The Oriental Rongotai women’s team, the Upper Hutt Rams Hardham Cup side and Colts and the Petone Colts Premier Reserves and Women’s were big winners in today’s non-Premier Wellington club rugby matches. At Maidstone Park, the Upper Hutt Rams put on a try scoring clinic to beat the Avalon Wolves 98-12 and win the Hardham Cup with a week to spare. Openside flanker Daniel Schrijvers and right wing Max Pearson both scored hat-tricks. The Upper Hutt Rams Premier Reserves also beat Avalon in the early game at Maidstone, to win the HD Morgan Memorial Cup with next week’s final round to spare...More

The battle of the two unbeaten teams in the WelTec First XV Premiership was the proverbial game of two halves in perfect conditions at Jerry Collins Stadium in Porirua this afternoon. Silverstream won 35-24 in the end, to finish top qualifier ahead of next week's semi-finals.  Both St Patrick’s College, Silverstream and Scots College have been the dominant attacking teams all season and the match was a high-quality affair with some excellent counter attack. Silverstream defended early attacks from Scots, but eventually strung together phases and finished off some outstanding tries to lead 35-8 at halftime...More

For the second time in three years, Old Boys University held aloft the Jubilee Cup trophy, beating Hutt Old Boys Marist 32-19 this afternoon. In bright sunshine at the Petone Recreation Ground, Old Boys University became the first team since Tawa in 2013 to win the Swindale Shield, Andy Leslie Trophy and Jubilee Cup treble in one season. The students led from start to finish, despite being reduced to 14 men shortly before halftime and being forced to combat waves of Hutt Old Boys Marist attack...More

Brandyn Laursen and the Hutt Old Boys Marist Eagles will kick off the Jubilee Cup final against Old Boys University tomorrow at the Petone Rec at 2.30pm.  Tomorrow shapes up as silverware Saturday. The Jubilee Cup final takes centre-stage of the six finals being played at the Petone Rec, but there’s also the likelihood that the destinations of the Hardham Cup and HD Morgan Cup will also be determined tomorrow, plus one of the most eagerly-anticipated College matches of the year. Premier Jubilee Cup Old Boys-University vs Hutt Old Boys Marist And so after 21 previously matches this season it all comes down to one, and the last two teams standing...More

On form throughout 2017, it will take a special effort for Old Boys University to beat Oriental-Rongotai in Saturday’s Wellington women’s club rugby Division 1 final at the Petone Recreation Ground. In last weekend’s semi-final against Northern United, OBU hung in there throughout the entire match, pouncing at the very end to win and earn their spot in the final. They will go into Saturday’s decider wearing the underdog tag and will be dangerous. But if top qualifier Ories needs the motivation to win this title, it comes from the last two consecutive Victoria Tavern Trophy season deciders that they have lost...More

They’ve won four out of the past five Wellington club rugby Colts Division 1 titles, including a three-peat between 2012-14, but Old Boys University will go into Saturday’s Les Mills John E Kelly Cup as underdogs. Despite a couple of late season speed wobbles – losing narrowly to beaten semi-finalists Tawa and Oriental-Rongotai – first round winners Petone have undoubtedly been the form Colts side all season and will be favoured to go all the way and lift the cup on their home track on Saturday afternoon...More

The Player of the Jubilee Cup Final is awarded the Jim Brown Plate. Jim Brown was a stalwart of the great Petone teams of the 1960s and 1970, playing over 200 matches for the club and many for Wellington. He was a contemporary of former Petone and All Black captain Andy Leslie, who described the former centre as “one of the best players I played with, and a player with a great rugby brain.” Leslie added that Brown went within a whisker of being selected for the All Blacks and was measured up for an All Blacks suit the day before the team was named...More

So it ends with a whimper, not a bang. Face-palming into the high veldt. There are plenty of theories about why - personally I'm sticking with with two, the altitude factor and that yellow card. The Canes' certainly shot their bolt early on, and as you kind of felt at halftime, that Lions' try late in the half was a potential killer. And when they scored after the half, you could just feel the momentum  switch. As I mentioned last week, momentum is one key thing you can't give to South African teams, and especially at altitude...More

Samoan and Poneke openside Greg Foe will captain an experienced Wellington XV against Manawatu at the Otaki Domain on Sunday. Foe leads a team that features a selection of form players from the Wellington club competition this season, but excludes players involved in Saturday’s Jubilee Cup final between Old Boys University and Hutt Old Boys Marist. Foe, who has played five tests for Samoa, leads a team that features the return of three former Wellington representatives in Dan Kirkpatrick (Petone), Kane Thompson (Johnsonville) and Taniela Koroi (Tawa)...More

“We’ve had trouble fielding our strongest team this season which has created chances for others to step up. Now the coaches have a tough job selecting our best 22,” Dale Sabbagh acclaims when reflecting on Old Boys University’s (OBU) season. Despite employing the services of 56 players and 23 debutants in 2017, the Billygoats head into this Saturday’s Jubilee Cup final against Hutt Old Boys Marist riding the crest of a wave. In addition to holding the Swindale Shield and Andy Leslie Trophy, OBU destroyed Tawa 50-22 in their semi-final on Saturday to become just the second team since 2005 to amass a half century in a finals fixture...More