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

Saturday was Ruck Cancer afternoon in Wellington club rugby, to promote awareness of cancer and men’s health in the rugby and sporting community. Above: the late Luni Moananu’s corner in the Poneke changing room before their match against the Wellington Axemen. Photo credit: https://www.facebook.com/RuckCancerNZ/ 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...More

The 2017 Jubilee Cup semi-finalists were found this afternoon, with Old Boys University, Marist St Pat’s, Hutt Old Boys Marist and Tawa set to contest this year’s Wellington club rugby championship playoffs. Just the order of finishing and the all-important home ground advantage will be sorted out in next week’s final regular season round. The four teams play each other next week as well, with MSP hosting OBU and HOBM entertaining Tawa. Leaders the Old Boys University Goats (on 25 points) are guaranteed to book one of the two home semi-finals, with MSP (21), HOBM (18) and Tawa (18) all hoping to book the other spot...More

It's crunch time for a number of teams in tomorrow’s sixth round of matches, with Norths, Oriental-Rongotai and Wainuiomata all at risk of being eliminated from contention in the Jubilee Cup; while at the top end semi-finalists could start to be confirmed as well. Last year 19 points got teams into the playoff, will it be the same or similar this term? Then there’s this week’s inclement weather, and what effect that will have. Tomorrow is also another special day on the local rugby calendar, with the second “Ruck Cancer” day promoting men’s health...More