MSP Out For Two From Two In Jubilee Competition

If the opening round of the Jubilee Cup is an indicator, Wellington rugby fans can look forward to an exciting and evenly contested next two months of second round rugby.

Last week saw the first weekend of truly wintry weather and with it some hard fought games and close results. Adding spice to this week's second round matches, all four first-up results were the reverse of what happened in the Swindale Shield round.

Reversing their outcomes from earlier in the season, Petone defeated Old Boys-University 21-3 (OBU winning 25-3 in the first round), Hutt Old Boys Marist beat Poneke 19-9 (first round Poneke 39-25), Tawa beat Wests Roosters 27-7 (Wests 13-10) and Marist St. Pat's edged out Northern United 12-10 (Norths 39-23).

Of the four, Marist St. Pats' two point win over Norths was the most eye catching, MSP overhauling Norths late in the match with a brilliant solo try to No. 8 Alex Tulou, converted by first five-eighth Fa'atonu Fili. But for their supporters, the famous ‘Vatican Army', it probably didn't come as any huge surprise.

MSP have been the steady improvers of late, winning eight games and finishing fourth in the Swindale Shield. They have a hard working front row that includes hooker Ged Robinson and Samoan prop Jamie Parkinson. Add in talented Tulou at No. 8 and flair in the backs in runners such as Fili, Chris Slade and Jackson Martin, a return to the final for the first time since 2003 cannot be discounted.

MSP returns to Evans Bay Park in round two to play Old Boys-University, whom they beat 18-14 a month ago, but lost to 14-13 in a cliffhanger in this corresponding match last year. For OBU, they will be desperate to record their opening win after falling to Petone. Devastating on a dry track, their backs will also be hoping for a return to the lovely sunny conditions that saw them sweep past Avalon 54-24 at the end of the Shield round.

Another mouth-watering match up will be between Northern United and Poneke at Porirua Park, where the Shield winners and runners-up will both be out for their first wins. Neither will want to be nought from two so there will be no holding back at Porirua Park. The pair also produced a high quality display when they met in Kilbirnie Park in the first round, Norths prevailing 30-14 after trailing at halftime.

Elsewhere in round two, first round winners Petone and Tawa meet at the Petone Recreation Ground and the Hutt Old Boys Marist Eagles and Wests Roosters clash at Ian Galloway Park in the battle of the birds.

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