Frantic final fortnight in Swindale Shield

There may be just two rounds remaining in this year's Swindale Shield, but there's still plenty of rugby to be played over the final fortnight, starting with an action packed tenth round set of matches this Saturday.

Heading into this week's penultimate round, seven teams are still mathematically in the running to win or share the title and ten of the twelve sides are still alive chasing the eight spots to contest the Jubilee Cup starting on 13 June.
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Frontrunners Petone (on 37 points) and Northern United (36) are in the box seat for first round supremacy, with Oriental-Rongotai and Poneke (both on 33) just behind should they slip up. This group of four is then followed by a further three teams who are in theory still in the hunt to win if the rugby gods are on their side.
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With their one-point lead at the top of the standings, the Shield is Petone's to lose and it will be heading to the Village for the first time in five years if Petone wins their last two matches with bonus points no matter what else happens. Their supporters will also take comfort in the fact that five of the previous six Swindale Shield winners were outright or joint leaders after the ninth round.? For instance, the last time Petone won the first round in 2004 they were joint leaders with Poneke after nine rounds and then went on to win their last two games with bonus points and secure the title.? However Norths can take heart from their 2006 win when they were second to Hutt Old Boys Marist after nine rounds and then beat them 26-24 in an ultimately title deciding tenth round encounter.?
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If Petone and Norths finish level pegging at the end of the first round the Swindale Shield will be shared between the two clubs, a situation that has happened just twice in 40 previous Shield seasons: in 1972 when Petone shared it with Wellington and in 1983 when Petone and MSP finished equal top.
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But if either Petone or Norths lose their last two matches, then the door is ajar for either Ories or Poneke to come storming through to take the spoils at the end of next week - assuming they too both their last two matches and with bonus points preferably thrown in there as well.
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In games this week, all these four teams have potentially difficult games and a loss for either of them will probably end their challenge, while next week the title permutations will get even hotter if two or more teams are still in the running.
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In match-ups this week involving the main four contenders, Petone host ninth placed Wainuiomata at the Village, Poneke hosts Upper Hutt at Kilbirnie Park, Ories entertain Tawa t the Polo Ground and Norths meets the Wests Roosters at Ian Galloway Park.
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Looking ahead to next week's final round, Petone meets Ories at the Polo Ground and Norths entertains MSP at Porirua Park in a re-run of last year's Jubilee Cup final in two potentially massive games.
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Back in the chasing pack, joint fifth placed Marist St. Pat's and Upper Hutt (on 29 points) are nine points behind leaders Petone but can still win or share the title if they secure bonus point wins in their last two games and both Petone and Norths lose their last two games.
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A point further back, HOBM's remote chances rest on them needing two bonus point wins starting with MSP this week at the Hutt Recreation Ground and then Tawa in the last round, Petone and Norths losing both their last two games with no points and Tawa beating Ories this week.
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In the battle for the top eight, Tawa still have everything to play for in the last fortnight to secure the last? available spot for the Jubilee Cup round which they currently occupy. But they have ninth placed Wainuiomata just three points behind them and the tenth placed Wests Roosters also vying for a late charge into the Jubilee Cup round if they could upset Norths this week at home and then defeat Avalon in week eleven.
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The one match this weekend that doesn't affect any other sees Old Boys-University and Avalon battle it out for the likely wooden spoon. OBU will be gunning for their second win of the year and Avalon will be hoping for their first Swindale Shield win since round five in 2007, this match at Fraser Park being played on Avalon's Old Timers' Day.
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In? trophy games this week,? Poneke and Upper Hutt play for the Alby Makeham Shield after the former? Poneke (1951-59) and Upper Hutt (1960-62) halfback who was also a Wellington representative player from 1954-59 and a New Zealand trialist in 1958. After his playing days, Makeham helped coach young Poneke halfbacks, including future All Black Ofisa Tonu'u. His mother "Ma" Makeham was a passionate Poneke follower, who was a life member between 1975-96. When Alby died, both clubs decided to have a trophy in his honour, and it was first played for in 1989.
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MSP and HOBM play for the Father Cleary Shield. This trophy commemorates the late Father Tom Cleary (commonly known as "Creeps") a sportsmaster and well known first XV coach at St. Pat's College, Wellington and one of the founders of the St. Patrick's College Old Boys Rugby Club.

It was donated by the Roche family for competition between Marist and St. Pats at a time when relations between them were not very cordial, in the hope that it might improve these relations. Its effectiveness may be judged by the fact that the two clubs are now amalgamated. Following the amalgamation, the trophy briefly fell into disuse. It was revived in 1974 for competition between MSP and Hutt Valley Marist. In 1995 it was re-allocated for the first round match between MSP and Hutt Old Boys Marist after their amalgamation with Hutt Old Boys.

Petone and Wainuiomata play for the Darren Larsen Cup, presented for play between these sides by the ex Premier and U19 coach of the Petone team and first played for at Premier level in 2007.

Ories will defend the Bill Brien Challenge Cup for the first time against Tawa, after winning it off Poneke at Kilbirnie last week.

It's crunch time in the Harper Lock Shield this weekend, where up to seven teams are locked in a battle over the last fortnight to secure the three places still available for the Hardham Cup.
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With MSP already having won this grade last week with two rounds to spare, the race is on to fill the next three spaces with the seven teams from second to eight on the ladder separated by 10 points and all still mathematically alive in varying capacities.
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Of these, second placed Poneke appear to be safely through, given their last two matches are against bottom placed Upper Hutt this week at Kilbirnie Park and then 10th placed Paremata-Plimmerton in the last round.
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Both Johnsonville (currently third) and Rimutaka (now fourth) will be desperate to retain their current standings and earn a shot at promotion for next season in the Hardham Cup. But first Johnsonville must fend of the challenge of fifth placed Ories this week at the Polo Ground and Rimutaka must overcome seventh placed OBU at Nairnville Park.
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Both these clubs will be aware of sixth placed Petone, who could potentially come through the pack and grab one of these four places. Petone meets Paremata-Plimmerton at home this week and then Ories in the last week.
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In the Senior Two grade, five teams are chasing two spots for promotion to the Senior One Ed Chaney Cup for the second half of the season. These are leaders MSP (on 38 points), Norths (36), Tawa (32), HOBM (28) and Poneke (27).
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The Senior Two National Mutual Cup is MSP's if they kick on and win their last two games and earn a bonus point in one of them, but adding spice to the end of this competition is the fact that MSP are playing two of these other four chasing teams in the last fortnight. This week they meet HOBM at the Hutt Recreation Ground and next week they play Norths at Porirua Park in what will be a virtual final should they beat the Eagles this Saturday and Norths overcome the eighth placed Wests Roosters at Ian Galloway Park.
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In other Senior Two games this week, Tawa will be fighting hard, hoping for a win over the Wellington Axemen this week and then vying with HOBM in the final round. Likewise, fifth placed Poneke will consider themselves in the mix for a top two finish if they can defeat seventh placed Johnsonville at home and then eleventh placed Wainuiomata at home.
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The Senior 3 first round JDR Cup concludes this weekend with leaders Petone (30 points) and Marist St. Pat's (27) playing at the Petone Recreation Ground at 1.15pm in what is a virtual final. With a three-point lead to MSP at the top of the table, Petone needs just a win or a draw to take the title.
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Third placed Paremata-Plimmerton (24) can finish second if Petone beats MSP and they defeat fifth placed Rimutaka in their match at Ngatitoa Domain.
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Norths should go on to wrap up the first round Women's Fleurs Trophy at the end of two more rounds, needing to overcome fifth placed Eketahuna and then seventh placed MSP, both at home. Waiting to pounce will be Johnsonville, who's last two matches in the first round are against eighth placed Petone away and then third placed OBU at home.
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If OBU can defeat fourth placed Ories this week then they have the chance of leapfrogging Johnsonville into second when they meet at Kelburn in the last week.
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It's also Presidents Day at Wainuiomata on Sunday, where teams from 13 clubs will converge on Mary Crowther and William Jones Parks for a day of fun rugby and social activities in the clubrooms afterwards with former international referee Lyndon Bray the guest speaker.
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Each year, the Presidents Day raises money for charity. This year's is the New Zealand Rugby Foundation, an independent charitable trust who provide assistance to seriously injured rugby players and their families as well as providing assistance in other areas of need within NZ rugby.
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