Billy Wallace competition Team of the Season

Above: Tawa captain TJ Fermanis and his MSP counterpart Issac O’Connor remonstrating with the referee during their recent Jubilee Cup semi-final. Fermanis finished as the Best & Fairest joint winner, while O’Connor was a few points behind after another consistent season on the side of his team’s scrum.

This year's third annual Wellington club rugby Billy Wallace Best & Fairest competition starting XV would give most teams a decent crack.

Laced with power and passion up front, dynamic loose forwards, attacking flair in the backs and a dollop of experience - plus four players in the forwards who captained their sides this year - it’s a decent representation of the form players from the just completed 20-week Wellington Premier club rugby competition.

The team is based entirely on the order of finishing of the 2015 Billy Wallace Best & Fairest competition, with Dominion Post contributors choosing 3, 2 and 1 points at every game.

Selection criteria is based on who was awarded the most points in each position throughout the season. For the most part, players in the Team of the Season have been selected in the position that they played most of their games in. Exceptions in this year’s team, these being loosehead prop Finbarr Kerr-Newell who also played some games tighthead prop, lock Sam Faisandier who also played blindside flanker, lock Vaea Fifita who also played loose forward, blindside Joseph Scheres who also played openside, right wing Joyner Key who also played at second five-eighth and fullback and fullback James So’oialo who also played at first five-eighth.

For the record, OBU wing Joe Hill (3 points), MSP hooker Valentine Meachen (2) and OBU bookend Kerr-Newell (1) were awarded the points in the Jubilee Cup final.

Tawa No. 8 TJ Fermanis and Wellington Axemen halfback Adam Deck were this year’s joint winners, both finishing on 18 points. Fermanis was awarded Player of the Day on five occasions and Deck four times.

Two Hardham Cup players in this year’s Best & Fairest starting XV – Poneke flanker Joseph Scheres and Upper Hutt Rams back Joyner Key – accumulated enough points in the first 11 rounds of the season to earn selection. In the second round points were awarded solely in Jubilee Cup matches.

There are five players that have made the Billy Wallace Team of the Season before, these being: Nick Grigg and Afa Fa’atau in 2013 and Vaea Fifita, Issac O’Connor and Whetu Henry in 2014.

Nine clubs are represented this year, with Jubilee Cup semi-finalists Old Boys-University, Marist St Pat’s, Oriental-Rongotai and Tawa contributing nine of 15 players.

The Billy Wallace Best & Fairest competition has been running every year since 1966, when Athletic club and All Black Tom Lister was its inaugural recipient. Wainuiomata No. 8 Ben Tupuola won it last year.

The 2015 Billy Wallace Best & Fairest Wellington club rugby Team of the Year, with their points accumulated in brackets with their club:

1. Finbarr Kerr-Newell (Old Boys-University, 5 points)

2. Valentine Meachen (Marist St Pat’s, 8)

3. Whetu Henry (Oriental-Rongotai, 11)

4. Vaea Fifita (Wellington, 14)

5. Sam Faisandier (Hutt Old Boys Marist, 5)

6. Joseph Scheres (Poneke, 13)

7. Issac O’Connor (Marist St Pat’s, 12)

8. TJ Fermanis (Tawa, 18)

9. Adam Deck (Wellington, 18)

10. Fa’atonu Fili (Marist St Pat’s, 11)

11. Afa Fa’atau (Oriental-Rongotai, 12)

12. Nick Grigg (Petone, 14)

13. Wes Goosen (Old Boys University, 11)

14. Joyner Key (Upper Hutt Rams, 8)

15. James So’oialo (Tawa)