MSP Blues and Tawa Titans both set for U85 kg Division 1 final

Above: The MSP Blues and Tawa Titans teams in action when they met back in June at Te Whaea in the decider of the first round JC Bowl, which MSP won 16-12. Photo courtesy of MSP Rugby.

To the fair-weather supporter, one thing that has seemingly been a given all season has been that the MSP Blues will march to another Paul Potiki Shield U85 kg Division 1 title. After all, the Blues have been the dominant team of this grade for the last few seasons and indeed the most consistent performing team across all of Wellington Senior rugby in this time.

That is, until they were beaten 14-11 by the Tawa Titans in the final round-robin match of the competition two weeks ago. The consequence of that win was that Tawa qualified top and will host this Saturday’s final at Lyndhurst Park. ?

Will the MSP Blues be upstaged again in Saturday’s final? After all, this is a Tawa team they are playing, holders of the Swindale Shield, Jubilee Cup, Ed Chaney Cup and several other interclub and challenge trophies. The word is that members are donning sunglasses when heading upstairs to their clubrooms, such is the glint of metal in their eyes from their trophy cabinet.

In one of three finals on Saturday to bring the curtain down an eventful and exciting year of 15-a-side Wellington club rugby - the others being the Senior 3 final between the HOBM Barbarians and the Petone Brotherhood and the Reserve Grade Division 2 final between the Upper Hutt J8s and the Paremata-Plimmerton Punters -? this final could be, as the home side’s name suggests, a titanic match.

In the scarlet corner, or in this case the Blues corner, is MSP. Three-time defending Paul Potiki Shield champions and winners of eight of the past nine combined U85 kg Division 1 titles going back to the first round JC Bowl competition in 2009.? They are the only team to play in all six Division 1 finals played in the last eight years (no finals were played in 2006 and 2008). MSP also ended the regular season as the inaugural holders of the Centurions RFC Cup.

In June the Blues beat Tawa 16-12 to claim their fifth JC Bowl title in a row, winning all nine games of the first round by a average margin of almost 50 points. They then won their opening five second round matches before being stopped by Tawa two weeks ago. This loss was their first defeat in over two years, ending a 36 game winning streak.

In the red, yellow and blue corner is Tawa, a side based on unity and club and team spirit. Tawa have never won the Paul Potiki Shield, but were? beaten finalists by MSP last year, 6-26, and joint winners of the JC Bowl in 2000 and 2001 and first round runners-up in 2006, 2010 and this season.

Several players have been playing for this Tawa team for at least a decade, such as captain David Tye since 2000, No. 8 Sam Butters since 1999, and top try scorer Simon Penny since 2002.?? First five-eighth Gene Johnston has played several seasons in this grade as well as playingfor the Tawa Premier side between 2007 and 2009.

Coach David Fa’atafa is a former Tawa Premier front rower, while Fa’atafa and 14 players in the squad are ex Tawa College students.

In last week’s semi-finals, MSP responded to their loss to Tawa by beating Eastbourne 61-5 at home at Evans Bay Park, while Tawa defeated the OBU Onslow Spartans 25-5.

Heading into the final, the Blues have scored 780 points in 17 games this season (45.88 points per game) including 119 tries and have topped 50 points in 10 games this season. The team has only conceded 57 points in total including having their line crossed only three times all year.

Midfielder Jared Hammington leads the Blues’ try scoring with 14 followed by wingers Todd Young and Will Jurie with 11 tries each.

Fullback (and Wellington Firebirds cricketer) Mark Houghton is a prolific goal kicker with 175 points in the season so far (including 4 tries) from 14 games played.

Tawa have won 15 of 16 competition games all season, and have scored 434 points and conceded 114. Their top try scorer is blindside flanker Simon Penny with 12 tries and their top points scorer is left wing Joe Denyer with 93 points.

MSP captain and first five-eighth David Rice said that the Blues are highly motivated to win on Saturday.

“Winning this weekend is everything to our team.? Having lost to Tawa recently it reminded each and every one of us just how much we hate losing.?The Poneke Dogs of War won the Paul Potiki Shield four years on the trot a few years back and we now have a chance to match that impressive record on Saturday, said Rice.”The final is being played on Tawa’s patch, but Rice said the Blues will have plenty of support. “MSP is a proud rugby club that would rarely experience a year without one of its sides taking out a championship trophy.?We know there will be a number of club members making the short trip to Lyndhurst Park to come and support us and we look forward to going out there in front of them and playing a competitive and exciting game worthy of a final.”

Rice said that Tawa will be a tough challenge. “Tawa have always been one of the top teams in the grade for as long as I can remember.? However, 2013 has been the year where they have proven that they are genuine title contenders, deservedly beating us in the last game of the second round a few weeks ago.? They are a side that thrive on the physical stuff and love getting stuck in at the breakdown.? We know that we need every guy out there, from 1 through to 15 to be ready for a tough battle that will last for the full 80 minutes if we want to successfully defend the Paul Potiki Shield.”

Tawa Titans captain and lock David Tye said that winning the final would be special achievement for his team for the Tawa club.

“As a club Tawa has had?our most successful season winning the Swindale Shield, Jubilee Cup, Ed Chaney Cup and Colts Division 2 final, so winning this weekend would cap off our club’s historical season and?as a team to have been able to make a contribution to such a year would be very special,” said Tye. “From a team perspective?a win would?be the reward for years of hard work by past and present players and coaches?who have?gone so close on many occasions but fallen at the final hurdle, to finally ‘knock the b##tard off’ and be able to share the victory with them would be something special!”??

Tye said that the strength of the Tawa Titans?is their team spirit. “Unlike a lot of teams who just turn up on a Saturday and try to build camaraderie the Titans are built around a bunch of guys who are childhood friends, flatmates, brothers, cousins, and school mates?who just happen to have had just enough talent?to cobble together a team which?has been competitive in Division 1 for a few years now.

“So on Saturday that is what our supporters expect, for us to show up and play an uncompromising and smart?brand of rugby where we?turn up for each other time and time again and don't take a backwards step, where every point the opposition gets is as hard earned as the ones we score...hopefully that is what we can deliver this.”

Tye added that the Blues are to be hugely respected for what they have achieved.

“The MSP Blues are the benchmark, they have been for at least the past three seasons and although they provided the majority of the 2012 Wellington 85's side their success has been largely built around teamwork and being frustratingly clinical in most aspects of their play rather than relying on just one or two star players to make the difference.

“We managed to exploit a couple of weaknesses in beating them 14-11 two weeks ago but they are too good of a team not to have?identified these and fixed them so we will probably just focus on our own game and attempt to?better?their strengths rather than exploit any perceived weaknesses.”

About the Paul Potiki Shield

The Paul Potiki Shield was presented by the Poneke club for competition in the newly created 85 kg Restricted grade in 1996. Ories stalwart Tony O’Brien was responsible for establishing the grade, with the aim to “to bring enjoyment back into rugby for the skinny, smaller bloke.”
Paul Potiki was a Poneke stalwart, a former member of the 22nd Infantry Battalion in WW2, taxi driver and a well known Wellington identity.

Paul Potiki Shield winners 1996-2012:
1996 Paremata Plimmerton
1997 Upper Hutt
1998 HOBM
1999 Upper Hutt
2000 Old Boys University
2001 Upper Hutt
2002 Johnsonville
2003 Poneke Dogs of War
2004 Johnsonville
2005 Poneke Dogs of War
2006 Poneke Dogs of War
2007 Poneke Dogs of War
2008 Poneke Dogs of War
2009 Wellington
2010 Marist St Pat’s Blues
2011 Marist St Pat’s Blues
2012 Marist St Pat’s Blues

Match Details

What: Paul Potiki Shield U85 kg Division 1 final, MSP Blues v Tawa Titans

Where: Lyndhurst Park, Tawa

When: Saturday 31 August at 2.30 pm

Coverage: Club Rugby will cover the final as part of our club and representative rugby round-up on Saturday evening; Tawa RFC will be live streaming the match for Tawa TV and MSP and Holden Bros. Media will be producing a highlights video on Saturday night.