Team culture key to new era of success for HOBM Barbarians

Above: The HOBM Barbarians after beating Petone last weekend and clinching the first round First Grade title with this week’s final round to spare.

With eight wins in a row this season, the Hutt Old Boys Marist Barbarians remain undefeated and head into this weekend’s game against the Stokes Valley Rhinos having already secured and defended the first round Thompson Memorial Cup

The Thompson Memorial Cup will be presented to the team at the conclusion of their final round First Grade game against Stokes Valley Rhino’s this Saturday at Delaney Park, kick-off 2.45pm.

The team has also secured the Norman Patterson Cup which is played for between HOBM and Stokes Valley each year in this Grade.

The Barbarians team this season is led by club legends and player/coaches Dan “Hammer” Pavihi and Nick “Rizzy” Risdon. Co-captain Elia “Elijah” Fonoti completes the on-field leaders.  All three played for the team last year as well. 

Long-serving Senior Barbarians players prop and goal-kicker Opeta “Big O” Malaesilia, try scoring machine Nu’u “Shawn” Maiava and Puia’i”Milsy” Lemalu have been the loyal members of the team that have remained from the early years.

Some standout players this season include midfield back Poe "P-Dogg" Ualesi, openside flanker Lasse "Denmark" Pedersen (also the team’s leading try-scorer), lock Kava "Goosen" Vulu front ranker Elia "Elijah" Fonoti and wing Sene" Prodigal Son" Motu.

The game day management is shared between former Barbarians players/coaches: Mika “Perenara” Seupule Thompson, Moses “The Guru” Mose and last year’s coach Poni “PL” Lealofi who has taken some time out with the birth of his daughter at the start of the season.

The key to the Baba’s success has been the unified team culture along with the mixture of youth and experience, says Pavihi.

“There have been some challenges this year with the grade being re-started five games in, along with cancelled games,  but the team have remained positive and focused with a “control what we can control” attitude,” says Pavihi.

“There are close to 40 players registered to the HOBM Babas team this year, so we are ready to go every week when there is a game.”

The theme for this year has been “#newERA”, which stands for new coaches, new players, new structure.

The side has a team song and they video their games each week, which they post on their team page for the team to view. There is also an official team naming every Friday, which is posted on the team page and texted out to players each week. This includes each player’s village/iwi/country. 

They have also organised their own warm-up tops through fundraising themselves and some sponsorship assistance and Pavihi notes that the team has paid its subs this season.

Team spokesperson Moses “The Guru” Mose says there has been a big emphasis this year on communication, commitment and discipline.

“At the start of the season, the team set some simple rules and policies for players and Management to be accountable for. Communicating with the coaches and team about availability for training and games has helped with selections and planning.”

A key Focus has been helping players improve their game understanding the game which leads to more enjoyment.

“The Baba’s set up is on par with most Premier teams in club rugby,” continues Mose. “With the introduction of former Premier players coming into the fold training has become a ‘learning centre’ for the players. We have introduced a little bit of structure and with this the squad have embraced it and developed some new skills and techniques with the aim of playing smart rugby and getting an understanding of their role in the team.

Family networks runs strong through the Barbarians - The Fonoti Family (Elia, Nox, Nika, Elisaia, Ben, Asu), The Pavihi Family (Dan, Tonu, Josh), The Seupule Family (Mika, Josh, Penieli), The Pilitati Family (Jeniero, Antonio), The Lealofi family (Poni, Luea, Sene, Opeta, Kava, Nick) are some of these. 

In previous years the team was predominantly of Samoan heritage and a one-off “Captain America” but this year you will find players of Tokelauan, Fijian, Maori, Rarotongan, Niuean and Danish descent.

In terms of rivals, one of the side’s rivals has been the OBU Wolfpack who are traditionally fit and well drilled students. This year the Babas have comfortably beaten OBU twice already. Another win of note against OBU was the last year’s grade semi-final when HOBM found themselves down to 14 men for 73 minutes but went on to win 17-10.

Another traditional rival from Senior 3 days up the present are the Petone Brotherhood who deservedly defeated the Barbarians in last year’s final.

Barbarians versus Brotherhood encounters will rival any Premier game in Wellington club rugby in terms of passion and commitment. 

The Stokes Valley Rhinos and Chiefs sides and Marist St Pat’s make up the rest of the grade.

First Grade Thompson Memorial Cup matches this Saturday (subject to change):

• Stokes Valley Rhinos v Hutt Old Boys Marist Barbarians, Delaney Park 2, 2.45pm.
• Marist St Pat’s v Petone, Polo Ground 2.45pm.
• OBU Wolfpack v Stokes Valley Chiefs, Te Whaea 2.45pm.