Off the Ball for 20 August

Off the Ball is in association with Rob Law Max, Lovelocks Sports Bar,  Motor Doctors and Sarah Kilner Real Estate 

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.

Another big weekend of rugby is in the history books, with club finals, college finals being contested and representative rugby starting up.

Rugby fans can take a breath until next Saturday when it all starts up again, although there is a relatively 'light' programme of home matches this coming weekend.

First, there are two midweek matches on the secondary school fields. The first is this afternoon when Wainuiomata High School take on Taita College at home at 4.00pm in a ‘catch-up’ Division 2 final. This decider was deferred last Wednesday owing to illness in Taita’s camp. The second is at Jerry Collins Stadium on Wednesday at 7.00pm when Aotea College defends the Beard Trophy against Tawa College. Aotea then has a four-day turnaround before playing Feilding High School in Palmerston North in the Hurricanes Co-ed Cup semi-final (see below).

On Saturday at the Hutt Rec, the Wellington Maori and Manawatu Evergreens and the Wellington Samoans and the Centurions Development play in round two of the Hurricanes Development and Festival Cups.

The big school match in Wellington this coming Saturday is between yesterday’s Wellington Premiership winners St Pat’s Silverstream and the number two ranked Super 8 team, Hastings Boys’ High School. The time and venue for this fixture has yet to be confirmed (Monday morning). 

Further afield the Wellington Lions play in Christchurch and several other teams play in (or near) Palmerston North.

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The Wellington U19s play the Hurricanes Heartland U20s in round two of the Hurricanes region U19 competition and the Wellington Pride play the Hawke’s Bay Tuis at Ashhurst in their final pre-season match before the Women’s NPC starts the following weekend. Hawke’s Bay beat Manawatu 32-25 on Saturday.

Aotea College plays Feilding High School (see above) and Manawatu College plays Wairarapa College in the Hurricanes Co-ed semi-finals.

St Mary’s College and Manukura contest a straight Hurricanes girls final, with the winner progressing straight to the National Top 4 tournament in Palmerston North a fortnight later. While St Mary’s beat Porirua College to win the Wellington competition last Wednesday, Manukura dispatched Feilding High School 36-0 on Saturday.

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In Christchurch, the Wellington Lions play defending NPC champions Canterbury. The Lions beat Otago 34-16 for the Mike Gibson Memorial Trophy yesterday, while Canterbury – traditionally slow starters in the NPC – fell to Tasman 17-25.

This coming Saturday, the Lions defend the Harry Saundercock Memorial Trophy, which was presented by the Saundercock family in 1965 in memory of Harry Saundercock who was the first member of the CRFU to represent Canterbury Rugby sub unions in 1935.

Last year, the Lions smoked Canterbury 60-14, so the red and blacks will be out to reverse that result.

This coming match against Canterbury will be the 48th NPC meeting between the two provinces since 1976. Their head-to-head results have Canterbury winning 23 contests to Wellington’s 22 with two draws. The Lions have scored 1,128 points and 137 tries to Canterbury’s 1,198 points and 136 tries. 

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The Wellington U19s beat the Hawke’s Bay U19s 47-7 at Westpac Stadium on Sunday morning. Wellington raced to a 40-0 lead at halftime, but Hawke’s Bay held them to 7-7 in the second 40 minutes. Lock Naitoa Ah-Kuoi and fullback Todd Svenson scored two tries for the Junior Lions, while first five-eighth Callum Harkin scored 17 points.

Wellington’s opposition this coming Saturday in the second round of the Central Region Shield Tournament, the Heartland U20s, beat the Manawatu U19s 12-3.

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Have we ever had a series of senior grade finals like we have had this year? Two weeks ago the finals of both Premier Reserve divisions went into extra-time, and the Women’s Division 1 got close. On Saturday the two Under 85's finals also went beyond normal time with the Upper Hutt Rams scoring in the 80th minute to force extra's against the Avalon Wolves, and then again in the 100th to win it. It went even further in the Division 2 contest at Helston between Johnsonville and the Wellington Axemen where the Golden Point period came into effect for the first time in a Wellington club final; and even then that wasn't enough as the two remained lock 17-all after 110 minutes with Wellington declared winners having scored three tries to the Hawks' one.

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There remains one final left on the schedule, with the Upper Hutt J8's and MSP Internationals to battle out the Reserve Grade Division 2 decider this weekend.

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It was a bumper day as the President’s Grade signed off for the year with their Gala Day at Paremata-Plimmerton's Ngati Toa Domain. A clutch of Wellington Lions players made an appearance though stayed on the sidelines despite attempts to get them involved as ring-in's, and reports are that the clubrooms were heaving until the early hours. The number of cars still there on Sunday morning would seem to confirm that.

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A short outing for Petone's Jackie Patea-Fereti in the Black Ferns' win over Australia on Saturday afternoon, coming on in the 61st minute only to spend the last 5 minutes in the sin-bin after being on the end of a string of penalties by her side that broke the patience of Hong Kong-based former Wellington referee Tim Baker.

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Great to see so many former and current (2018 players) playing for other teams in the provinces. Based mostly on week one match-ups, Club Rugby has compiled a team of Wellington club rugby players in the NPC:

1. Ben May (Hawke’s Bay)
2. Valentine Meachen (Bay of Plenty)
3. Joe Apikotoa (Hawke’s Bay)
4. Kane Leaupepe (Bay of Plenty)
5. Liam Hallam-Eames (Manawatu)
6. Joketani Koroi (Otago)
7. Murphy Taramai (North Harbour)
8. Sam Wasley (Manawatu)
9. Luke Campbell (Bay of Plenty)
10. Daniel Kirkpatrick (Auckland)
11. Salesi Rayasi (Auckland)
12. Chase Tiatia (Bay of Plenty)
13. Regan Verney (Northland)
14. Mike Buckley (Hawke’s Bay)
15. Tauasosi Tuimavave (Southland)
RESERVES
16. Ben Power (Hawke’s Bay)
17. Donald Brighouse (Otago)
18. Taniela Koroi (Auckland)
19. Murray Douglas (Northland)
20. Marino Mikaele-Tu'u (Hawke’s Bay)
21. Kayne Hammington (Manawatu)
22. Pepesana Patafilo (Waikato)
23. Jono Ihaka (Manawatu)

For more visit: www.clubrugby.co.nz/national

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Who will be the first professional player to post a pic of themselves on Instagram at halftime?

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Is Jack Goodhue the next Conrad Smith? In just his second Test he stepped up after senior midfield partner Ryan Crotty went off early with a head knock and had a blinder.

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Congratulations to Feilding High School alumni Sam Whitelock is the first lock in the team’s history to play 100 Tests, and joins an illustrious group of special players who have achieved the milestone: Richie McCaw (148, 2001-2015), Keven Mealamu (132, 2002 – 2015), Tony Woodcock (118, 2002 – 2015), Daniel Carter (112, 2003 – 2015), current All Blacks Captain Kieran Read (109, 2008 - ), Ma’a Nonu (103, 2003 – 2015) and Mils Muliaina (100, 2003 – 2011).

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A big weekend for the locks, with Whitelock’s partner Brodie Retallick having a storming match against Australia and St Pat’s Silverstream lock Neyla Masima scoring three tries and setting up another for his school First XV yesterday.

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100-game Wainuiomata wing Jason Love plays in a band called Forgive me Father. They play hip hop and appear at D4 on Saturday 1 September.

If you have contributions and stories please email editor@clubrugby.co.nz