Patumahoe beat Pukekohe on the final whistle to secure a McNamara Cup semi-final berth while Karaka beat Manurewa to secure a home semi-final next weekend in a thrilling final day of round robin.
Pukekohe dominated the first half against Patumahoe at Patumahoe Domain and turned at the break with a 10-0 lead that could easily have been larger.
But Patumahoe fought their way into the contest in the second spell and managed to draw level with a couple of minutes remaining.
With time expiring and Pukekohe realising they would need to win the game to secure a home semi, the ball was turned over, and Jimmy Brady scampered 50 metres to score the winning try.
“I feel great and I know the boys will be absolutely chuffed to get across the line,” coach Greg Stanford told Counties Sports Hub.
“Is there a bigger word than tough? What a battle.”
Karaka withstood an early Manurewa push but ultimately had too much for their opponents as they secured a crucial bonus point win.
With Pukekohe’s loss, the defending champions were able to leap over their rivals to snatch a home semi-final against Pukekohe next weekend.
“Mixed bag by us in the first half,” coach Craig Hill said. “Much better in the last five minutes before half time and in the second half.
“We will need to be better next week if we want to go any further.”
Top-ranked Ardmore Marist had little difficulty in claiming a 55-10 win over Bombay to complete a 13-win, 1-loss regular season.
They will host Patumahoe at Bruce Pulman Park next weekend.
Papakura ended their campaign on a high, claiming a 44-24 win over Weymouth at Laurie Gibbons Reserve.
Defending champions Karaka will face Patumahoe in the final of the Massey Cup U21 competition after two terrific semi-finals on Saturday.
Patumahoe scored after 80 minutes had expired to beat Pukekohe 25-24 in a thrilling contest at Patumahoe.
Karaka held their nerve as top qualifiers to beat Ardmore Marist 33-24.
Waiuku secured a semi-final berth in the Bob Chandler Cup with a convincing 79-15 win over Papakura.
Pukekohe scored a late try to secure a 33-31 victory over Patumahoe, while Ardmore Marist defeated Bombay 29-15 and Karaka thumped Manurewa 85-22.
It sees Karaka host Waiuku in one semi-final and Pukekohe host Ardmore Marist in the other.
Te Kauwhata moved back to the top of the Sid Marshall Shield standings with a comprehensive 64-25 win over Manurewa while Maramarua moved into a share of third place with a 33-27 away win against Drury.
In the Sid Marshall Cup, Te Kohanga grabbed top spot with a 70-7 thrashing of Tuakau while Karaka beat Puni 30-0.
Waiuku secured a spot in the U85kg Cup final with a 41-13 win over Pukekohe at Colin Lawrie Fields.
They will meet Morrinsville in the decider, after the Waikato side defeated Patumahoe 50-7 in the other semi.
Beachlands Maraetai booked a spot in the U85kg Shield final after a convincing 48-7 win against Bombay while Drury went down to Hamilton Marist 52-10.
Manurewa produced their best performance of the season when it counted most to beat top seeds Ponsonby 32-31 at Western Springs in a thrilling semi-final of the Women’s Premier competition.
They will face College Rifles in the decider next weekend.
Patumahoe advanced to the final of the Women’s Premier 2 competition after beating Papakura 33-10 in the semi-finals.
They will meet Northcote in the final.
