Defending Graham Mourie Cup champions Bay of Plenty have set the bar high on day one of the Jock Hobbs Memorial National Under 19 tournament with a commanding 50-0 victory over Auckland Development.
All 16 teams took the field for the first time this week at Owen Delany Park with their eyes set on the Graham Mourie Cup and Sir Michael Jones Trophy.
Alongside with Bay of Plenty; Wellington, Auckland and Canterbury have also progressed to the Graham Mourie Cup semifinals, all four teams have previously won the tournament.
Canterbury and Wellington had strong day one victories, while Auckland was challenged by Waikato in an enticing battle, the blue and white hoops triumphing 30-25.
There will be a new name on the Sir Michael Jones Trophy by the end of this week with North Harbour, Hawke’s Bay, Taranaki and Tasman all progressing to semifinals.
Taranaki looked most dominant on day one with their 58-0 win over Northland while North Harbour pipped three-time winners Counties Manukau by just a point, 27-26.
Semifinal matches are scheduled for Wednesday. Tomorrow will see players take part in professional development and position specific coaching sessions.
Day One Results
Graham Mourie Cup
Canterbury 27 – Manawatu 7
Wellington 22 – Otago 3
Auckland 30 – Waikato 25
Bay of Plenty 50 – Auckland Development 0
Sir Michael Jones Trophy
Taranaki 58 – Northland 0
North Harbour 27 – Counties Manukau 26
Hawke’s Bay 44 – Southland 0
Tasman 33 – Heartland 3
Day Two draw
10.45am Manawatu v Auckland Development
10.45am Northland v Heartland
12.30pm Otago v Waikato
12.30pm Counties Manukau v Southland
Sir Michael Jones Trophy semifinals
2.15pm North Harbour v Hawke’s Bay
4pm Taranaki v Tasman
Graham Mourie Cup
2.15pm Wellington v Auckland
4pm Canterbury v Bay of Plenty
Finals day – 14 September
The Sir Michael Jones Trophy (3.25pm) and Graham Mourie Cup (5.05pm) Finals will be broadcast live on SKY Sport. Other broadcast matches include the playoff for 11th/12th (12.05pm) and 3rd/4th (1.45pm).