Unbeaten Petone and Poneke to lead Anzac Day attack

Please note that all Swindale Shield matches this week are at 2.15pm on account of the Rebel Sport Super 14 fixture between the Hurricanes and?the Brumbies at Westpac Stadium, starting at 7.35pm. Check draws for all other grades.???

Swindale Shield round five preview: This weekend's Anzac Day Swindale Shield Feature match is at the Petone Recreation Ground where the two remaining unbeaten teams Petone and Poneke go head to head in another of Wellington club rugby's great clashes.

Not only does this encounter serve as a top of the table match where the winner will get the jump on the rest of the field after five rounds, but the two teams will also be playing for the F.J (Fred) Tilyard Memorial Shield which was first presented by Poneke in 1958 upon their 75^th Anniversary for this game.

The Tilyards were a famous Poneke family of four rugby playing brothers. Fred and Jimmy were All Blacks while the other two brothers, Harry and Brun played for Wellington. ?

Fred played for four club championship winning teams, was a Wellington representative for seven years and an All Black in 1923. He was a club administrator for 20 years. ?

The rivalry has always been very intense. Many years ago Poneke supporter Dooley Calcanai climbed up the goal post at the Petone Recreation Ground and replaced the Petone flag with a Poneke one. A few years later, Jim Gilbert painted the Petone Rec scoreboard red and black. ?

Before this year's game on Saturday there will be a short ANZAC Day?ceremony honouring those from both clubs who fought in the two world wars.

Petone are the current F.J Tilyard Shield holders, having re-captured it this time last year off Poneke at Kilbirnie Park on Poneke's 125^th Jubilee weekend with a 51-20 win over their old rivals. Petone came out of the sheds fizzing and raced to a 22-0 after 25 minutes and then pulled away after halftime after Hurricanes first five-eighth Dan Kirkptrick scored a decisive bonus point try.

Previously, Poneke won this corresponding clash 25-20 in 2007 with left wing Ambrose Plaister touching down for two tries, and Petone won 31-15 in 2006 with halfback Cam Incledon the man of the match. Both these players are back for their respective sides in 2009, with Ambrose having already scored six tries in four weeks and Incledon relishing his move to second five-eighth where he has been on fire.

Early frontrunners Poneke have made a rollicking start to 2009, having piled on 168 points and conceded just 40 in their first four games. This is in contrast to this time last season when they had one win from four heading into their loss to Petone in round five and just scraped into the Jubilee Cup round. Given that they have already played and beaten co-defending Jubilee Cup champions Northern United and Marist St. Pat's, victory over Petone would put them on course to win the first round Swindale Shield should they hold their form.

Petone, who are coming off a?scrappy 15-0 McBain Shield win over Hutt Old Boys Marist following previous victories over Avalon (86-9), Norths (30-25) and the Wests Roosters (17-10) finished third in last? year's Swindale Shield and second in the Jubilee Cup round-robin. This game is in the middle of a tough three-week stretch for them and they meet MSP at Evans Bay Park next Saturday.

Meanwhile, there are two more inter-club trophies on the line in this week's Swindale Shield, where the Wests Roosters host Oriental-Rongotai at Ian Galloway Park for the Keith Mettrick Memorial Shield and Northern United defend the Terry Farrow Memorial Shield against Upper Hutt at Porirua Park.

The Terry Farrow Memorial Shield is in memory of Terry Farrow who was a past life member of Norths and passed away in 1999. He was instrumental in setting up the amalgamation of the Titahi Bay and Porirua clubs in 1990 to form the Norths RFC. Terry's father George was the first life member of the Upper Hutt club. Other family connections with Upper Hutt include Kerry Farrow, who was a long time player and captain of their premier side.?

Last week Norths racked up their first century of points in a Premier game since their formation in 1990 in overcoming Avalon and will also want to win this one to send long-serving first five-eighth- wing-fullback Peato Lafaele off on a high in his last match for the club before he leaves for Brisbane.

Lafaele, who reached his century of appearances last week against Avalon has been a consistent points scorer for the Norths Premiers and Senior Ones over the past few seasons. 2006 was his most prolific season for that year's all-conquering Bulldogs side, scoring 10 tries (two fewer than leading try scorer Julian Tupai's 12) and compiling 193 season points (second most behind Upper Hutt's Ben Aoina ‘s 240 points).

It was his two first half penalties that proved decisive in Norths' 21-15 win over Upper Hutt in this 2006 game, to recapture the Terry Farrow Trophy after Upper Hutt had beaten Norths 10-5 in 2005 en route to winning the Swindale Shield.

Keith Mettrick was involved with the Oriental-Rongotai RFC from 1957 until he passed away in 1986. When Mettrick retired from Ories rugby in 1968 he had made a name for himself as a nuggety hooker, representing Wellington A and B between 1959 and 1963.?After his playing days were over Mettrick began a successful coaching career in Senior Club Rugby before taking over the Wellington Colts and Wellington B.

Another key game this week comes from Nairnville Park where Old Boys-University will be desperate to defeat Tawa and earn their first win of the season. OBU registered consecutive top four finishes in the Swindale Shield in each of 2006, 2007 and 2008 but a loss to Tawa in this match could see them staring down the barrel of the Hardham Cup later in the season. Defending Hardham Cup champion Tawa will be searching for their second win and the opportunity to re-join the Jubilee Cup after leading Poneke for much of last week before being overran towards the end.

In the two other Swindale Shield games in round five, MSP return home to Evans Bay Park to play Wainuiomata and Hutt Old Boys Marist entertain neighbours Avalon at the Hutt Recreation Ground.

In the 12.30pm game at Evans Bay Park, Marist St. Pat's will be out to extend their grip on the Senior One Harper Lock Shield against Paremata-Plimmerton, while second placed Ories meet ninth placed Stokes Valley at Delaney Park and third and fifth placed Rimutaka and Hutt Old Boys-University do battle at the Hutt Recreation Ground.

The Harper Lock Shield is shaping up as a competition for fans to keep a close eye on over the next few weeks, with nine of the remaining eleven contenders behind leaders MSP each sitting on two wins from four games, and the top four sides earning the right to join the bottom four from the Swindale Shield and play in the Hardham Cup in the second round.

Leaders and only unbeaten team Hutt Old Boys Marist host Avalon at the Hutt Recreation Ground in the Senior Two National Mutual Cup, while fourth placed Norths and sixth placed Poneke could be the big movers in this competition this weekend? if they defeat early strugglers Johnsonville at Helston Park and Paremata-Plimmerton at Kilbirnie Park respectively.

In the first round Fleurs Trophy Women's Premier grade, co-leaders Johnsonville play Eketahuna at Alex Moore Park and Norths play Stokes Valley at Delaney Park.

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