Wainui v Upper Hutt: Hardham Final

The four corners of Wellington rugby are represented in this year’s club finals, with two teams from either end of the Hutt featuring in the Hardham Cup final. The top two qualifiers at the end of a hotly contested and dramatic round-robin stage, Upper Hutt and Wainuiomata, both arrive at today’s finale with high hopes of taking out the title.

For Upper Hutt it will be good reward for a difficult season that saw them finish one place outside the top eight in the first round after the highs of last year, when they won the Swindale Shield and made the top four of the Jubilee Cup.  Wainuiomata’s Hardham Cup season has been remarkable and a win would complete a truly meteoric rise for the fourth placed finishers of the Premier Two Harper Lock Shield. Over the last eight weeks Wainuiomata has beaten premier sides Johnsonville and Oriental-Rongotai (twice) and drawn with Western Suburbs, with their round seven 10-36 loss to Upper Hutt their only defeat.   

That loss has been quickly superseded by the euphoria of last week’s home semi-final victory over Ories, and with a strong contingent of supporters at Westpac Stadium Wainuiomata promise to be hard to beat today. Expect a hard fought, entertaining clash, with both teams bringing an expansive style of rugby to the final. Both have mobile packs, strong ball-running loose forwards and fast skilful backs who know their way to the tryline.  
 
A key area of today’s final will be at first five-eighths, with Upper Hutt’s Ben Aoina and Wainuiomata’s Earl Va’a likely to play leading roles in the outcome.  Wainuiomata player-coach Va’a kicked the winning penalty for his side to beat Ories 19-18 last week, his second such match-winning kick in as many playoff matches. Playing for Petone in last year’s Jubilee Cup final, Va’a slotted a penalty at the death to clinch the title for Petone against Norths.

Another key match up today will be at halfback between All Blacks halfback Piri Weepu and Vodafone Wellington Lions apprentice halfback Alby Mathewson in a much-anticipated clash.

Aoina’s 20-points, including six penalties, proved decisive in Upper Hutt’s semi-final win against Wests. In so doing he also brought up his 200th point with the boot in 2006, and with six tries as well, Aoina is club rugby’s leading points scorer this year.