Big day of Swindale Shield rugby in store for Saturday

Tomorrow shapes up as a potentially dramatic conclusion to the Swindale Shield round in the Premier competition. Not at the top end, where Hutt Old Boys Marist have been confirmed as champions, but for the right to play in the Jubilee Cup. Four matches will decide the fate of the six teams in contention for the remaining four places – joining HOBM, Tawa, Marist St Pats, and Oriental-Rongotai – and information from those venues will be eagerly sought as people try to sift their way through the seemingly endless amount of possible outcomes. There is also suspense in who will be the second Premier Reserve side to join Tawa in being elevated to the Hardham Cup, which will also be confirmed on Saturday but not until the Premier matches are completed.

Premier Swindale Shield

Two of those matches are titanic clashes between sides that are both in the fight for those places. At Hataitai Park neighbours Wellington (33) and Poneke (29) clash. The Axemen go into tomorrow two points short of confirmed safety, having scored a crucial win away at Upper Hutt last week. Their bid for a first taste of Jubilee Cup rugby since 1995 could be derailed though if they lose and don’t get the points they need, concede four tries to Poneke, and Upper Hutt also score a bonus point win over MSP, while a three-way tie with those sides also possible on either 33 or 34 points.  Poneke have tapped a rich vein of form, having now beaten HOBM and Wainuiomata in successive weeks and will be full of confidence for the short journey from Kilbirnie. A bonus point win at worst puts them potentially into a tiebreaker, while a loss could also see them in the same situation. As two of the stronger defensive sides in the competition this could be a real arm-wrestle with the loose forward battle, featuring Wellington 7’s teammates Vaea Fifita and Greg Foe, probably being worth the watch alone.  These two met three times last year with Poneke winning on each occasion, the first of which secured the Ray ‘Spud’ Lindsay Memorial Shield the two clubs contest and is also at stake tomorrow.

The second of those matches is at William Jones Park where Wainuiomata (27) hosts Old Boys-University (31). The men from over the Hill road need to regroup quickly after their loss to Poneke last weekend, and need to regain the form they showed in beating Tawa and Wellington in the two weeks prior; they will also have a new pivot tomorrow with TJ Va’a making his first Premier start. Simply put, last year’s runners-up have to win tomorrow to have any chance, as even getting two bonus points in a loss will not be enough for them, and should Petone, Poneke, and the Rams all prevail, then a bonus-point win won’t be enough either. The Goats have a bit more breathing space and were able to rest players last weekend against Paremata-Plimmerton; however their place is far from secure either though a win will have them safe regardless of events elsewhere. A loss could see them potentially leapfrogged by all four sides below them on the table, and leave them in the Hardham Cup. OBU won last year’s Swindale encounter 47-22; with Wainuiomata winning the Jubilee encounter 23-16 three weeks later.

The other two hopefuls face sides that are already qualified for the Jubilee Cup. Fresh off seeing off Johnsonville, Petone (31) are again at home with Tawa the visitors this time to the Petone Rec. For the Villagers a win will see them safely through no matter what else transpires elsewhere, but with both Upper Hutt and Wainuiomata having beaten them this year they could be in considerable difficulty if they lose. While they have named a first-choice side, Tawa’s has an experimental element look to it particularly in the forward pack with both of their sides safely through to the next round and the Premiers hopes of the Swindale extinguished by the WRFU upholding their two-point penalty deduction.  Petone won the sides Swindale meeting 31-27 last year, ending Tawa’s long unbeaten run at home, with Tawa winning the return Jubilee Cup clash by 19-12.

In the other, the Upper Hutt Rams (29) make the trek into the city to take on Marist St Pats at Evans Bay. The Rams simply cannot afford to leave without competition points if they want to return to the Jubilee Cup, but the possibilities of their fate range from winning this match with a bonus point and still missing out (should Poneke, OBU, and Petone all win and Wellington takes a single bonus point), to making it with just one bonus point being added to their tally (if Wainuiomata and Poneke both lose, the latter without a bonus point themselves). However they have a considerable hex to overcome, having not beaten MSP in the Swindale in the last 10 years, including an 11-12 loss in the last round in 2005 that denied the Maidstone club an unbeaten Swindale campaign, two other one-point defeats since then, and a 21-36 loss last year. Already qualified, MSP could use this game to give some players a rest, but may also be mindful that their second side still has a chance of Hardham qualification as well.

One point to note is the WRFU’s rules on tiebreakers. In the event two sides are tied, then the result of the head-to-head match between them will determine who progresses. If that match was drawn, or the two did not play each other in the Swindale round, then points difference is used. If three or more teams are tied then the head-to-head results are used first, but only if all the tied teams played each other, otherwise it falls to points difference.

The tiebreakers held by each side over the others, and current points differences are:

• Wellington: OBU, Upper Hutt Rams. Points difference +65 (Did not play Petone)
• Old Boys University: Upper Hutt Rams. +132 (DNP Petone)
• Petone:  Poneke. +50 (DNP Wellington & OBU)
• Poneke: OBU, Wainuiomata. Drew with Upper Hutt Rams. +55
• Upper Hutt Rams: Petone, Wainuiomata. Drew with Poneke. +24
• Wainuiomata: Petone. +65 (also beat Wellington, but cannot draw level with them on the points table)

Oriental-Rongotai and Hutt Old Boys Marist meet at the Polo Ground in the only match between sides that have both already qualified for the Jubilee Cup. With the Eagles now confirmed as Swindale winners there will be the temptation on both sides to rest players ahead of the arduous weeks to come, but that has to be balanced against keeping combinations and momentum going. There is also the not-insignificant matter of the Bondy Memorial Cup that the two sides play for in honour of longtime Ories stalwart Don Bond, who died just weeks before the Magpies 2011 Jubilee Cup triumph. That is currently held Ories after their 17-15 win in last year’s Swindale Shield match, though HOBM won the Jubilee Cup round-robin and semi-final matches 32-17 and 43-26 respectively.

The other two matches are between sides that already know that they will meet in the Hardham Cup.

At Fraser Park Avalon takes on Norths with the new artificial there being used for Premier rugby for the first time, joining the Te Whaea and St Patrick College turfs with that distinction, while Paremata-Plimmerton make the trip to Helston Park to take on Johnsonville. Norths beat Avalon twice last year in the Hardham Cup, while Johnsonville only squeaked past Pare-Plim 20-19 in their Hardham encounter. All four sides will be looking to be in the best possible shape they can be ahead of their Hardham Cup campaigns.

Premier Reserve Harper Lock Shield

Tawa’s win over HOBM last weekend secured them both the Harper Lock Shield and elevation to the Hardham Cup. Tomorrow they seek an unbeaten campaign when they meet Petone in a top-of-the table clash, with the Villagers in the position of having provisionally secured the second Hardham place, but have to wait on the fate of their Premiers before they will know which competition they will be playing in next week.

Should Petone’s Premier’s fail to make the Jubilee Cup, then the second spot will fall to the next Premier Reserve side who’s top side is playing for the major prize. Two of those sides, third-placed Poneke and sixth-placed Wellington, clash in the early match at Hataitai, though again the winner of that will be looking at the result of the Premier match afterwards and other matches elsewhere. Fifth-placed MSP are at home at Evans Bay against the Upper Hutt Rams and could vault into the Hardham Cup if results fall their way. In the other matches Avalon hosts Norths at Fraser Park, Wainuiomata take on OBU at William Jones, Ories and HOBM clash at the Polo Ground, and winless sides Johnsonville and Paremata-Plimmerton meet at Newlands Park with this match at the slighter earlier kickoff of 12.30pm.

Premier Women’s Fleurs Trophy

This weekend’s Women’s matches were previewed yesterday on Clubrugby. All revert to Saturday 11.30am kickoffs with Norths hosting Avalon on Porirua #3, HOBM takes on Wainuiomata on the Hutt Rec, OBU and Poneke clash at Nairnville, and Tawa and Johnsonville meet at Lyndhurst. Ories have the bye this week.

Other club grades

The four games in the Under 85kg JC Bowl start with the unbeaten Tawa Titans scheduled to take on Kapiti at Redwood Park at 12.45pm, though Kapiti defaulted again last week so it may be questionable if this one is actually played. In a pair of 2.30pm kickoffs leaders Avalon face the third-placed OBU Bunnies at Fraser Park, while Wellington take on Eastbourne at Kilbirnie. The final match is on the St Pats artificial at 3.30pm between hosts MSP Reds and neighbours the Poneke Cavs.

The round of matches in the Colts Paris Memorial Trophy gets underway tonight when the two OBU sides, Green and Black, meet at Te Whaea at 7.45pm. The remaining six matches are all tomorrow with 12.45pm kickoffs. Leaders Norths are now the only undefeated side and travel to Fraser Park to face winless Avalon, while the third-placed Upper Hutt Rams travel into the city to play Marist St Pats on Kilbirnie Park #2. Two further matches are also at Kilbirnie; one-loss sides Poneke and Tawa clash on #1, while midtable Wellington and winless Wainuiomata do likewise on #3. The last two matches are at the Polo Ground where Ories host HOBM, and at Newlands Park between Johnsonville and winless Paremata-Plimmerton. Petone, who are currently second, have the bye this weekend.

The sole 12.45pm kickoff in round 7 of the First Grade Thompson Memorial Trophy is at the Petone Rec where the Petone Saxons (previously Petone ‘A’) host Poneke in a mid-table clash. In the four 2.30pm games leaders Petone Brotherhood travel to Delaney Park to face Stokes Valley, second-placed HOBM host MSP Avele on the Hutt Rec, OBU’s third side gets a very rare outing on the Basin Reserve against MSP ‘A’, and bottom side Tawa hosts one-win Norths at Lyndhurst Park.

There is also a pair of top-four matches in the Reserve Grade competition this week with leaders Poneke Ruffnuts heading to Trentham Memorial to play the fourth-placed Upper Hutt Thirsty Rams, while the second-placed Upper Hutt Rams J8’s travel to face the MSP Internationals at Martin Luckie. Both these matches kick off at 2.30pm.

Lastly, the annual Presidents grade Gala day is being held on Sunday and hosted by the Upper Hutt Rams with games at both Maidstone and Maoribank Parks.

College Premiership & Premier 2

The first match of round two of the Premiership has already been played, with St Pats Town defeating Wellington College 15-11 in the annual traditional on Wednesday afternoon. The big match tomorrow is between first round winners Scots and Rongotai at Scots with the Moascar Cup at stake. Silverstream put the Williment Cup on the line when they host Wairarapa College, while Tawa and Hutt International, who both lost first up, meet at Tawa. All three matches are 2.30pm kickoffs. In Premier 2 three matches are 1pm kickoffs; Kapiti host Porirua up the coast in a matchup between two sides that lost their opening games, as did the Wellington College 2nds and Upper Hutt who meet at the city school, with the third early kickoff is the St Pats Town’s 2nds at home against Aotea on the college’s artificial turf. The two 2.30pm kickoffs are all between first round winners; there’s the Lower Hutt derby when St Bernard’s host neighbours Hutt Valley HS, and Silverstream’s 2nds make the trip to take on Bishop Viard.