Thunderous Jubilee and Hardham Cup openers predicted

Hutt Old Boys Marist's and Wainuiomata's lineouts won't be crossing paths again this year, with HOBM taking on Tawa in the opening round of the Jubilee Cup and Wainuiomata meeting Paremata-Plimmerton in their first Hardham Cup match.

Updated (see Draws & Results across the top of this page for more): It’s getting into the business end of the season with the second round of the men’s Premier, Premier Reserve, and Colts competitions firing into action tomorrow, with the seven teams at the pinnacle aiming for one thing – to lift the Jubilee Cup on August 4 at the Petone Rec.

Elsewhere more first-round silverware will be handed out in the Women’s and Reserve grades.

This week’s weather has seen some grades cancelled at both club and college level due to ground availability. That will be a factor in the games that do go ahead but tomorrow looks brighter and drier, and hopefully the forecast wind doesn’t arrive until later on.

Premier Jubilee Cup

Fresh off claiming the Swindale Shield for the first time since 2011, Norths start their campaign for their fifth Jubilee Cup in the familiar surrounds of Jerry Collins Stadium. The visitors tomorrow are Poneke, who return to the Jubilee Cup after missing out last year and who will be looking to repeat their 40-35 win earlier in the year; making them one of only two sides to have beaten Norths so far this season.

Norths have been in rampant points-scoring form, having scored at least 30 in each of the past seven weeks and nearly that many in the two before that, and their first-half evisceration of MSP last weekend was a throwback to the team of a decade ago. Somewhat rare for a Norths team there are just two changes to the side that started last week with Nese Solia at No8 and Luke Bowden in the #10 jersey with no Jackson Garden-Bachop. Poneke haven’t quite been on the same scoring rate as their opponents, but they only time they’ve been held to less than 20 were in their opening round loss to OBU and their surprise reverse at the hands of Pare-Plim; and warmed up for the Jubilee with a second-half spree against Avalon last weekend. Tomorrow’s side includes starting returns for Pakai Turia, Ben Huntley, Conor Strang, and Hennie Tui, while the onfield clash that will be well worth watching will be between Greg Foe and Norths’ Du’plessis Kirifi.

Down the road Tawa are also at home for another week and take on Hutt Old Boys Marist at Lyndhurst, with the Eagles making their first trip away from the Hutt Rec in nearly a month. Tawa qualified for the Jubilee Cup comfortably enough, but despite finishing fourth in the Swindale never really were contenders for it. They have no fewer than eight players backing up from Monday’s representative trial match where they had players on both sides, but also a number of those started last weekend’s win off the bench and return to the starting side tomorrow including skipper Kemara Hauiti-Parapara, James So’oialo, James Coburn, and Kalim Kelemete, while Peniasi Tokakece also returns.

After being the frontrunners for so long the Eagles will feel somewhat aggrieved at missing out on the Swindale in the end. They’ll continue to show that they’re a team that’s greater than the sum of their parts but tomorrow are without three of their ball-running forwards with Lise Soloa getting married and teammates David Filipo and Tamatasi Fidow (along with cousin Fereti Soloa) amongst the guests. Glen Walters is another absentee. Erstwhile hooker Freddie Sunia pressed into service in the loose forwards. Sheridan Rangihuna returns behind the scrum, while in-form youngster Albert Polu will be asked to shoulder a big workload in midfield. HOBM edged the earlier meeting this year between the sides by 30-28.

Out at the Polo Ground there’s another eastern suburbs derby as Oriental-Rongotai and Marist St Pat’s meet for the second time in a fortnight after Ories turned over their neighbours 41-32 at their place. The Magpies will be buoyed somewhat by their ‘great escape’ to just make the Jubilee Cup which owes as much to them digging themselves out the hole they made for themselves as it did Petone’s inability to grab the vital point or two they needed. There are few changes to their side, and they’ll again lean on Luca Rees – the season’s top try-scorer with 17 after adding four to his tally last Saturday – to lead the way.

A month ago MSP were sailing along, having got right back into Swindale contention by tipping over HOBM. But then they were beaten by Avalon in what ranks as the upset of the year, rebounded to beat Poneke, and then slumped to losses against Ories and Norths and its fair to say they won’t want to see last weekend’s first half again.

Old Boys-University has the week one bye

Premier 2 Hardham Cup

The saying goes that no one likes being able to defend the Hardham Cup (and no one has in over 40 years), but that’s the opportunity for the Upper Hutt Rams who open the second-round against Johnsonville at home at Maidstone. In the Rams favour is that they beat five teams they’ll meet in the coming weeks plus that narrow loss to Wellington just over a week back, but equally that counts for nothing going forward. Their side tomorrow has Josh Hunt swapping to the openside with George Faingaa coming in for the absent Tyler Tane. Johnsonville finished runners-up in the Hardham last year, but are still searching for their first win on the season; an upset win here by turning over the 40-29 result to the Rams from three weeks ago would be the ideal place to start.

On the other side of the Taita gorge Avalon play host to Wellington at Fraser Park, with footing unlikely to be a problem with the teams back on the artificial this week. The Wolves will need to put last weekend’s second-half horrors behind them, while their opponents will be on something of a high after their death-knock win over the Rams last Thursday night. Both sides are down on manpower with the home team without big boppers Sefo Aumua and Daley Ena and the visitors without Alex Dalzell and veteran Simon Shearer. Damian Madsen and TeRaina Richards-Coxhead start in the respective #10 jerseys.

Across the Hayward’s it's Wainuiomata who make the journey out to Ngati Toa to take on home team Paremata-Plimmerton. Both sides picked up three wins in the Swindale, but the 10 points between them on the ladder can be attributed to Wainuiomata’s ability to collect bonus points. That said the result when the pair met on Anzac Day at William Jones was 41-27 to Wainuiomata in an entertaining encounter so if the weather plays ball tomorrow it could be again. The home team gets first-five Dre Melvin back along with Evan Leali’ifano outside him, with Wainuiomata bolstered by Tutasi Masoe and Peter Umaga-Jensen who appears to be the only Hurricanes squad member cleared to play this weekend.

Petone have the bye.

All six Premier matches get underway at 2.45pm.

Premier Reserve Ed Chaney and HD Morgan Cups

As with last year, the 14 Premier Reserve sides have been placed to correspond with the competition that their Premier team has qualified for. That approach does create an anomaly or two; for instance current Ed Chaney holders Petone won’t be able to defend that despite finishing fifth in the Harper Lock, while 12th-placed HOBM will play in the top bracket.

The three Ed Chaney matches have Harper Lock winners MSP away to Ories at Polo, runners-up Norths are at home at the JCS against Poneke, and Tawa host HOBM at Lyndhurst. The trio of HD Morgan games Pare-Plim looking to repeat their only win of the year at home at Ngati Toa against Wainuiomata, the Upper Hutt Rams host Johnsonville at Maidstone, and Wellington also venture into the Hutt Valley to face Avalon at Fraser Park.

As with their Premier sides OBU and Petone have the byes, and all six matches are 1pm kickoffs.

Women’s Rebecca Liua’ana Trophy

It’s something of a dead rubber series of matches to end the first-round of the Women’s competition. Norths will be formally presented with the trophy after their match against Hutt Old Boys Marist at the Hutt Rec, with Ories certain of finishing runners-up after their contest with Avalon at Fraser Park. Those two plus Petone (who have the bye) and Paremata-Plimmerton are assured of being in the five-team Division 1 competition in the next round, and Marist St Pat’s should join them as they only need a point from their match against bottom-side Poneke on the St Pat’s College turf. However should MSP get nothing, then Old Boys-University could leapfrog them but only by getting a bonus point win against Pare-Plim at Te Whaea as well themselves.

All four women’s matches are 11.30am kickoffs.

Colts

After a week’s break the age grade competition returns with their second round getting underway. In the Division 1 John E Kelly Memorial the two unbeaten teams clash, with Paremata-Plimmerton – promoted after winning the first-round JRD Cup – hosting Paris Memorial winners Marist St Pat's at Ngati Toa. Runners-up Old Boys-University Green head to Maoribank to face the Upper Hutt Rams, Norths hosts Petone on the top fields at Porirua Park (both at 12.45pm) and Tawa faces HOBM at Te Whaea at 2.45pm.

The four Division 2 Vic Calcinai Trophy matches start tonight with OBU Black and Johnsonville taking to Te Whaea at 7.30pm. OBU White and Poneke meet at the same venue tomorrow, Avalon host Wellington at Fraser Park, and Ories – relegated from Division 1 – meet an improving Wainuiomata at Prince of Wales.

Unless stated, all matches are 1pm kickoffs tomorrow.

College

As with last week, the Premiership round started early with Silverstream blanking Wellington College 46-0 in their Traditional on Wednesday. The feature clash tomorrow is at Evans Bay with St Pats Town taking on neighbours Rongotai, while not far away Scots welcome Hutt International to Strathmore. Wairarapa come over the hill to face St Bernard’s in Lower Hutt, and Porirua head north to take on Kapiti.

In Premier 2 there are three joint-leaders, all of which are in local derbies of sorts. Aotea top the ladder on points difference and host Paraparaumu, the Silverstream 2nds cross town to Upper Hutt College, and Tawa face Onslow on home turf. Hutt Valley HS hosts the Town 2nds, and either Taita or the Wellington College 2nds will open their account when they meet in the central Hutt.

All matches are 2.30pm starts.