By EVAN PEGDEN - Waikato Times

After one of the closest fought Waikato club rugby seasons the same two finalists as last year – Morrinsville Sports and Fraser-Tech – have emerged to contest the grand final.

That meant both finalists turned around defeats from the final games in the round-robin.

It also meant that for the second year in a row the fourth-seeded team got through to the Waikato Breweries Shield final by knocking off top seeds Hamilton Old Boys in the semifinals.

This time it was the turn of Shenanigans Irish Pub Fraser-Tech to upset the Haswell Catley Trophy main round winners, beating CBD Hamilton Old Boys 35-30 in an entertaining match that produced eight tries in perfect, sunny conditions. Just seven days earlier Old Boys had clinched the trophy by beating Tech 27-21.

This will be Fraser-Tech's fourth year in the final in a row, having won the title in 2008.

In the other semifinal at Morrinsville, defending champions Wagon Wheel Bakery Morrinsville Sports bounced back from a heavy defeat at the hands of Hautapu the previous week to beat Lodge City Rentals Hamilton Marist 20-13 – two tries to one.

The final will be played at 3.35pm on Saturday at Waikato Stadium as the curtainraiser to Waikato's ITM Cup opener against Bay of Plenty at 6.35pm.

Ecolab Te Awamutu Sports will host the Waikato Draught Plate final against APL Hautapu after beating TDO Melville 20-19 at home, while Hautapu, also at home, downed OTC Otorohanga 24-10.

The Lion Cup final will be between Seafood Bazaar Te Rapa and The Shed Bar University, as expected, while a local derby in the Jubilee Trophy will see Reid and Harrison United Matamata Sports host McPherson Contractors Hinuera.

Fraser-Tech35

Hamilton Old Boys30

Fraser-Tech got their set-piece in order after the previous week's shambles and stunned Old Boys with a thrilling exhibition of width-of-the-field running rugby to score five tries to three at Fred Jones Park.

Two of Old Boys' tries, both converted by on-form kicker Kane Adams, came in the dying minutes of the game to close the deficit to five and give the home side a faint sniff of victory deep into stoppage time after Tech had emptied the reserve bench, but the visitors were able to hang on for a deserved victory.

Tech had their lineout firing on all cylinders this week, dominated by outstanding lightweight lock Peniasi Iowane, and the off-the-top ball was used to stretch the Old Boys' defence from one side of the field to the other.

Prime beneficiaries were Tech's outside backs, right wing Maru Henry picking up a hat-trick of tries to go back to the top of the competition's individual try-scoring list, while left wing Navi Sikivou and centre Glen Robertson got the others.

An exciting first half saw Tech open with Henry's first touchdown after Sikivou had gone close in the other corner but then Old Boys fought back to take a 10-7 lead thanks to a fine backplay try of their own to right wing Matt Kenny, created by elusive fullback Adams.

Sikivou and Henry each got tries before the break for Tech to lead 17-16 at halftime, the contrasting goal-kicking fortunes of Sam Christie and Adams keeping the scores close.

Christie knocked over a penalty goal at the start of the second half to make it 20-16 and in the fifth minute a crucial passage of play saw young Tech fullback Thomas Watt save what seemed a certain try by knocking down an overlap pass and Adams hit an upright from the resulting penalty.

Sikivou was again bundled out in the corner and then a free kick tap was botched by Tech before Christie knocked over another penalty to make it 23-16 after a touch judge report on a misdemeanour by Old Boys replacement loose forward Rory Grice.

Another try went begging for Tech a few minutes later when Henry lost the ball over the line after getting through Adams' tackle after a Robertson break, but he made no mistake three minutes later when he came off the blind-side wing to join the backline in midfield and score the try of the match near the posts, which Christie converted for 30-16.

Old Boys came back to apply a lot of pressure as the game entered the final quarter and a flood of penalties had Tech on the ropes, but the home side turned down easy kicks at goal that might have put them in touch and the visitors' defence held.

Instead it was Robertson who scored the decider in the 35th minute on the end of an overlap after big lock Brad Mitchell had provided the impetus with two charges down the left flank.

Tries to five-eighths Dean Devcich and Ruben Williams in the space of four minutes, both converted by Adams, had Old Boys back within five of Tech but after an interminable amount of injury time that time ran out for the home side.

Old Boys' loose forwards have been impressive this season but among the heroes for the winners on Saturday were loosies Joe Scheres, Adrian Hall and Kiel Mans who had their measure.

Morrinsville Sports20

Hamilton Marist13

This was a tense and torrid affair at Campbell Park in which there was little to separate the teams, although the home side lasted better, eventually getting up to win the game with a converted try in the closing minutes, John Holt reports.

Both sides took a while to settle into their play, both guilty of botching opportunities to open the scoring because of silly handling errors during the first 15 minutes of play.

Eventually Marist broke the deadlock when fullback Jono Malo got his side onto the attack after fielding an attacking chip kick on halfway from his Morrinsville marker Benji Olsen, taking play deep into Morrinsville territory.

From the resulting ruck in front of their opponents' goalposts, Marist moved the ball right and big No8 Wilisone Qiqiwaqa crashed through some weak defence to score, first five-eighth Joe Reynolds successfully converting.

But Marist then failed to capitalise on that fine start.

A short time later Morrinsville gained their opening points when No10 Andre Wilson kicked his first penalty goal, and then, in perhaps the key moment of the match the same player scored an outrageous try for the home side a short time later, up in support to finish off an attack initiated by halfback Damon McKinnon on his side of halfway.

McKinnon caught the Marist defence napping with a quickly taken tap penalty, then sprinted off before unloading to Wilson, who scored in the right hand corner. Much to the delight of the partisan home crowd, Wilson then nailed the wide-angled conversion to give his side a 10-7 lead at halftime.

The sides exchanged penalty goals early in the second half, two to Reynolds for Marist, and another to Wilson for Morrinsville, leveling the score at 13-13 heading into the last quarter.

Morrinsville were then able to produce greater effort, enabling the side to get onto attack and take the win.

Late in the half a long range penalty goal from Wilson hit the crossbar, bounced high, but failed to go over.

Undaunted, the home side continued to apply pressure, fielding a Marist clearing kick in the 38th minute then counter-attacking to score the match-winning try, when left wing Ben Titoko crossed over to touch down unopposed in the corner.

Wilson was again successful with his second conversion attempt to make the final score 20-13.

Referee Aaron Paterson controlled the match in excellent fashion throughout.