Club and Festival rugby to continue tomorrow

Above: Action from the Wellington Maori v Wellington City match last Saturday. The big hits continue in the Festival series at Fraser Park, while Colts, Reserve Grade and U85kg club rugby grades are in action in finals and semi-finals.

After four titles were decided last week, the 2014 Wellington club season continues to rapidly draw to a close with three more grade finals to be played tomorrow, along with the semi-finals of the Under 85kg grade.

Second round Festival matches are being played at Fraser Park, involving the Wellington City, Suburbs, Maori and Samoan teams.

There's also a match on the Evans Bay Park Artificial at 1.30 pm between the Centurions and the New Zealand Marist Colts.

Club rugby Colts finals

The Division 2 final for the Vic Calcinai Memorial Cup will be played out at Kilbirnie Park between Poneke and Wainuiomata after their semi-final wins over Upper Hutt Rams ‘A' and Kapiti respectively.

The two sides started their seasons in quite different places; Poneke beat HOBM 20-17 in grading to be placed into Division 1, but they then went winless and were relegated at mid-season. They did however come closer than anyone in the first-round to toppling the champion OBU Green side when they lost 22-29, accounting for more than half the points OBU conceded in those matches, and also narrowly lost to both MSP and Wellington. Wainuiomata started in the Division 3 competition where they won all five matches, then beat Paremata-Plimmerton to claim the James Gilbert Trophy. In the second round both sides won 9 from 10, with Poneke winning their round-robin clash 51-22 on the same ground two months ago.

The final for the Eric Connolly Cup between those sides finishing 5^th through 8^th in the Division 2 round-robin is at Helston Park between home side Johnsonville and the Upper Hutt Rams' ‘B' squad. Johnsonville handily beat Otaki side Rahui 43-3 in their semi-final while the Rams upset Tawa 32-22. Johnsonville missed the chance of a second successive mid-season promotion to Division 1 when beaten by Tawa in a semi-final earlier in the year and after finishing the Div 2 round in 6^th with a five-win five-loss record will be looking to grab some silverware; while the Rams began the year in Div 3 before posting four wins from 10 to finish the round-robin in 8^th, winning the only clash between the two sides this year 10-0 three weeks ago.

Club rugby Reserve Grade final

Next door to the Colts final will be the Reserve Grade Division 1 final on Kilbirnie #2 between the Poneke Ruffnuts and the Upper Hutt Rams J8's, with the Johnsonville Centennium Cup (played for as the Senior 3 trophy before this year) at stake. The Ruffnuts are the defending Reserve grade champions, winning that title over the MSP Internationals, and last week accounted for the OBU Therapists in their semi-final; while the Rams J8's beat last year's Senior 3 and this year's Reserve grade first-round winners the Petone Brotherhood to reach this stage. The two sides have some finals history, having met in a tightly and hotly contested 2011 decider which the then-Upper Hutt club side won.

Club rugby Under 85kg Restricted semi-finals

Saturday sees the semi-finals of the lightweight grade in both the Paul Potiki Shield and Moody Cup competitions ahead of the finals next weekend.

In the Division 1 Paul Potiki Shield defending champions and top qualifiers the MSP Blues will be looking to keep their perfect record this season intact when they take on Waikanae in their semi-final at Evans Bay. The men from up the coast have only dropped matches to the top two sides in this round after their midseason promotion, but will have their work cut out to breach the Blues' line having failed to do so when beaten by them 0-15 at home in the round-robin.

The second semi-final is at Redwood Park, where the Tawa Titans take on the Poneke Cavs for the right to contest next week's decider. The two sides have fought out a pair of close matches this season, with Tawa winning the JC Bowl encounter 15-14 and the Potiki Shield round-robin match by 13-7, so a similar close and low-scoring encounter seems likely again this time.

Division 2 Moody Cup top-qualifiers Hutt Old Boys Marist will be fresh after having the bye in the last round, and will have home advantage on the Hutt Rec when they face Wellington, with the Axemen booking their place after a 55-5 win over Paremata-Plimmerton. The other semi-final is at Delaney Park where Stokes Valley take on the MSP Reds with both sides coming off wins last weekend over MSP Green and the Wests Roosters respectively.

All seven matches this Saturday kick off at 2.30 pm

Festival rugby series

The second round of three of the WRFU Festival of Rugby series is being played at Fraser Park tomorrow afternoon.

The two matches, both on the No. 1 field, see first round vanquished sides Wellington City and Wellington Samoans meet at 1.00 pm and first round winners Wellington Suburbs and Wellington Maori meet at 2.30 pm.

The teams for tomorrow's games at Fraser Park are (subject to change):

Wellington Maori

1. Apanui Heemi

2. Aranu Rangi

3. Whetu Henry

4. Richard Wasley

5. Ngarama Haerewa

6. TJ Fermanis

7. Louis Karl

8. Dean Brundson

9. Damien Madsen

10.Trevor Marama

11.Ezra Fermanis

12.Jason Henry

13.Deina Morete

14.Keanu Moran

15. Randall Bishop

RESERVES:

16.Tama Wanoa

17. Kenny Anderson

18.Ryan Nepia

19.Steve Aki

20.Anthony Ellis

21.Declan Hay

22.Kewa McMillan-Parata

23.Tamati Samuels

24.Tane McMillan-Parata

Wellington City:

1. Vince Sakaria

2. HunterPrescott

3. Adam Stewart

4. Akuila Alatini

5. Nemani Waaka

6.? Mark Soloa

7. Isaac Oconner (c)

8. Matt?Peni

9.?Peter Fa'atau?

10.?Greg Mullany?

11.?Tony Smith
12.?Nick?Grigg
13. James Waddel?
14.Andrew Ellis?
15.Andrew Wells?

RESERVES:

16. Tevita Falekakala

17. ?Meto Mata'afa

18. Sefo Setafano

19. Agustine Escalona

20. TBC

21. Isaac Marriner

22. Matt O'Connor

23. Hilton Mexted

?

Wellington Samoans

1.Otto Rasch

2. Zeke Sapoaga

3. Ella Fonoti (C)

4.Tamilo Va'a

5. Galu Taufale

6.Greg Foe

7.Josh Hunt

8.Valentine Meachen

9.Jack Taulapapa

10. Dudley Parsons

11. Belgium Tuatagaloa

12. Jeff Makapelu

13. Tu Umaga-Marshall (VC)

14. Joyner Key

15. Ryan Setefano

RESERVES:

16. Eli Hunt

17. Soti Faamausili

18. Lucky Tuiatua

19. Enoka Fonoti

20. Ken Kapeli

21. Kalim Kelemete

22. Tomasi Alosio

23. Nu'u Lene

24. Konelio Feaunati

25. Faresa Tasele

Wellington Suburbs

1.?Simon Maleulu?????????????????

2.?James O'Reilly??????????????????????????

3.?James Coburn???????????????????????????

4.?Bevan Clark???????????????????

5.?Glen Angus????????????????????????

6.?Taniela Manu????????????????????

7. Greg Lealofi???????????????????????

8.?Ben Tupuola

9.?Hayden Schijvers

10. Jackson Garden Bachop

11. Aukuso Tuitama

12.?Teru Time

13. Marvin Karawana

14. Karl Uilea

15. Shannon Bradbrook

RESERVES:

16.?Tony Coburn???????????

17. ?Marcus Royal?????????????

18. Amaru Amaru????????????????

19. Jacob Gooch????????????????????

20. Philip Finau

21. Mitch Brown

22. Tupeni Kamakorewa

23. Jordan Simpson-Heft