This week in club rugby history – 19 June – 25 June

Above: Ories beat Tawa 18-13 at neutral Kilbirnie Park in a storm this week in 2013. Tawa reversed the five-point deficit in the final by winning 26-21 in the rematch later in the season.

In association with Lovelocks Sports Bar on Bond Street in Wellington, some highlights from this week in Wellington club rugby history are below.

19 June

1965: After losing their opening six games of the season, Poneke win their fourth game on the trot and beat previously unbeaten Athletic 9-8 in a major upset. Athletic are now joint leaders with University after the students defeat Hutt 27-9.

1982: Petone come back from 3-11 down at halftime to beat Athletic 22-17, the competition’s leading try scorer Eddie Morgan dotting down twice in the corner and Murray Blandford sealing victory by potting a late dropped goal. In other games, lock Murray Pierce scores twice in Wellington’s 27-10 win over Avalon and Bernie Fraser scores his 91st try for Hutt Valley Marist in their 21-7 win over Upper Hutt.

1999: Poneke and Western Suburbs fight out to a 12-12 draw at Ian Galloway Park in a hard fought battle between the top two sides. It’s a battle of the first five-eighths but neither Scott Leighton (Wests) or David Holwell (Poneke) are able to out point the other. Meanwhile, Petone midfielder Lotu Filemu scores four tries in his side’s 54-9 win over Ories.

2004: Petone first five-eighth Riki Flutey steals the limelight from his Old Boys University opposite Seminar Manu in the dying minutes at the Basin Reserve. It seemed that Manu had sealed an upset win for OBU with a late dropped goal. But Flutey has slotted a 45 metre penalty into the wind to give his the 20-19 win, Through the tunnel at Kilbirnie Park, second half replacement loosies Faifili Levave and Serge Lilo help give Norths a 6-3 win over Poneke in a desperate struggle in the mud.

2010: Norths and MSP are the big winners in today’s opening round of Jubilee Cup matches. Fresh from scoring a record 18 tries to help his side through to an unbeaten Swindale Shield winning run, fullback Buxton Popoalii helps ignite Norths to a sizzling 45-23 win over Oriental Rongotai at Porirua Park when it looked to many that they might have been heading for their first defeat of the season. Trailing 10-23 midway through the second half, Popoalii and his electric Norths teammates flick the switch and score four unanswered tries At Evans Bay Park, defending champions MSP are ruthless against Upper Hutt in a clinical display of attacking rugby for their 49-0 victory.

20 June

1969: There’s still two rounds of the inaugural Swindale Shield to be played and a moon landing is imminent. But the talk of the inaugural Swindale Shield is of an eventful set of matches played today. [First round champions] Petone have been upset 6-15 by Wellington and two tries to the latter’s All Black wing Michael Knight has taken his tally to a record 21 for the season. Flanker Graham Williams is Man of the Match for the Axemen.

1981: Petone wins the Swindale Shield, beating MSP 10-6 in the ‘final’ at Athletic Park. Petone wing Mike Clamp grabs the only try of the match to give him 21 for the season so far. Elsewhere, Wellington’s Peter Rackley scores four tries in the Axemen’s 54-0 win over Titahi Bay.

1998: Western Suburbs register their fourth consecutive win to skip 6 points clear at the top of the table, beating Upper Hutt 31-6 at Maidstone Park. The home side has the better of large parts of the second half but Wests lead 14-6 at halftime, before creating space out wide and pulling clear.

2009: A biting southerly and icy conditions proves a leveler, with all four losing Jubilee Cup teams from last week winning all four round-robin games today to leave all eight teams with a win and a loss. It is especially close at Kilbirnie Park, where favourites Norths beat Poneke 18-8, Alapati Leiua scoring his 18th try of the year. Norths and Poneke are destined to meet in the final in several weeks from now.

21 June

1975: Petone all but seals the Swindale Shield title by beating Ories 32-16, although they lose captain Andy Leslie to a broken nose in the second half. Elsewhere, All Black wing Grant Batty scores a brilliant solo try in MSP’s 24-6 win over Hutt Old Boys.

1980: MSP capture the Swindale Shield, beating Petone 13-0 in the ‘virtual’ final. Mike O’Leary, lock Steve Hinds and captain and hooker Kevin Horan are all standouts for MSP. It’s MSP 35th consecutive club victory, while Petone are held scoreless for the first time in five years.

1997: Harlequins sting Avalon 31-11, to end Avalon’s run of eight consecutive victories, second five-eighth Paul Steinmetz having a blinder and orchestrating a second half revival.

2008: The clash of the round at Evans Bay Park sees MSP use their get out of jail free card against Petone, MSP come back from a 10-point deficit to scrape past the Villagers and register their 12th consecutive win of 2008. It takes back-to-back tries, to No. 8 Alex Tulou and first five-eighth Fa'atonu Fili, to ease MSP into the lead late in the match after trailing 5-15 midway through the second half. Earlier, Petone hold sway through tries to quick wing Fautua Otto and No. 8 Shaun Mahoney and their fans grow increasingly hopeful of toppling the in-form Swindale Shield champions.

22 June

1985: Already confirmed as first round winners, Wellington are presented with the Swindale Shield after today’s final set of first round matches, after beating Upper Hutt 10-3 in sheeting rain. But there’s heartbreak for Wellington College Old Boys supporters who must beat Petone to make the ‘top 8’. WCOB leads 9-3 right up to injury time when Petone first five-eighth Murray Blandford crosses for a converted try to even the ledger up to 9-9 to send WCOB into the Hardham Cup.

1991: Soon to be champions Hutt Old Boys get their Jubilee Cup campaign off to a winning start with a 34-14 victory over Northern United, reversing the 3-10 loss to Norths in the first round. Greg Kingi scores two tries for Hutt. Elsewhere, the Wellington Axemen complete their second win of the season over Petone, beating the defending Cup champions 15-11.

1997: Sunday rugby on the Petone Rec sees Harlequins end Avalon’s run of eight consecutive victories. Second five-eighth Paul Steinmetz spearheads a second half revival; scoring 16 points in their 33-11 win.

2002: 4,000 club rugby fans attend Maidstone Park to watch All Blacks superstar Christian Cullen in action for Norths. But it is his All Blacks teammate Pita Alatini who steals the show with a Man of the Match performance in the midfield in Norths’ 23-7 over home side Upper Hutt.

2013: Club rugby heats up on the worst day of the year today, following a frightful storm on Thursday night. Ories beat Tawa 18-13 in the battle of the heavyweights at Kilbirnie Park, MSP defeat Poneke 23-6 at the first ever Premier game on the new St Pat’s Artificial ground, Old Boys University defeat Wainuiomata 26-8 at the Hutt Rec and Hutt Old Boys Marist blank Petone 20-0 at the Petone Rec.

23 June

1979: MSP win their 13th straight match of the season to claim the Swindale Shield, its forwards power a key weapon in beating Wellington 21-4. MSP finishes the first round having scored 246 points and conceded 88. Petone finish second after dispatching bottom placed Ories 50-0.

1984: Wellington beats MSP 22-21 in a nerve-wracking Swindale Shield decider, in which the lead has changed hands no fewer than seven times. In the end, its Evan Hopkins’ 72nd minute penalty that seals the win. Elsewhere, Upper Hutt beat Titahi Bay 51-7 to earn their place in the Jubilee Cup ahead of Avalon on points differential.

1990: Upper Hutt wins the Swindale Shield for the first time, beating close rivals Petone 18-3 away. With the strongest pack in the competition, Upper Hutt are deserved first round winners. First five-eighth Alan Henderson strikes three penalties and a dropped goal to give Upper Hutt a 12-3 lead at halftime. Flanker Mark Purdy scores the winning try 10 minutes into the second half.

2001: Hurricanes first five-eighth David Holwell scores 22 points in Poneke’s 27-6 win over Avalon to give Poneke the Jubilee Cup lead, while Petone’s back run rampant to beat MSP 42-27, while young Upper Hutt fullback Ben Aoina kicks a late penalty to see Upper Hutt beat Wests 25-22.

2007: Hutt Old Boys Marist stamp their mark on the 2007 Jubilee Cup with an empathic 64-0 round two away win over the Wests Roosters. Following up their first round win the previous week against mudlarks Poneke, HOBM cut loose in the sunshine, overpowering the Roosters eight tries to nil. First five-eighth Jon Bentley kicks every conversion. HOBM are joined at the top of the table by Tawa and MSP who both enjoy second round wins over Petone and OBU respectively. MSP overcame OBU 26-22 at Evans Bay Park, while Tawa won 30-18 at home.

2012: Captain and hooker Henry Smith scores three tries for Norths in their 31-10 win over MSP at Porirua Park. Roles will be reversed when they meet again in the Jubilee Cup semi-final later in the season when MSP will prevail 33-6 and then go on and win the title.

24 June

1984: Wellington Axemen captain Jim Morgan and new All Black lock Murray Pierce jointly hold the Swindale Shield aloft after trumping rivals MSP 22-21 in the final round. Wellington fullback Evan Hopkin has kicked a 72nd minute penalty to give his side the lead for the final time in a see-saw struggle.

1995: In the battle of the heavyweights, Petone turn the tables on MSP, beating them 33-16 in the feature match at Athletic Park. Petone win through the boot of first five-eighth Simon Mannix and through tries scored by wing Alex Telea and midfielders Jason O’Halloran and Tana Umaga.

2006: Northern United head the points table, after running out narrow come-from-behind 23-20 winners over Old Boys-University at Porirua Park. Norths defend the Bill Brien Challenge Cup for the seventh consecutive time. Norths will beat Poneke in the Jubilee Cup final.

25 June

1960: Petone score a sensational late converted try to beat Wellington 13-11. The ball is spun through most of the team from Athletic Park’s western bank touch to the grandstand touch and back again before captain Don McIntosh scores the match-equalising try and his second of the game.

1983: Petone, ahead 19-3 at halftime, are on the verge of defeat but rally to hold off MSP and win 19-13 in today’s virtual Swindale Shield final – and thus share the Shield. Both teams finish on 22 points, four clear of third placed Wellington. Petone’s win is built on four Allan Hewson penalties and tries to Allan Pollock and Mike Clamp – the latter’s 15th try of the season.

1994: Tight games in five out of six games include an upset 8-7 win for Johnsonville over defending Swindale Shield champions MSP and a 20-20 draw for unbeaten Avalon with Wests. In tough midwinter conditions, Johnsonville edges MSP at Helston Par, while Avalon scores a very late converted try to tie with Wests. In other close results, Poneke bear Upper Hutt 26-25, Wellington defeats Norths 22-20 and Harlequins score two quick tries to see off HOBM 25-15.

2011:Oriental-Rongotai shoot to the top of the Jubilee Cup standings after three rounds, holding on to beat HOBM 36-31 in a 10-try thriller in perfect winter rugby conditions at the Hutt Rec Ories win the game with a decisive four-try burst just before and after halftime, reeling in a 7-19 deficit and then holding off the Eagles who come back at them hard. In six weeks Ories will return to the Hutt Rec and, playing a similar style of positive rugby, beat Norths in the Jubilee Cup Final.