Hardham Cup | 04 July 2017 |
Adam Julian
Above: Anthony Pettett making a telling burst for the Johnsonville Hawks in a match last year. Photo credit: David Brownlie Photography.
Anthony Pettett is a softly spoken 21-year old who admits it was a major surprise when he was approached by Johnsonville coach Logan Tauiliili to captain the Premiers.
“I am shy and don’t say a lot. I hadn’t had a lot of captaincy experience before. I struggled in my first game. Since then we have developed a leadership group which has made life easier,” he says...
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Representative Rugby | 04 July 2017 |
Kevin McCarthy
Sometimes I don't recognise my own country. Not that that is a bad thing.
In days gone past, Sonny Bill Williams would have been wise to take a month's holiday overseas. Instead, he's posting video tweets of his daughter cracking up over fart jokes and TV sports hosts are cooing with delight.
Now I know you don't have to scratch the surface too much to find the SBW haters. I mean I took a while to warm to the guy (or more probably his offloads).
I wouldn't put the relative calm down to some new-found collective maturity, although there's probably a bit of that...
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Jubilee Cup Premier | 03 July 2017 |
Club Rugby
Above, as the caption in the original photo alludes to, Hataitai Park is looking well-manicured at the moment, probably why Saturday’s curtain-raiser between the Wellington Axemen and Johnsonville second XVs was a 5-5 draw. Johnsonville won the Hardham Cup match that followed 17-5, and it wasn’t a day for sweeping back play.
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...
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Jubilee Cup Premier | 01 July 2017 |
Steven White &
Adam Julian
Above: Marist St Pat's second five-eighth Ryan Setefano makes a break against Hutt Old Boys Marist this afternoon. Two late tries to fullback Andrew Wells saw MSP come back to snatch a 33-27 win over the Eagles.
The 2017 Jubilee Cup came alive with three of the four matches this afternoon decided on the last play in cloudy, breezy conditions.
Marist St Pat’s, Tawa and Northern United all had death-knock victories to help keep the race for this year’s playoffs alive with just three weeks remaining until the semi-finals...
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Jubilee Cup Premier | 30 June 2017 |
Scott MacLean
Above: Oriental-Rongotai lock Karl Dumelow celebrates his side's fighting win in his 50th Premier match over Northern United last week. Photo by David Brownlie Photography
Clearly the biggest show in town tomorrow is the Second Test between the All Blacks and the British and Irish Lions at Westpac Stadium, but that takes nothing away from our local competitions which should continue to deliver great grassroots rugby, something that visitors to the region might want to get out and experience at a ground near to them...
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Representative Rugby | 29 June 2017 |
Kevin McCarthy
Above: The British and Irish Lions training at Jerry Collins Stadium earlier this week. Photo by Dave Lintott Photography
What a fantastic game on Tuesday night - but what else would you expect in the home of the best Super rugby team on the planet.
The match itself has rather been overshadowed by the controversial bits - BOD 2017, and the Geography Six.So let's just dial out some of the noise, and make a few points:- That somewhat disrespected Hurricanes pack more than stood up - and at times was edging the Lions pack...
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Jubilee Cup Premier | 29 June 2017 |
Adam Julian
In 2015 the Sky Sport College Rugby website ran a poll asking followers of its Facebook page to vote for the player they would most like to see profiled. Paddy Carter from Auckland Grammar School was the unlikely winner.
The likes of Asafo Aumua, Josh McKay and Dalton Papali’i, all members of the recent New Zealand Under-20’s World Championship winning team, were running amok for their respective college’s two years ago, but it was Carter who emerged as a convincing victor.
“I don’t know why I won...
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www.collegerugby.co.nz | 28 June 2017 |
Adam Julian &
Steven White
St Pat’s Silverstream and Porirua College both enjoyed good wins at home this after in two First XV clashes in the Wellington region this afternoon.
Silverstream beat Super 8 side Palmerston North Boys’ High School 71-0 and Porirua College toppled Mana College 41-5.
Elsewhere, Tawa College beat Naenae College 52-22.
St Pat’s Silverstream (71) v Palmerston North Boys’ High School (0)
St. Pats Silverstream are on course to achieve a rare “Grand Slam” of traditional victories after winning the fourth of their six annual matches by a record 71-0 over Palmerston North Boys’ High School this afternoon...
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Jubilee Cup Premier | 28 June 2017 |
Ian Knightly
Once again, bylaws and processes will have an impact on the Wellington region’s Premier competition. Last year it was the debate and dispute over the interpretation of its application of the tiebreaker rule that saw Old Boys University wind up as one of the four tied teams to miss out on the Jubilee Cup playoffs. This year it’s another player registration issue that seen Tawa deducted five points, while Norths have also suffered a points deduction for their Colts side defaulting last weekend...
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Representative Rugby | 27 June 2017 |
Steven White
Match Details
Result: British and Irish Lions 23 – Wellington Lions 6 When: 15 June 2005Where: Westpac Stadium, Wellington Weather: Showery and slippery underfootCrowd: 39,500
The Tour
The 12th tour by a team representing combined sides of the British Isles and Ireland and the first of the professional era was one of the most eagerly anticipated by a Lions touring team to New Zealand.
In fact, by the time of the first Test in Christchurch on 25 June, the country was at fever pitch, on a par with previous great tours by the Lions and Springboks...
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