Ories: Small club – Big Results

Above: Andy Ellis puts a kick through with Ambrose Curtis looming in support during last weekend’s 25-25 draw with Petone. Both players scored electric tries in this match.

One of the most dramatic Jubilee Cup final wins since the finals format was introduced 25 years ago was Oriental-Rongotai’s championship win over Northern United in 2011.

In a final of two halves, a vicious southerly blew over the ground midway through the match and Ories responded by blasting past defending champions Northern United 40-18, their first Wellington club rugby championship victory since 1910.

There were two curtain-raisers that day, the first being the First XV Premier 1 final between Wellington College and St Pat’s Silverstream. Like the two finals that followed, this was a riveting decider and Wellington College eventually prevailed 20-18.

Riding the Wellington College pine that day was reserve outside back Andy Ellis, who witnessed a tense finish. “I was supposed to get on but the last five minutes were really intense and there were no stoppages in play, but I was happy to be part of an awesome day of school and club rugby.”

Fast-forward six years and Andy Ellis is a regular starter and key player in an Ories Premier club side that, missing its regular stars such as the Savea brothers, Matt Proctor and Ma’a Nonu, consistently punches above its weight. For a club that barely has 40 top level players, Ories having made the Jubilee Cup semi-finals for the past six years straight and appeared in three finals is a great record.

Heading into this Saturday’s fifth round set of Swindale Shield matches, Ories have won three and drawn one to be near the top of the standings.

What’s the secret to the clubs’ success? “We often struggle to field a second team, even getting the Premier team together can be hard, but I think there are so many relatives that play for our club that we pull together, “Andy explained.

“There’s lots of brothers and cousins, such as Paulo Aukuso and Lui [the Premier coach], the Saveas, Fa’ataus and Tuitamas and others like our hooker Poasa Poasa whose two brothers are playing for the Colts and Ambrose’s sister Serena and brother Jared coaching the Colts.”

What about Andy, he’s the odd one out? “Yeah, I just turned up one day. I knew no one but they were really welcoming. I was living in Johnsonville at the time but they just made it easy for me to come in and play there.”

He had been playing for the Marist St Pat’s Colts in his first year out of school. He started playing for the Ories Premier Reserves before making his Premier debut early in 2013. To date he’s played some 67 Premier matches and scored 33 tries out of Miramar, home suburb of the WRFU at the turn of the 20th century before the move to Athletic Park.

Andy said he’s comfortable at either wing or fullback. “I like playing fullback, but I’m happy to play anywhere, I filled in at centre a couple of times.”

For memorable moments so far in his career, he points to two matches.

“My cousin Jarrod Burnett plays for Poneke and I scored a hat-trick against Poneke in a game we won in 2014 he was also playing, which was also our flanker Pau Halafihi’s 100th game and for the Jim Grbich Memorial Shield.”

“The 2013 semi-final against Hutt Old Boys Marist that went to extra time was special as well. Our backline was Tons [Fa’atonu Fili], Ma’a Nonu, Paulo Aukuso, me and Julian Savea on the wings and Matt Proctor at fullback. For me, I was only 19 or 20 at the time and I was playing with all these players.”

Andy said the current group of players are gelling well. “We’ve had a few guys come back from injury and holiday, such as No. 8 Luke Tau’alape and centre Paulo, and Malo Tuitama and Ambrose Curtis have been with us as well, so those guys are all a massive help for us.”

Adam Deck has provided early season impetus since joining the club from the Wellington Axemen. The former Australian U20s halfback has been playing first five-eighth. “We’ve got Sean and Declan Hay but we didn’t really have a 10 at the time so he filled in. He said he loves it and he’s playing well there.”

“I was stoked when he came, he turned up to pre-season training. I said to him what are you doing here? He said I’m coming over to Ories. I was like sweet, we’ll take you!”

This coming weekend Ories play Deck’s old club the Axemen at Hataitai Park, so it doesn’t get any easier for the Magpies. Following that there are two rounds in four days, with Ories playing Wainuiomata at William Jones Park and then Poneke for the Jimmy Grbich Shield at home.

Andy also plays sevens rugby for Ories and plays representative rugby for the Wellington Maori side.

Away from rugby Andy is finishing off an electrician’s apprenticeship – but he hopes to add spark to Ories’ backline for a while to come.