Crunch Time For Last Year?s Jubilee Cup Finalists

It's crunch time in this weekend's Jubilee Cup fourth round for last year's finalists Northern United and Poneke. For Poneke, the stakes are high, last season's top qualifiers needing to beat Old Boys-University in this week's Club Weekly feature match at the Basin Reserve or their eighth visit to the Jubilee Cup final in ten years will be as spectators only. With just a solitary bonus point from their first three matches, they have to win their remaining four round-robin matches starting with OBU. So far in the Cup round Poneke have emerged second best against Hutt Old Boys Marist (19-9), Norths (67-7) and Marist St. Pats (6-0).

They face an OBU side a little less desperate, but nevertheless equally as motivated, the students rebounding from a close 26-22 loss to MSP to beat the Wests Roosters 33-7 last week. But in also losing 21-3 to Petone in the first round, they will be just as fired up as their red and black visitors in a match too close to call.

At the Hutt Recreation Ground, Norths will wear the underdogs tag for the first time this season. The second round hasn't been smooth sailing so far for the Porirua powerhouse, out to capture the Swindale Shield-Jubilee Cup double for the second year in succession. After nine straight Shield wins, Norths have faltered to two losses from three Cup games and will be anxious to bounce back against HOBM.

Norths were pipped 12-10 by MSP before cantering to victory against Poneke, but then uncharacteristically failed to grab their chances against a Tana Umaga led Petone last week. After hauling in a 9-0 halftime lead with a converted try soon after the turnaround, it was an Umaga runaway try that sealed the 19-13 scoreline. Twice this year the Norths machine has recoiled from losses with 60-point wins the following week, but it was HOBM that inflicted their only back-to-back defeat, winning 19-17 in their April encounter.

In other round four games, MSP will be out to maintain their unbeaten record against Tawa at Lyndhurst Park after beating them 7-3 in a mistake-ridden affair six weeks ago. Like HOBM, MSP will likely book their place in the playoffs with victory this week, while Tawa fans can get their hopes up for their semi-finals chances if they win this match. At Ian Galloway Park, Petone will be favoured to silence the Wests Roosters' 2007 season.

Another factor in round four will be the possible unavailability or limited role of a number of leading players involved in the Wellington XV match against Waikato at Porirua Park on Friday night. This and the upcoming full Vodafone Wellington Lions squad will impact on the competition over the next month.