match ups this upcoming weekend will be sudden death. All four Auckland teams in both the U16 Shaun Johnson Shield and U18 Dean Bell Cup have one win a piece meaning the final round will determine the teams that will play in the grand final the following weekend.

SATURDAY 19^th MARCH | U16 Shaun Johnson Shield, Ngāruawāhia

Tāmaki ki te Tonga (South) 30 – 20 Waikato

U16 Waikato came to play for a second week in a row putting in a strong first half performance to had into halftime with a lead against a Tāmaki ki te Tonga team coming off the bye. Down two tries, coach Ruka Loza rallied the team to a strong second half performance enabling them to return home with the win.

“Coming down to this new atmosphere, most of the boys haven’t moved out their safe space in Auckland” captain Augustino Filipo said. “It was exciting even though we missed out on a first up game due to the bye week.”

“We came into the first half, and it was pretty sloppy, nothing was connecting and basically, we were just a one-off team. When we came into halftime down two tries, coach Ruka told us what we needed to do, what we can work on. Just glad that we got the win.”

Waikato captain, Mangaroa Mark spoke on the opportunity to be a part of the inaugural U16 Shaun Johnson Shield and commented that it was good for players to come together after not playing for a while. “It was good to get together, these Auckland sides are tough, but it’s always good to play against the best.”

WATCH REPLAY: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BcaAhY8NIac

SATURDAY 19^th MARCH | U18 Dean Bell Cup, Ngāruawāhia

Tāmaki ki te Tonga (South) 54 – 4 Waikato

U18 Waikato followed the U16 side with a strong first up performance. Across the game, Tāmaki ki te Tonga put together a consistent performance to get away with a convincing victory.

Tāmaki ki te Tonga Captain, Kayliss Fatialofa said that the team was eager to come down and put in a good performance after having the bye in the first round. “It was good to get a run out with the boys, to come down here after a long pre-season, get the rewards and get the win.”

“Putting on a good display for all of our family back home that can’t come out, it’s just good to get the job done today.”

WATCH REPLAY: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zkf3TtwyE0A

SUNDAY 20^th MARCH | U16 Shaun Johnson Shield, Semenoff Stadium

Tāmaki ki te Raki (North) 82 – 0 Northland

Sunday promised a storm of wet weather for the trip up to Whangārei, but the downpour held off for most of gameplay. Tāmaki ki te Raki (North) came to Semenoff Stadium with a point to prove putting on a statement performance against the U16 Northland side.

The side is arguably the team to beat in the U16 grade and will look to continue the momentum through into the final round. Captain Ryder Williams controlled the show from the halfback position directing the ball around the park playing the full sixty minutes.

“It felt great getting out there, we’ve trained hard and it’s a good opportunity for us to get out of Auckland and see some of the talent outside of Auckland too”, Williams said.

WATCH REPLAY: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L4GDKSNw3uI

SUNDAY 20^th MARCH | U18 Dean Bell Cup, Semenoff Stadium

Tāmaki ki te Raki (North) 30 – 4 Northland

The U18 side from Auckland North came up against a strong Northland side that showed improvements on a week prior. Northland couldn’t capitalise on the opportunities throughout the game and ended up coming up short.

Northland did, however, score a try off a trick play that took them the full length of the field. Keep an eye out for the highlights of round two the catch the play.

Tāmaki ki te Raki captain, Sima Tau, credited the boys for the performance and levelling the standings heading towards finals. “It was really good; we had some tough trainings, but we came out to play and came out with the W.”

WATCH REPLAY: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WT5oDErMy9g

STANDINGS & ROUND 3 FIXTURES

The top team from each pool in each tournament after three rounds will proceed to the grand final at Mt Smart Stadium.

Round 3 Fixtures

Results of the first two rounds have led to sudden death matches in all four games this weekend, with every Auckland team currently on one win each. The third round will essentially work as semi-finals with the winners going straight through the grand final the following weekend at Mt Smart Stadium.

Saturday 26^th March – Auckland

U16 Shaun Johnson Shield - Tāmaki ki te Raki (North) v Tāmaki ki te Rawhiti (East)

U18 Dean Bell Cup - Tāmaki ki te Raki (North) v N Tāmaki ki te Rawhiti (East)

Sunday 27^th March – Auckland

U16 Shaun Johnson Shield - Tāmaki ki te Tonga (South) v Tāmaki ki te Uru (West)

U18 Dean Bell Cup - Tāmaki ki te Tonga (South) v Tāmaki ki te Uru (West)

Live coverage will continue on the ARL YouTube channel this weekend!

Article added: Wednesday 23 March 2022