Jubilee and Hardham Cups starting tomorrow
And so it begins again. The seven-week battle to just make the Jubilee Cup playoffs, then to win two more intense, high pressure, matches to earn the right to lift Wellington rugby's ultimate prize. The six Premier sides that didn't make the top flight, plus Marist St Pats' and Old Boys-University's 'B' sides, will contest the Hardham Cup ,and with the Premier Reserve sides also starting their second rounds we're now well into the back half of the season with all championship rounds underway.
With Super Rugby in hiatus over the international break, a contingent of Hurricanes squad members will be making an appearance in club colours. Also notable are three milestones being brought up tomorrow with MSP's evergreen Fa'atonu Fili making his 200th Premier appearances (182 for MSP and 18 for Oriental-Rongotai in 2013), Avalon's Akuila Alatini reaching 100 games for the Wolves, and Hiria McRae doing the same for the OBU Impala's women's side.
The feature radio game this week comes from the Basin Reserve, with Gordon Noble-Campbell calling the Old Boys-University vs Upper Hutt Rams match on Radio Sport (1503AM).
Premier Jubilee Cup
With all five of the central city clubs making the Jubilee Cup, the southern and eastern suburbs will be a busy place over the next few weeks.
Old Boys-University begins their quest to retain the Jubilee Cup when they host the Upper Hutt Rams at the Basin Reserve. That defence won't be easy, as no club has claimed back-to-back outright Jubilee Cups since MSP in 2001 & 2002 (MSP also shared the 2008 title in the drawn final with Norths before beating the same opponents the following year). The Goats made short work of Johnsonville and with the Swindale already claimed were able to rest several players. Finnbarr Kerr-Newell, Tomasi Palu and Luke Harvey were amongst those and all return.
The Rams on the other hand haven't had such a luxury. After playing in the Jubilee Cup in their first year post-merger they missed out last year and a little more than a month ago seemed destined to being able to defend the Hardham Cup after being beaten 50-25 by Ories. However they went unbeaten from that point snaring 21 of their 38 competition points from wins over Pare-Plim, Wainuiomata, Poneke, and Petone and a draw with HOBM, with veteran midfielder and goalkicker Joyner Key central to that resurgence. Their side tomorrow has an unchanged forward pack, with the backline featuring the notable inclusion of Jason Woodward at centre and Salesi Rayasi switching to fullback.
The two sides met back on opening day, with OBU running out 39-5 winners at Maidstone. It should be closer tomorrow.
Through the Mt Victoria tunnel are the two matches on the south side of town.
By quirk of the draw Wellington and Wainuiomata face each other for the second successive week, only this time the venue is Hataitai and not William Jones. The two were both safely through before last week's game (won 33-26 by the Axemen), which while entertaining lacked some of the usual intensity with both teams also taking the opportunity to rest some players. That won't be the case tomorrow with the visitors bringing back several players including Tu Umaga-Marshall, Ben Tupuola, Cameron Ross and Attila Va'a; and the hosts restore Tala Kitekei'aho, Damian Winter, James Ford and Henry Hocking to their lineup, however Vaea Fifita is not listed but should be available.
Just around the corner two local rivals meet yet again as Poneke welcomes Oriental-Rongotai to Kilbirnie Park. Despite suffering their third one-point loss of the year Poneke's two bonus points from the 22-23 loss to MSP proved enough to see them through to return to the Jubilee Cup for the first time since 2013. Ories on the other hand had little to play for last weekend, the upset loss to Petone the week before ending their outside hopes of the Swindale Shield while they couldn't be caught for second; and even short on numbers they were still too good for Pare-Plim. Coach Roy Kinikinilau has named himself in midfield with Aukuso Tuitama shifting to the wing, with Whetu Henry returning at tighthead prop where he'll butt heads with Reg Goodes who makes his first start for Poneke since two games at the end of 2014. Daniel Filemoni switches across to tighthead to accommodate Goodes, with the rest of the side the same as that that started against MSP. Their Swindale meeting was a tense affair, with Ories retaining the Jimmy Grbich Shield by the narrowest of margins, 20-19.
The fourth match is up the motorway but still within Wellington city limits when Tawa hosts Marist St Pat's at Lyndhurst Park. Tawa fought their way in with a massive first-half effort that put Norths away on their own Old Timers Day, and have rewarded the side that accomplished that by making only two changes; Ato Fa'amau comes onto the side of the scrum and Joketani Koroi makes his first start for the year. MSP were already safely through but elected to take few chances against their rivals across Evans Bay Parade, ultimately prevailing by a single point. Their side tomorrow includes Loni Uhila, with Peter Sciascia returning at halfback and potentially Jeff Toomaga-Allen from the bench. The big drawcard however is former All Black Victor Vito, who could be making his last appearance for the club before he heads to France in a few weeks. MSP won the two sides Swindale Shield meeting by 31-20.
All four Jubilee Cup matches kickoff at 2.45pm.
Premier 2 Hardham Cup
After losing their last two games, both at home, to miss out on the Jubilee Cup for the fourth year in succession when one win would have guaranteed safe passage, Northern United face the task of picking themselves up off the floor for the short journey north to face neighbours Paremata-Plimmerton at Ngatitoa. The hosts however aren't in much better shape having conceded 60 points in their last two outings and will desperately need an improved showing themselves. Kaitiaki Toi, Teariki Kie Tonga, and Quentin Rauhihi all return tomorrow. Norths have again rung the changes with several personnel and positional changes, amongst them Jackson Garden-Bachop moving in to first-five, and will be looking to repeat their 53-16 win from the Swindale contest.
Like Wellington and Wainuiomata in the Jubilee Cup, Avalon and Hutt Old Boys Marist will face each other for the second time in a week, with the action shifting to Fraser Park, with Premier rugby scheduled for the grass rather than the turf for the first time this year. The Wolves fell away after a promising start that saw them draw with Ories and beat Wellington and curiously still have not won at home this season. HOBM's season just seemingly never got underway, slumping from Swindale Shield winners with a round to spare in 2015 to also-rans in 2016, with their record since that day last year now reading P21 W5 L14 D2. 200-game veterans Nick Risdon and Polanga Pedro both start tomorrow, as does Otto Rasch with Brandyn Laursen continuing at fullback. Avalon get Jordan Aquila back after a six-week injury absence, returning at fullback with Cameron Cross retained at first-five, and hand a debut to winger Enos Palemene.
A week after heading to Helston Park, the Old Boys-University second side does so again, only this time it's to take on Johnsonville's Premier side rather than their Premier Reserves. The Goats benefitted from both Petone's ineligibility and Poneke's drop in form to gain promotion and secured it with last weekend's 62-5 win. The Hawks will be looking for their first win of the season after finishing bottom of the Swindale standings, conceding exactly 800 points against with Pare-Plim the only side not to notch a try-scoring bonus against them. Last year's top qualifier and eventual runners-up have named a side that includes both of their allocated Hurricanes players in Chris Eves and Te Toiroa Tahuriorangi and veteran former Wests midfielder Richard Henderson. Anthony Pettett returns after leaving Helston in an ambulance two weeks ago. OBU's side contains players with Premier experience including Stu Simonsen and Thomas Fleming, others like Mark 'Stump' Franklin, Simon George, and Morgan Chalmers who are veterans of previous Hardham campaigns, and Matt Fowler who was part of the 2012-14 Colts three-peat of titles.
The other promoted side, Harper Lock Shield winners Marist St Pat's B, make the journey out to the Petone Rec. While Hardham Cup matches between Petone and MSP are nothing new, they're invariably between the two clubs 'B' sides, so the fact that this one involves the Villagers top side is something of a twist with Petone's Premiers playing in the Hardham Cup for the first time since 1996. Petone make one change in the backline with James Twomey replacing Losi Filipo with a consequential reshuffle, while both Brad Shields and James Blackwell have been named in the pack. Like OBU, MSP have players with Premier experience starting tomorrow in the form of props Jacob Taitauve and Frank Fa'atau and midfielder Tyler Tane, while Tovio Apollo has played in previous Hardham Cup runs by the team.
The four Hardham Cup matches also all kickoff at 2.45pm.
Premier Reserve Ed Chaney and HD Morgan Cups
As with last year the remaining 12 Premier Reserve sides are placed into two parallel competitions for the balance of the season. The top 6 of those - Petone, Hutt Old Boys Marist, Poneke, Norths, Tawa, and Upper Hutt - will contest the Ed Chaney Cup, with the others - Wellington, Wainuiomata, Paremata-Plimmerton, Oriental-Rongotai, Avalon, and Johnsonville - playing for the HD Morgan Memorial Cup. Each team will play the other five in their 'division' once, along with four 'crossover' matches against the other group; followed by semi-finals and finals in each.
In the opening round Petone and Upper Hutt play out the only game between Ed Chaney sides at the Rec, with the sole match between HD Morgan teams is at Hataitai when Wellington and Wainuiomata clash for the second successive week. That also applies to one of the crossover matches when Avalon hosts HOBM at Fraser Park, with the other games between Pare-Plim and Norths at Ngatitoa, Johnsonville and Tawa at Helston, and Poneke and Ories at Kilbirnie.
All six matches kickoff at 1pm.
Women's
All four Premier and Senior women's games this week are not only at the same time tomorrow but at the same venue - the Petone Rec. The feature clash of the day is on #1 with the Victoria Tavern Trophy matchup of Oriental-Rongotai and Wainuiomata; Ories had the bye last week while Wainuiomata saw off Old Boys-University in a physical encounter. However, for added spice is the fact that Wainuiomata tipped over Ories in their Fleurs Trophy meeting, so one side while be out to avenge that result and the other to prove it was no fluke.
The second Victoria Tavern match is on #2 between Norths, who eased past Avalon last Friday night, and OBU. The two Division matches have the Upper Hutt Rams and the Johnsonville-Tawa combined sides meeting on #3, while neighbours Poneke and Marist St Pats are in front of the WelTec campus on #4.
Avalon and Hutt Old Boys Marist have the two respective byes. All four matches kickoff around 11.30am.
Colts John E Kelly Memorial
The second round of matches gets underway tonight with a pair of matches under lights. First-up winners OBU Green and Oriental-Rongotai clash at Te Whaea while two sides that lost their opener, Hutt Old Boys Marist and Marist St Pats face off at Fraser Park.
Tomorrow's three matches are all early kickoffs. Wellington and promoted side Johnsonville meet at Prince of Wales (12.45pm), Poneke hosts Norths at Kilbirnie, and Tawa and the Upper Hutt Rams get the curtainraiser for the Jubilee Cup game at Lyndhurst (both 1pm).
In the Division 2 Vic Calcinai Cup there's a rare lower-grade run on the Basin Reserve for OBU's Black side when they host Paremata-Plimmerton there as the Jubilee Cup entrée.
First Grade Johnsonville Centennium Cup
First-round winners OBU kept their unbeaten season going by accounting for Poneke in their second-round opener and tomorrow host HOBM, who are coming off the bye, at Nairnville. The Petone Brotherhood were the other big winners in round one, and they travel to face Poneke at Kilbirnie, while there is a nowadays rare match at the home of the old Titahi Bay club of Onepoto Domain when Norths host Avalon in a matchup of first-up winners. All three of these matches are 2.45pm kickoffs, while at 3.15pm MSP and the Petone Saxons take to the St Pat's artificial.
Under 85kg Paul Potiki Shield
Like the Colts, the lightweights get underway tonight with the Upper Hutt Rams and Poneke meeting under lights on the Maidstone artificial. The Rams opened with a draw away at Eastbourne while Poneke were well beaten at home by Johnsonville.
Tomorrow's matches start with Avalon and Tawa - both opening round winners - meeting at Fraser Park at 1pm, with a pair of 2.45pm kickoffs for the OBU Bunnies and Kapiti at Te Whaea and Wellington making the trek to H.W. Shortt to face Eastbourne.
College WelTec Premiership and Premier 2
As with last weekend the first game of the weekends Premiership round took place midweek, with Wellington College maintaining their unbeaten record with their come-from behind 29-26 win over Silverstream.
Tomorrows three matches are all in close proximity to each other in the eastern suburbs, helpful for aficionados of the college game. Rongotai can join Wellington at the top of the ladder when they host injury-ravaged Bishop Viard, St Pats Town will look to bounce back at Wairarapa College - who pushed and perhaps should have beaten Rongotai - at Evans Bay, while Scots host St Bernard's.
Conversely, all five Premier 2 games are in the northern suburbs and up the coast. The leaders after two rounds are the Silverstream 2nd XV, and they head to take on Aotea; while second and third clash up the coast when Wainuiomata - who beat Bishop Viard on Wednesday to make the Coed Cup final - make the journey to Paraparaumu. Just down the road Kapiti host Taita in Raumati, Tawa hosts the St Pats Town 2nds, and winless sides Porirua and Hutt International meet in eastern Porirua.
All eight matches are 2.30pm kickoffs.