St Pat’s Silverstream continue to set the pace amongst the Wellington First XV schools, Beating St Pat’s Town and winning their eighth straight WelTec Premiership contest, while Porirua College retained the Beard Trophy and qualified for the region’s Co-ed Cup final with a dramatic win over Aotea College in two matches this afternoon. St Pat’s Silverstream accounted for St Pat’s Town 42-5, while Porirua College beat Premier 2 side Aotea College 17-15, courtesy of a last-gasp converted try...More

Above: Sam Reid diving for the try line in Old Boys University’s win earlier this year over Northern United at Jerry Collins Stadium. Photo by Chainsaw Photos “I'm a feisty battler,” Sam Reid responds when asked to explain his ascent from weight restricted rugby three years ago to starting premier selection at Old Boys University. The diminutive winger has scored seven tries in 14 games for the Jubilee Cup leading Billygoats - an unlikely prospect when he was a battered and struggling pupil at King’s College, Auckland...More

Above: Oriental-Rongotai prop Whetu Henry and others discussing the conditions on Saturday with referee Mike Pinfold in his team’s final match of the Premier season against Petone on Saturday. Photo by David Brownlie Photos Off the Ball is in association with Rob Law Max , Lovelocks Sports Bar  and Harcourts Johnsonville  Looking at some of the news in briefs, milestones, happenings, statistics and observations from the weekend of rugby just gone and what’s coming up this week. Then there were four...More

Above: Hutt Old Boys Marist fullback Brandyn Laursen lines up what would prove to be the winning penalty in today’s Jubilee Cup clash against Tawa at a gloomy Hutt Rec Recreation Ground. Old Boys University and Marist St Pat’s will host next weekend’s 2017 Jubilee Cup semi-finals, after a cracking afternoon of rugby on a dull day to end the regular season. Top qualifiers Old Boys University won the Andy Leslie Trophy and will host defending champions Tawa in one semi-final next Saturday, while second placed MSP will host Hutt Old Boys Marist in the other...More

UPDATED with ground changes (see Draws & Results for the amended draw): So this is it, the full round of Premier rugby for the season. While it's somewhat anti-climactic in that the playoff teams in five of the grades that will conclude on finals day at the Petone Rec in two weeks’ time have been found (and the last will be known tonight); there’s still plenty of intrigue as not one of next weekend’s semi-finals match-ups has been sorted and no one wants to go in on the back of a loss...More

Above: Oriental-Rongotai wing and try-scorer Julian Savea makes a bust in his side's extra-time away semi-final win over Hutt Old Boys Marist in 2013.  This year’s Jubilee Cup semi-finalists have been found. Top qualifier and Andy Leslie Trophy winner Old Boys University will host Tawa in one semi-final this coming weekend, while second placed finisher Marist St Pat's will entertain Hutt Old Boys Marist in the other. Picking winners from both Jubilee Cup playoffs could be a tough exercise this year and one or both semi-finals could genuninely go either way, as happened recently in Manawatu where, for the second consecutive year, 4th beat 1st and 3rd beat 2nd to send the leading two teams from the round-robin packing...More

Above: Galu Taufale beats the tackle of Ola Va’ai with Greg Foe in support in Poneke’s 30-30 Jimmy Grbich Shield draw with Oriental-Rongotai earlier this season. Photo by Andy McArthur.  Galu Taufale was planning on hanging up his boots at the end of last season. “Last year was going to my last year playing club rugby and I was going to look into becoming a firefighter,” he revealed. “But I was lucky enough to make the Jubilee Cup with Poneke and then make the Wellington Lions and then things changed...More

The Hurricanes in their halftime huddle last Saturday night against the Crusaders. Photo by Dave Lintott Photography So you're already visualising the semi at Ellis Park are you? Dane Coles thundering down the touchline in the 79th minute with the winner. Back it up. Nothing would be sadder than to lose to the Brumbies, but a few commentators are already treating the quarters as a foregone. And truth be told, of course we're playing the ninth best team in an 18-team comp. So nothing screams average more than the Brumbies...More

Above: Dan Kirkpatrick in one of his games for Petone in 2012 before heading over to France. Photo credit: Jun Tanlayco  From southern France to the lapping Petone shoreline. After five years away, Dan Kirkpatrick is glad to be back where his senior career started a decade ago, and, after a false start last weekend he should be good to go this Saturday in what will be his one and only appearance of the year for Petone in the Jubilee Cup. Former Hurricanes and U20 World Rugby Player of the Year Kirkpatrick has been playing in France for the past five northern rugby seasons, where he spent four seasons at Top 14 club Castres and one at Division 2 side Albi...More

Matthew Peni scored a try in last year’s Jubilee Cup semi-final won by Marist St. Pats 24-3 over Oriental Rongotai. Peni’s joy assisting the Reds to the finale was short-lived. “I took a nasty head gash and had to wait in A&E until midnight to get it repaired. They put nine staples in my head and the doctor advised me not to play the final,” Peni laments. Peni missed the whole of 2015 after rupturing his Achilles tendon at the Tawa 7s tournament. In 2016, he missed an additional 12 weeks, the victim of ankle and hamstring injuries...More