Ben Huntley gearing up for 150th match for Poneke

Above: Ben Huntley playing for Poneke against Avalon last year at Fraser Park. Photo by Hugh Pretorius.

This Saturday Poneke pops across the road to play Marist St Pat’s for the ‘Battle of Kilbirnie’ and for the Horan-Millar Trophy. The match will be extra special for wing/fullback Ben Huntley who will run on to Evans Bay Park to play his 150th Premier game for the red and blacks. We caught up with Huntley ahead of the match.

Congratulations on the milestone of 150 games for Poneke. How special is this milestone for you and how will you celebrate it?
Yeah it’s definitely special, when I think of the guys that have played over 150 games for the club there’s a lot of club legends on that list. I would love to just celebrate it with a victory this Saturday, that’s the main focus and that will make the beers afterwards taste a lot sweeter.

Can you recall your 50th and 100th games for Poneke?
I think my 50th game was against Upper Hutt and my 100th was a nail-biting one point win against the Axemen down at Kilbirnie Park. Thinking back, I was just happy to get one cap let alone 150.

Tell us about your Premier debut for Poneke – who was it against, how did it go?
My first game was Round One in 2008 against Norths. I initially hadn’t made the Premier squad for that year until I got the call from Watty [then coach Richard Watt] on Friday night saying I’d be starting on the wing tomorrow as Evan Belford had injured himself at training. So I didn’t have much time to prepare. All I can really remember from that game is having my hands full, coming up against a rampant Sinoti Sinoti.

Have always played for Poneke?
I first started playing rugby in U12s for Poneke so had two years there before I went off to college and had no hesitation in coming back once I had finished. I started back with the 80/80s for a year before which was more party than rugby then I decided to knuckle down and take rugby more seriously after that.

Tell us briefly about your college rugby career?
I went to Rongotai College but only managed to make the second XV as Dave Meaclam wouldn’t give me a shot in his First XV telling me I was too small. So a Second XV final Championship captained by Matt Bryant would have to be the number one highlight of my college career.

What are some of the highlights of your club playing career?
Playing in the Jubilee Cup final in 2010 was a highlight even though I only managed 8 minutes of the bench that day and we went down to a star studded Norths team. A late Jeremy Te Huia penalty at Kilbirnie Park to beat Ories in 2010 for the Jimmy Grbich Shield and a 20-odd point comeback to beat MSP with Daniel Ramsey scoring in the corner at the death were some other highlights. Getting my blazer for 30 starts was a huge honour.

Marking guys on the wing like Cory Jane, Julian and Ardie Savea was personally a big challenge. My most memorable try would have to be a try in the Jubilee cup semi-final in my first year against MSP but think that was the only points we scored that day so wasn’t enough to win.

Have you played representative rugby in your time?
I’ve played a couple of games for City in the Festival Tournament back in 2015 but my rugby season pretty much ends when the club rugby season ends.

What's your favourite ground to play on - Kilbirnie Park No. 1?
Yeah no better ground than Kilbirnie Park even though there were times there were I wouldn’t see the ball out wide as it would turn into a mud bath [prior to being re-laid a few years ago] and the ball wouldn’t leave our forward pack! I have to say I can’t complain with the few times we’ve played at Westpac Stadium either.

Who are some of the memorable players you’ve played with at Poneke?
Playing alongside guys like Dane Coles and Charlie Ngatai was special as they went on to be All Blacks. It was always an honour to playing alongside club legends like the Moananus and Evan Belford as they brought so much passion to the jersey and showed you what it really means to wear the red and black jersey.

Who are some of the toughest Wellington club rugby opposition teams that you have played against?
Coming from Rongotai College, playing against Ories was always something to look forward to as it was against old school mates and it is sort of a state of origin type feeling when we play them. Also I remember there being no easy games coming up against strong norths teams who we never seemed to beat when it came to Jubilee Cup playoffs.

Who are your toughest or most respected Wellington club rugby opposition individuals that you have played against?
Playing against Fa'atonu Fili is always a hard task, particularly at fullback with his pinpoint kicking game and bag of tricks. Also other tough opponents that come to mind are Whetu Henry from Ories Jason Love from Wainuiomata with his speed, and it’s always good to get one over my good mate from the Axemen, Hilton Mexted.

Are there any coaches in particular that have helped you out?
Two coaches that come to mind are former Poneke backs coaches John Jackson and Grant Cederwell. They both helped me develop my game over the years, especially when I was starting out as a Premier player, and they have also been good mentors/mates along the way.

What changes have you seen in the competition during your time playing?
I feel overall that the gap between the top and bottom Premier sides has closed over the years and the current competition is as strong as ever.

You’re coming off a 30-30 draw with Ories and have got MSP this weekend – so it’s not easy to make the top eight for anyone?
Yeah your right, making the top eight is never easy, it always seems to come down to the last round for teams fighting it out, which has seemed to be the case with us for the last few years. So we just need to keep our momentum wave built from the last two games and continue that into this weekend against MSP and hopefully get ourselves up into that top eight for the second half of the season.

Lastly, are you good for another 50 or 100 Premier appearance for Poneke?
Haha, I may need to think of a positional change if i want to play another 50-100 games. Somewhere closer to the forward pack perhaps.