Bumper day of club rugby in Wellington on Saturday

It’s another big day of rugby around the province, and while the weather doesn’t promise to be too flash there’s plenty of action that should be as the run-in towards the end of the first-round begins. There’s big matches in both the men’s and women’s Premier grades with the top-of-the-table clash in one and a heavyweight meeting in the other, and important matches across the board including the second stage of college qualifiers.

Swindale Shield

It’s 1 v 2 at Nairnville Park tomorrow, with leaders Hutt Old Boys Marist travelling to take on Old Boys-University at the Goats home paddock. It’s a blockbuster matchup with both the leadership of the competition and their interclub Wood Cup trophy at stake. OBU were made to work perhaps a little harder than they would have anticipated by Johnsonville while HOBM got back to winning ways by pipping Tawa on home soil. Victory would put the winner in the box seat for the first-round crown but there’s still three weeks of footy to be played after this.

The Goats have made a handful of changes from last Saturday; Tomasi Palu returns at halfback, Sam Coventry is on the blindside and Wirangi Parata gets the nod at hooker, while Izzy Foai starts against his former team. However as named they are without the trio of Will Mangos, Teariki Ben Nicholas (both on NZ Universities duty), and the injured Finnbarr Kerr-Newell, with much of their bench to be finalised ahead of kickoff.

The Eagles get some significant boosts. Brett and Rei Manaia return to the propping positions allowing Ben Power and Tamatasi Fidow to return to hooker and blindside respectively while Jack Talapa swaps in on the wing for Jayden Treviranus. The big news in their squad however is the naming of veteran prop Simon Malaeulu on the bench only a few short weeks after suffering a significant health event following their clash with Wellington.

The Wood Cup honours Ron Wood, who was a founding member of the Woburn club (later High School OB which merged with the Hutt club to form Hutt OB) and had also played for Wellington College OB. Recent history suggests this should be a cracker and the terraces alongside Lucknow Street should be packed. Last year’s match at the Hutt Rec saw a back-and-forth 38-36 OBU win only settled by a late Dale Sabbagh penalty and the year before OBU led 40-7 at the break only to hang on 45-38 when HOBM mounted a furious comeback. There are also the two Jubilee Cup contests from last year as well with OBU edging the round-robin match 19-17 here, and then claiming the title with the 32-19 win in the decider in Petone. Not since 2015 have the Eagles triumphed in matches between the two sides.

MSP and Norths are snapping at their heels, and by quirk of the draw swap opponents from last weekend. Marist St Pat’s are at home against Avalon, and will be favourites to extend the Wolves’ winless run to eight games after beating Upper Hutt for the 25th consecutive time last Saturday. The pair contest their interclub Joe Aspell Cup; Aspell was a Marist player in the 1940’s later becoming club President and a Life Member and outside of rugby Aspell was a publican with the Taita Hotel being one of many he ran. Now contested by the successor clubs following mergers, it’s been held by MSP every year since Avalon returned to the Premier grade in 2015 including last year’s 60-10 result.

MSP have taken the opportunity to make a few changes. James Holbrook makes a first start on the year at loosehead while behind him Anthony Pettett makes his first start for the club; there he’ll partner Naitoa Ah Kuoi forming a pairing of NZ Schools reps. Out in the backs Regan Sword and Ryan Saunders come into the starting XV. Avalon will be out for a better defensive effort at least after leaking 78 points against Norths and again look toward their big pack headed by Sefo Aumua and Daley Ena to give them a platform to work from on attack. Thomas Kiwara steps into the #10 jersey while Chris Aumua moves in to centre.

Norths make the trip over the Hayward’s to Maidstone Park where they’ll face an Upper Hutt Rams side that need a win after last weekend’s loss to MSP to stay in the Jubilee Cup hunt, while for their part the blue-and-whites need one to keep their hopes of a first Swindale since 2011 afloat. With that much at stake – plus an interclub trophy – this should be a real battle. The home side will again lean heavily on the loose trio of Jack Wright, Daniel Schrijvers, and Josh Hunt and the backline influences of Nua Fono-Hunt and Tyler Tane. Norths again have Jackson Garden-Bachop who’ll guide the side around the park, while there’s the usual host of changes from the side that nearly put up a point-a-minute against Avalon with the returns for Perry Hayman, Esi Komaisavai, and Mike Ioapo.

The pair will be playing for the Terry Farrow Memorial Cup. Farrow was one of the group instrumental in the merger of the Porirua and Titahi Bay clubs and later a Life Member of Norths until his passing in 1999, while his father George had earlier similarly been honoured by Upper Hutt. It’s held by Norths after their 47-27 win in the sides’ sole meeting last season.

Poneke aren’t out of contention either and make the journey up to Ngati Toa Domain to take on Paremata-Plimmerton where the hosts will be buoyed by having broken their Swindale Shield away duck against the Axemen. The Kilbirnie side will be after the full five points given they have a couple big clashes in the next two weeks against MSP and Petone, while Pare-Plim will be after a second successive win after last weekend’s triumph, something the club has never done.

A week after his twin brother Kewa did it Tane McMillan-Parata will bring up 50 Premier matches for the home side when he comes off the bench, while there’s a first start for Frenchman Clement Querru in midfield and they again have the services of Hurricanes halfback Richard Judd. Poneke have changed their whole front row and Alex Morrissey and Charlie Robertson-Vick return to their backline, while Apirana McMillan-Parata again faces the club he played over 40 Premier games for and will be on hand for the presentations to his younger brothers at the post-match.

Petone and Tawa occupy the last two places in the top-seven, and after both dipping put last weekend get something of a break this weekend as they line up against the sides currently occupying the bottom-rungs on the ladder.

Petone are back at the Rec where Johnsonville are tomorrow’s visitors, and while the Villagers can’t actually improve their place on the table (six points behind Poneke) they can’t afford not to get the maximum here. Their side includes both Kaliopasi Uluilakepa and Carlos Price back from NZ U20 duty – Uluilakepa has been named in team for the World Championship while Price was omitted – and Murray Douglas has been made available by the Hurricanes. Tom Pere has been rewarded for good form for their second side with a first Premier start while there’s a welcome return to rugby for Piri Paraone after breaking his leg on Wellington Development duty at the end of last year. Despite being without a competition point on the season the Hawks – their meek surrender against Tawa two weekends ago aside – have made life difficult in patches for a number of teams including OBU last week. They’ve named a largely unchanged backline with halfback Noro Black on debut while Marcus Ale returns to the loose trio and former Bishop Viard captain Dylan Patu moving into lock.

Tawa on the other hand venture away and into the city to face Wellington at Hataitai, and like Petone can’t afford to drop points either to maintain a buffer to the sides below them. They make a large number changes including restoring the halves tandem of Kemara Hauiti-Parapara and James So’oialo and a first Premier start for Mark Tinilau on the blindside. Last week’s lost extinguished whatever last flickering hope there was for the Axemen to make the Jubilee Cup but they’ll be up for the challenge here. There’s three changes in the pack including Tom Robinson and Ranui Burchett joining Alex Dalzell in the loose trio, while their backline has the notable inclusion of Hurricane Jonah Lowe on the wing.

They’ll also play for their Murray & Alan Mexted Cup with the names and family synonymous with both clubs. Tawa regained it with last year’s 45-7 win after Axemen grabbed it 32-19 on opening day the previous year.

Finally out at the Polo Ground Oriental-Rongotai and Wainuiomata meet with both currently on the outside looking in. The likely reality for the side that doesn’t get the chocolates tomorrow will be that they’ll they’re looking at Hardham Cup rugby for the first time in many seasons, barring some help from the sides below them tipping over the ones above.

The Magpies have just two changes to the side that beat Petone, but they’re heavyweight ones. Newly-named U20 rep Xavier Numia starts in the #1 jersey upfront and Malo Tuitama steps into the middle of the backline for Alex Ropeti with the goalkicking duties presumably passing to Adam Deck. Wainuiomata make the trip around the harbour for the second successive week hoping for better fortune than their narrow loss to Poneke. Waiariki Koia returns for the first time since round one, Peter Umaga-Jensen is again available to them and Isaiah Mamea is back in midfield. The veteran quartet of Justin Va’a, Henry Smith, Uale Mai, and Mike Lealava’a are all on the bench, but there’s no Teru Time or Ben Tupuola in their side for tomorrow.

All seven Premier matches kick-off at 2.45pm.

Premier Reserve Harper Lock Shield

Its status quo at the head of the table as Norths and MSP continue on their unbeaten ways and on track for a last-round decider in three weeks’ time. Tomorrow sees Norths at Maidstone to face the Upper Hutt Rams while MSP are at Evans Bay for the visit of the Avalon Wolves, with the chasing pair of Poneke and Petone away at Pare-Plim and home against Johnsonville respectively.

In the remaining matches Wellington are at home against Tawa, Ories and Wainuiomata clash at Polo, and defending champions OBU take on HOBM at Nairnville.

Kick-off is 1pm for all seven matches.

Women’s Rebecca Liua’ana Trophy

Without much doubt the headline game of the round is the first clash on the season of the two titans of the Women’s game when Norths take on Oriental-Rongotai at Jerry Collins Stadium. Though neither actually leads the competition at this stage, both have had the bye and have taken maximum points so far though Ories has the additional complication of a two-point deduction for an infraction in preseason.

As you’d expect both teams have gone for their strongest lineups they can field. Norths will lean on the vastly experienced quartet of Helen and Brenda Collins, Sanita Levave, and Patsy Schwalger and while Ories are missing some names they’ll counter with their clutch of recent Pride players including Janet Taumoli, Joanah Ngan-Woo, Amanda Rasch, and the prolific Ayesha Leti-L’iga who moves inside to centre from her usual left wing position.

Paremata-Plimmerton are the side that tops the table after their death-knock heroics to beat MSP, and should stay there as they head into the city to meet strugglers Poneke at Kilbirnie Park. Petone and Old Boys-University meet at the Rec in what could be a crunch game for both in determining whether they play in the first or second division in the back-end of the season, and Marist St Pat’s will look to rebound from last weekend’s loss when they hit the Fraser Park turf and a clash with Avalon. Hutt Old Boys Marist has this week’s bye.

All four matches get underway at 11.30am

Colts

Like their Premier Reserves MSP’s Colts side is undefeated so far in the Division 1 Paris Memorial Trophy, though they’ve won their past two matches by a combined three points. Their task tomorrow is on the St Pats College turf against Petone, who probably need to win their remaining games to have any chance of holding onto their title. OBU Green and Norths would look to profit if MSP slip up with the Goats against HOBM at Kelburn Park and Norths at Maidstone to take on Upper Hutt, and Tawa and Oriental-Rongotai will look to move away from the relegation trap-door when they meet at Lyndhurst.

There’s a pair of contests in the Division 2 JRD Cup tonight with the all-OBU clash between their Black and White sides at Te Whaea, while Avalon and Wellington meet at Fraser Park. Tomorrow’s matches have Johnsonville travelling to William Jones to take on Wainuiomata while leaders Paremata-Plimmerton host also-unbeaten Poneke at Ngati Toa Domain, though Poneke have been docked five points for an ineligible player in their win over Avalon two weeks ago.

Tonight’s matches are both 7.30pm starts, and tomorrows all kick-off at 1pm.

College

The Tranzit Festival moves onto Hastings for the second week of matches. Scots College and St Pat’s Town will look to back up their opening wins when they face Palmerston North Boys and Napier Boys respectively. Wellington College will look to get in the wins column when they take on Gisborne Boys, while Silverstream aims to do likewise but has the challenge of taking on home school Hastings Boys who have returned from the Sanix tournament in Japan, where they made the final but lost (for the first time in 18 months) to Fiji’s Ratu Kadavulevu School.

Locally the qualifying series moves on. Two sides will book themselves a return to the Premiership and a week off when Rongotai and Wairarapa meet in the eastern suburbs and Porirua host Kapiti in the top bracket matches. Elsewhere there are five other matches that will determine the makeup of next weekend’s final round of matches: Aotea host Naenae, Wainuiomata travels to Upper Hutt as do Tawa down to Onslow, HIBS host Mana, and HVHS face Taita. The sixth game has already been decided with Bishop Viard unable to front against St Bernard’s, with all games at 2.30pm.