Above: The Wellington and Ories packs battle it out last week. The Axemen are out to finish their season on a high against Hutt Old Boys Marist, whilst Ories will be hoping to clinch a home semi-final when they meet OBU at the Basin Reserve. For six Premier sides, plus the two B sides promoted to contest the Hardham Cup, tomorrow is their 18th and final match of a season that began back on March 21 at Trentham Memorial Park. While seven of those sides know their fate, the last will be determined from the Hardham Cup contests...More

There’s sure to be some tense faces among the Northern United, Avalon and Poneke squads this Saturday, but for Johnsonville and their loose forward and occasional midfielder Louis Karl who is playing his 100th game the afternoon should be more enjoyable. Johnsonville need a bonus point win over Paremata-Plimmerton to clinch top spot for the Premier 2 semi-finals, when they will welcome one of Northern United, Avalon or Poneke on to Helston Park on 25 July. With Johnsonville and the second placed Upper Hutt Rams assured of hosting the two semi-finals, it’s all on elsewhere this weekend...More

Isaac O'Connor is not a Catholic, but he laughs his Irish surname and ginger hair over qualify him to play for Marist St. Pat’s. However he concedes it would have been helpful to have had God on his side in early 2008 when he played his first game for the club. O'Connor recalls the incident that would commence a long battle with injury. "I was playing for the Colts and for the first time in my life I attempted a left-foot side step. My knee blew out. I guess a man has got to know his limitations," he laments...More

Then there were four. Fourteen teams started the Wellington club rugby season at a dusty Trentham Memorial Park back in March. Now, just Old Boys University, Oriental-Rongotai, Tawa and Marist St Pat’s remain in the race for the Jubilee Cup final at the JCS on 1 August. With the four semi-finalists decided, who’s confident of picking a winner? Ories, Tawa and Marist St Pat’s have won three of the last four Jubilee Cups between them, so have been there, done that. OBU are unbeaten, but last reached the final in 2002...More

Above: Tyral Vigne lunching at the line earlier this season against Marist St Pat's. This coming weekend, he plays his 100th Premier match for Petone against Wainuiomata. It's taken nine seasons and this weekend one of the nice guys of club rugby, Tyral Vigne, will play his 100th Premier match for the Petone Rugby Club. No one could ever describe the South African born prop as being flashy, but he has been the ‘go to’ man for the different coaches he has played under, never complaining when being sent back to the B's, always stepping up when required, sometimes even filling in at hooker and always doing the job asked of him...More

Match Details Result: Wellington 19 – Scotland 15When: 30 May 1981Weather: Fine and sunny Crowd: 26,000 The Tour 1981 was a controversial year for international rugby in New Zealand and a famous one for Wellington rugby. The big international tour of the year was by the Springboks, dominating the rugby landscape that winter – but mostly for the wrong reasons. The country was divided along pro and anti tour lines owing to South Africa’s apartheid policies, protestors were out in force in all matches and the match against Waikato in Hamilton was abandoned after a pitch invasion...More

Above: Dark days. Contrasting fortunes for home team Marist St Pat’s Pat’s and Petone at Evans Bay Park today, with the home side winning 32-15 and booking their place in the upcoming semi-finals and Petone missing out on the top four. UPDATED: The four semi-finalists have been found for the Jubilee Cup semi-finals with next week’s seventh and final round to spare. Old Boys-University (now on 26 points), Tawa (19), Marist St Pat’s and Oriental-Rongotai (both 18) have all qualified for the top four Wellington club rugby championship round on 25 July, with Old Boys University the confirmed top qualifier and the winner of the Andy Leslie Trophy with a match in hand...More

UPDATED: It could be all-on or all-over for several teams after tomorrow’s penultimate round of Premier matches. The possible outcomes vary widely; the playoff fields in both the Jubilee and Hardham Cups could be set with only the ‘who-plays-who’ to be determined next week, or there could be a series of results that leaves three places up for grabs with six teams still alive in each of the Premier grades. With all games kicking off at 2.45pm radio reports and social media messages will be sought after as supporters try to build a picture of their team’s fate...More

Above: Cameron Cross playing in a recent Swindale Shield match against Wellington. If Avalon hadn’t spent four seasons out of five between 2010-2014 as a non-Premier club, this story would’ve been about Avalon’s Cameron Cross playing his 150th Premier game. “I actually didn’t know that I was in line to be playing my 100th Premier game until the club brought it up this week,” he said. “It’s definitely a long time coming as I started playing for Avalon in the 2000 and 2001 seasons...More

Above: OBU's Sam Chamberlain skipping into the tackle of All Blacks Sevens player Lote Raikabula with flanker Mitch Clarke in support, in a recent Jubilee Cup match against Marist St Pat’s. Old Boys University made the semi-finals of the Jubilee Cup in 2013, but prior to that had failed to make much of an impression at the business end of the season. In fact the last time University won the Jubilee Cup was in 1966. In 2015 they are guaranteed to make the semi-finals with two rounds to play, being the only unbeaten team in the second round...More