Off the Ball for 4 September

Above: The Porirua College First XV, after just missing out to Feilding High School in the Hurricanes Co-ed Cup final on Saturday. Details below. Photo by Andy McArthur. 

Off the Ball is in association with Rob Law Max , Lovelocks Sports Bar  and Harcourts Johnsonville 

Looking at some of the news in briefs, milestones, happenings, statistics and observations from the weekend of rugby just gone and what’s coming up this week.

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The Wellington Lions were impressive in taking their third win of the Men’s NPC season over the Bay of Plenty Steamers last Thursday, winning 31-10. In contrast, their opponent on Wednesday, Hawke’s Bay went down 10-53 to Canterbury at home on Friday.

Based on each of the past three years, the Lions are now just one win away from securing their Championship semi-final berth (4 wins). So if they beat the Magpies they can set their sights on a home semi-final berth and in turn the top qualifier’s spot.

Wednesday night’s match at Westpac Stadium is the second of three matches in nine days for the Lions, ahead of them meeting the Tasman Makos in Blenheim on Sunday.

Wednesday encounter will also be the 100th first-class meeting between Wellington and Hawke’s Bay. Last year the Lions won 6-26 in Napier, taking their wins tally over the Magpies to 61, with Hawke's Bay having won 32 matches, with six draws.

Their previous meeting before last year’s between the two sides was the 2015 Championship final where Hawke's Bay won 26-25 thanks to a late try to wing Mason Emerson. Wellington hadn't beaten Hawke's Bay since 2012 - 30-15 at Westpac Stadium.

This year’s match against the Magpies will mark the 50th anniversary (30 September 1967) from Wellington’s famously unsuccessful Ranfurly Shield challenge in which they drew 12-12. The Lions were heading for victory, but Hawke’s Bay first five-eighth Blair Furlong slotted an 80th minute dropped goal from the base of an attacking, to clinch the draw which was enough to see the shield stay in Magpie country for the summer of love that followed.

The first match between Hawke’s Bay and Wellington was played on 29 August 1885 at Newtown Park in Wellington. This was Hawke’s Bay's first inter-union match and Wellington won 4-0 (two tries to nil) at Wellington.

Wellington’s biggest score against Hawke’s Bay is 67 (67-36) in 1995 in a non-NPC match at Napier and their widest margin of victory is 53 points (49-5) in 1914, their 10 tries in that game also a record. Hawke’s Bay’s biggest win and widest margin of victory against Wellington is 58-8 in 1926 in a famous Ranfurly Shield defence at Napier.

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Elsewhere, Auckland’s biggest loss is 11-59 against Waikato in 2004, which was threatened yesterday when they went down 10-57 to former Upper Rams flanker Murphy Taramai’s North Harbour yesterday afternoon.

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The Junior Wellington Lions beat Manawatu 15-7 on Saturday to win the Central Region Shield to qualify top from the Hurricanes region for the National U19s tournament. The tournament dates are Sunday 10 September, Wednesday 13 September and Saturday 16 September. The Wellington U19s will be competing for the Graham Mourie Cup, which they won in 2014.

Wellington is ranked first from the Hurricanes region, while Auckland is top dog from the Blues and Bay of Plenty and Tasman the top qualifier’s from the Chiefs and the South Island respectively.

The opening round U19 match-ups are:

Top 8 Graham Mourie Cup

• Wellington v North Harbour 
• Waikato v Tasman
• Bay of Plenty v Canterbury
• Auckland v Manawatu

Bottom 8 Michael Jones Trophy

• Northland v Hawke’s Bay
• Counties-Manukau v Otago
• Auckland Development v Heartland XV
• Taranaki v Southland

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A shout out to Wellington Pride lock Petra Kriklanova, returning to the field for the Pride just under two years after she badly broke her leg playing against Counties Manukau. Petra was taken to hospital in an ambulance that day and after a 30-minute delay the game was moved over to the Number 2 field at Petone where Wellington won 27-12. Ayesha Leti-l’iga scored a try in that game and also scored one against Hawke’s Bay to take her try scoring record to 13 in 15 Women’s NPC games.

Petra is a former Czechoslovakian softball representative, while the Pride had a Swedish player making her debut on the right wing in Tove Svanborg who joined the Paremata-Plimmerton club this season in her first season playing rugby in New Zealand.

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Tove Svanborg won the Club Player of the Year award at the Paremata-Plimmerton awards and the Women’s side the Team of the Year. Premier Mens MVP: Teariki Kie Tonga was the Premier Men’s MVP, Savannah Peniata the Premier Women’s MVP, Ryan Petersen the Premier Reserves MVP and Pala Mailangi the Colts MVP. 50 Premier Games (defined from the start of the 2014 Hardham Cup): Teariki Kie Tonga, Blake Neve, Matt de Terte, Danny Herewini, Johnathan Sabo, Shane Hedges.

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Prop Vince Sakaria won the Marist St Pat’s Sportsmen of the Year Trophy, while flanker Isaac O’Connor won the Premier MVP for the second year running. Jackson Martin was the Premier Reserves MVP and Monica Tagoa'i the Women’s MVP.

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The Wellington Samoan Rugby Union (WSRU) is holding its Club Day at Porirua Park this Saturday, with its three teams all playing at home. The annual Wellington Samoans versus Wellington Maori match promises to be a highlight.

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More Wellington players on the scoresheet for other teams this past weekend.

Former Ories and Pride midfielder/wing Bernadette Robertson scored a hat-trick of tries for Counties Manukau over North Harbour in the Women’s NPC.

James So’oialo scored a try, kicked four conversions and two penalties for 19 points in Horowhenua-Kapiti in their 36-5 win over Poverty Bay in Gisborne. So’oialo also scored 12 points for them last week so is continuing on his club form for Tawa.

After scoring a hat-trick last week, another former Tawa player, Timoci Seruwalu, crossed for one try in Wanganui’s 21-19 win over Thames Valley.

Piri Weepu played in Wairarapa-Bush’s 36-10 win over East Coast, with Northern United flanker Parekura Lalaga scoring a try for the latter (his second in successive weeks).

Former OBU Impalas player Nina Poletti scored from the bench for Canterbury in their 201-7 win against Otago on Sunday.

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While versatility and being able to play multiple positions is something that's still handy in the modern game, Wellington Samoan U18 player Denzel Leota might take that to new levels. Last year playing for Bishop Viard he played both first and second five-eighth, this year at Wellington College he started the year playing No. 8, before starting the Premiership final against Silverstream at loosehead prop. On Saturday against Horowhenua-Kapiti he was again back in midfield.

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The National Top 4 tournament kicks off this coming Friday at Massey University in Palmerston North, featuring St Mary’s College in the Girls competition and almost featuring Porirua College in the Co-ed Cup division.

St Mary’s College were made to work hard by Manukura in their Hurricanes final 31-10 win, scoring some great tries including a hat-trick to No. 8 and captain Dhys Faleafaga, but they were blown away in a lopsided penalty count and will be better for the run after looking rusty at times having not played for a two and a half weeks going into the match.

Dhys’ second try was scored directly from the kick-off, helping St Mary’s extend their halftime lead from 12-5 to 19-5. She must have had a Go Native Fruit Bar at halftime.

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As the celebrations and obligatory team photos were underway after the Girls final, Porirua College were taking the lead off defending Top 4 Co-ed champions Feilding High School. Trailing 6-8 in the second half, No. 8 Jamie Soapi crossed to put Porirua ahead 11-8. With about five minutes to play, Feilding re-took the lead with a try of a first phase scrum move. Porirua regrouped and went desperately close at the end to snatching victory after multiple phases but it wasn’t to be.

Still a great season for the youthful Porirua team, who - if they can keep their squad together and away from the lure of the bigger schools - should go well in 2018.

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Heads up too to WRRU referee Colin Te Pohe who sustained about 20 minutes of verbal abuse from the partisan Feilding crowd when their team were behind in the second half.

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In the Boys game that followed, Hastings BHS ran rampant early, racing to a 26-0 lead after 13 minutes. Silverstream then hit back with two tries to close the deficit to 12-26 and were starting to play well – only for Hastings to score their fifth try just before halftime.

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St Mary's won’t be the only Wellingtonians in action at the Top 4, with two of the region’s top referees appointed to matches at the showpiece college event. On Friday Te Pohe will referee the Coed Boys semi-final between Feilding High School and Rangitoto College, while Nick Hogan has the blockbuster Saint Kentigern College vs Hastings BHS clash. Hogan will again be in the middle on Sunday where he'll have the Coed final between the winner of Te Pohe's game and the winner of the other game between St Peters, Cambridge, and Christchurch's St Andrew’s College.

For the record, Friday’s Top 4 semi-finals are (Hurricanes v Blues teams and Chiefs v South Island):

• Boys: Hastings BHS v Saint Kentigern College and Hamilton Boys’ HS v Southland Boys’ HS
• Co-ed: Feilding HS v Rangitoto College and St Peter’s School v St Andrew’s College
• Girls: St Mary’s College v Southern Cross and Hamilton GHS v Southland GHS

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The Hutt News reporting this morning that the future of the $7.4 million Petone Sportsville is unclear with rugby pulling out. In May, the Hutt City Council agreed to a $300,000 study looking at the feasibility of the sporting hub, which had been under discussion since 2011. The latest proposal is for a facility on North Park, including rugby, cricket, gymnastics, tennis and bowls. However the Petone Rugby Football Club's decision to withdraw has thrown the whole project into doubt. Read more here 

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Former Wellington players Jeremy Thrush (Hutt Old Boys Marist) and Jason Woodward (Upper Hutt Rams) starred as Gloucester upset champions 28-21 Exeter on the opening weekend of the English premiership rugby season. Thrush was Gloucester's man of the match with two tries, while Woodward scored on debut for his new club.

Jimmy Gopperth (Petone/Old Boys University) - the Premiership's player of the year last season - kicked 15 points in free-scoring Wasps' 50-35 win over Sale.

Contributions to Off the Ball to editor@clubrugby.co.nz