Looking at the week ahead: Semi-finals week

Its semi-finals time in Wellington club rugby.

Which four teams will win their playoff contests and progress to this year’s Bucqui Jubilee Cup and Hardham Cup finals at Porirua Park next Saturday afternoon?

If the form guide from the just completed 20-match round-robin season is anything to go by, then there promises to be several more twists and turns to come before champions in the top two Wellington club rugby grades are crowned.

Semi-finals this weekend are again at the earlier kick-off times of 2.15pm, owing to the Investec Super Rugby semi-final semi-final at Westpac Stadium at 7.35pm and to allow for extra time should scores be locked up after 80 minutes.

Top qualifiers Marist St Pat’s are set to host eastern suburbs neighbours Oriental-Rongotai in one Jubilee Cup semi-final at Evans Bay Park, while it is second versus third at Lyndhurst Park between Tawa and Wainuiomata.

In the Hardham Cup, top qualifiers Hutt Old Boys Marist and Paremata-Plimmerton meet at the Hutt Recreation Ground and Northern United and Petone clash at Jerry Collins Stadium.

In the feature Jubilee Cup semi-final, Marist St Pat’s will be out to win their fifth match of the second round on home turf at Evans Bay Park, after winning their four matches there so far by an average score of 38-18. Visitors Ories lost their last round fixture 24-25 but snuck into the playoffs. They beat MSP 25-22 when they last met six weeks ago, while they also beat MSP 54-21 in the first round.

The second semi-final is the clash of the community clubs, Tawa and Wainuiomata. 2013 champions Tawa lost their first three second round matches but have found their winning formula. Wainuiomata edged past Poneke 16-14 on Saturday to qualify. Tawa have won both their clashes this year, 29-15 a month ago and 25-23 in the Swindale Shield in a match that was decided by a Wainuiomata exit play mistake and a winning dropped goal.

Northern United snuck past Petone 24-21 on Saturday to claim home ground advantage for their Hardham Cup semi-final, while HOBM defeated Johnsonville 62-3 in their final regular season match and Paremata-Plimmerton held out MSP B 16-7.

There’s also Colts Division 2 semi-finals this weekend. The Petone Colts are the top qualifier for the first week of Vic Calcinai Memorial Cup playoffs, and they host the Avalon Wolves in one semi-final. Paremata-Plimmerton and Wainuiomata meet in the other at Ngatitoa Domain.

The Colts Division John E Kelly Memorial Cup, U85kg grade competitions, First Grade competitions and Reserve Grade competitions all have their final rounds this weekend before their semi-finals next Saturday.

WelTec Premiership First XV rugby resumes this week, with St Pat’s Town hosting St Pat’s Silverstream for the Holley Shield on Wednesday, to conclude the round-robin series. Quarterfinals are on Saturday. Bishop Viard College defaulted to Wellington College, handing Coll another week off before they set out to break the curse of the top qualifier.