Wellington club rugby round two preview

The season opening 2011 Wellington club rugby Gala Day at Trentham Memorial Park was a cracker and round two this Saturday promises to be just as exciting.

First round Swindale Shield bonus point winners Oriental-Rongotai, Upper Hutt and Northern United will all be keen to push on and make it two from two, while for those beaten first round teams Saturday is a chance to open their accounts in the winner’s column.

Ories emerged as the big winners on the scoreboard last week with a seven tries to nil 63-6 victory over newly promoted Avalon, but will likely have a much sterner test when they host Hutt Old Boys Marist on their home track at the Polo Ground. HOBM were undone by a rampant defending champion Norths outfit in their first match last week and will have a point to prove after previously winning the pre-season New Zealand Marist Spillane Cup tournament at Napier and with one eye on preparing for the following weekend’s annual McBain Shield clash with Petone.

Norths host another beaten first round side from last week, Wainuiomata, and are at home at Porirua Park for the first time this year. Wainuiomata were well beaten by 2005 champions Upper Hutt at Trentham,?but Norths supporters will know to be wary of them and their many talented players, particularly in the loose forward department where openside flanker Greg Leolofi, blindside Genesis Mamea and veteran No. 8 Ati Olive offer dynamic opposition. Leolofi recently played for the Hurricanes Development side in the Pacific Nations Cup, while Mamea has retruned after a stint in Tasman Makos country.

Norths have had the better of Wainuiomata in recent years, winning 43-22 when they met last year, 52-10 in 2009 and 51-10 in 2008. However both sets of fans will well remember the match between these sides in 2007 when Wainuiomata caused one of the more memorable upsets in recent Wellington Premier rugby when the then recently promoted Senior 1s shocked Norths 30-29 at Porirua Park.?Another unforgettable match between these two clubs was in 2000? when Wainuiomata beat the Norths Senior 1 side? 26-5, with their winger? Jonah Lomu helping to attract an estimated 5,000-strong crowd and ?alsoscoring two tries. Wainuiomata and Norths contest the Alf Keating Memorial Cup, after the player who played club rugby for both clubs.

With slick outside backs and a hard working forward pack, Upper Hutt were comprehensive first round winners over Wainuiomata. The last time they won their first two games of the season was in 2005, the year they won 10 straight and went on to make the Jubilee Cup semi-finals, and will need to overcome another week one winner in Petone if they are to repeat that start. Petone, who drew their first two games last year (20-20 with Old Boys-University and 33-33 with Tawa), enjoyed a solid first up victory against Poneke and will be hoping to press on in their first game of the year at the Petone Recreation Ground. Like the Ories –HOBM clash at the Polo Ground, many will be looking at this as early season form guide.

Petone and Upper Hutt play for the Connelly Cup, after former Upper Hutt coach and Life Member Eric Connelly. Petone won this match last year – but only just. Upper Hutt outscored Petone four tries to three but couldn’t convert any of them and went down just 23-24. ?

Poneke host Old Boys-University at their new home of Evans Bay Park for the Beet Algar Rosebowl in a similarly intriguing clash. Poneke fought back to lose narrowly to Petone last week, while OBU held on to win a close one against Tawa. Recent history suggests a win for Poneke – with Poneke winning this corresponding match 76-0 in 2009 (Charlie Ngatai four tries) and 55-12 last year (Charlie Ngatai two tries), but the students will have other designs on last year’s beaten Jubilee Cup finalists.

Beet (short for Beethoven after the musician) Algar was heavily involved with the Poneke club. He was the captain of the senior side from 1919-22. When he retired from the game he was a key administrator of the club. Up until his passing in 1978 he was the club's patron. His brother Doug also represented Wellington.

Poneke and Old Boys-University also play for the Bill Brien Cup, after the publican and Wellington rugby identity who sadly passed away last year. Like the Ranfurly Shield, the Bill Brien Cup is put on the line in all the holder’s home matches.

By their own admission, 2009 champions Marist St. Pat’s put in a flat performance in their 19-10 victory over the Wests Roosters to open their 40^th season, and will be anxious to spark their game to life in a potentially tricky clash for them against Tawa at Lyndhurst Park. Like the Poneke over OBU, MSP have been comfortable winners against Tawa in recent Swindale Shield matches, prevailing 48-0 in 2010 and 55-3 in 2009. But going back further, these two premier sides have contested some real ding-dong matches in recent seasons and this could be intriguing. Tawa meanwhile recently suffered a blow, losing one of Wellington’s best performed midfielders Willie Lafaele to a potentially season ending knee injury. Lafaele, on his day as dangerous as any inside back going around, had just completed rehabilitation on his other knee and was raring to go again.

In the round’s other match at Ian Galloway Park, home side the Wests Roosters will run out with last season’s shock Hardham Cup semi-final loss to Avalon still fresh in their minds. In a remarkable turn of events at the end of last season, Wests won seven from seven to qualify top for a home semi-final at the Cage against an Avalon side who only a month earlier were dead last. Scrambling into the playoffs, Avalon then proceeded to beat Wests 12-11 courtesy of a last-gasp runaway try up the sideline.

These sides also play for the Wayne Fraser Memorial Trophy, which was donated by the Naenae Hotel to be contested between the Western Suburbs Club and Avalon Club in 1994 after the tragic death of Wayne Fraser. Wayne played for Wests from the age of 21 before moving out of central Wellington at which time he transferred to Avalon where he played until his death.

Defending Swindale Shield champions Northern United secured a clean sweep of first round titles last year, also winning the Senior 1 Harper Lock Shield and the Senior 2 National Mutual Cup. Norths had two losses in these grades last week - going down 10-24 to HOBM in Senior 1 and 5-17 to HOBM in Senior 2. In round two this week their Senior 2 side plays Wainuiomata who lost to Upper Hutt by a point, while their Senior 1 team meets Paramata-Plimmerton for the Ivan Hargreaves Trophy.

Ivan Hargreaves was an active club rugby administrator for the old Titahi Bay RFC then the Northern United RFC until recent years. Ivan was also a Porirua City Councillor for many terms and put up this trophy to be played between the local Western Bays RFC's of Porirua, Titahi Bay, Paremata-Plimmerton andTawa.?

In two other Senor 1 fixtures between first round winners, Poneke play Old Boys-University at their new temporary home of Evans Bay Park and Ories host HOBM at the Polo Ground.

Rimutaka had a positive first-up win against Paramata-Plimmerton in their season opener ahead of their round two match against Petone at the Petone Recreation Ground, who lost narrowly to Poneke last week.

MSP will be looking to make it two wins from two against Tawa at Lyndhurst Park, while both Johnsonville and Stokes Valley will seek to open their accounts when they meet at Helston Park.

In the Senior 2 grade, MSP and OBU were the two sides that earned season opening bonus point wins. In round two MSP travels to Helston Park for the early game against Johnsonville and OBU encounter a Poneke side at Kilbirnie Park who ground out a 10-3 win over Petone last week.

Other first round Senior 2 winners were Avalon, HOBM and Upper Hutt, who each play first round losers. Avalon meets the Wests Roosters at Ian Galloway Park, HOBM battles the Wellington Axemen at Hataitai Park and Upper Hutt play the home side at the Petone Recreation Ground.