Above: The Wellington Axemen U85kg team that won the first round U85kg Division 1 JC Bowl, beating the Tawa Titans 29-10 in Saturday’s decider. The second round Paul Potiki Shield starts this coming weekend. Photo credit: https://www.facebook.com/WellingtonAxemen/ 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

Final match report: New Zealand: 64 (Asafo Aumua 3, Luke Jacobson 2, Dalton Papali’i, Pouri Rakete-Stones, Isaia Walker-Leawere, Josh McKay, Tom Christie; Stephen Perofeta 7 con) England:17 (Ben Earl, Alex Mitchell, Josh Bayliss tries; Max Mailns 1 con) New Zealand has won the World Rugby Under-20 Championship for the sixth time demolishing England by a record 64-17 in the final. New Zealand’s victory eclipsed the 62-17 triumph over Australia in 2010 and hooker Asafo Aumua emulated Telusa Veainu’s feat of scoring a hat-trick in the decider...More

Above: Hutt Old Boys Marist centre Ope Peleseuma gets a pass way in the midfield today against Wainuiomata. Updated: There were three close matches and a thrashing in the four second round Jubilee Cup matches played today in lovely sunny conditions. The two closest results of the day were Marist St Pat’s beating Oriental-Rongotai 33-31 at home at Evans Bay Park and Tawa holding on to beat Northern United 30-26 at Lyndhurst Park. Both matches had all the drama and passion associated with the Jubilee Cup...More

Above: Several teams including Poneke are hunting their opening wins of the second round in tomorrow's Jubilee and Hardham Cup grades.  After last weekend’s opener to the second round, expect tomorrow's round of Premier matches to be just as hard-fought and the possibility that some teams could get a real jump on their competitors on the table. Across the lower grades, there are trophies that will be decided in some, while others also move further into the business end of their campaigns...More

George Orwell had this to say in 1984 about the current Lions tour - If you want a picture of the future, imagine a boot stamping on a face — forever. Nek minnit, Crusaders lose. The sort of losses the Canes have suffered this year. Running into brick walls and running out of ideas. Anyway, Orwell's boot - aka a three-zip All Black cakewalk - has gone walkies. I suspect I'm not the only one who isn't too sad the southern men lost. There's plenty of upside. Looks like we'll get a real test series, or at least a first test, where there'll be a ton of tension...More

Above: Tolu Fahamokioa (right) with Jonah Lowe after the recent New Zealand Provincial Barbarians match against the British and Irish Lions in Whangarei.  When Tolu Fahamokioa moved to New Zealand from Tonga in 1999 he was asked by his first rugby coach what position he played. “Lomu,” Fahamokioa recalls, replying with a chuckle. “I started on the wing and was pretty quick over the first 10-metres, but it’s been downhill ever since,” the prop forward continued. Fahamokioa might have a lower jersey number on his back these days, but the former Wellington Lion has enjoyed the best 12 months of his career...More

Above: Porirua College players and supporters celebrate winning the Beard Trophy off Bishop Viard College today.  A round-up below of the First XV matches played yesterday and today involving several Wellington schools. Porirua College (43) v Bishop Viard College (8) Porirua College took the Beard Trophy off Bishop Viard College this afternoon, beating the holders seven tries to one in sunny, windy conditions. Porirua College were far too big and powerful up front for the youthful Bishop Viard College side, dominating at scum time, picking off easy ball in the lineouts off their opposites and making several telling bursts that led directly to tries...More

Above: Scott Waldrom making a tackle on an Axemen player on Saturday in his 100th Premier game for Avalon. Photo by Dave Lintott Photography.  It’s taken 18 seasons, but this coming Saturday Scott Waldrom will be presented with his 100th Premier game blazer at the Avalon Wolves clubrooms on their Old Timers’ Day. On Saturday he came off the bench at halftime to play his first Premier match in just under a year and one of only a handful in Wellington club rugby over the past decade. Waldrom’s rugby career has come full circle it seems, since he burst on to the scene as a young tearaway openside flanker out of St Pat’s Silverstream in the late 1990s...More

Above: Taurima Morris celebrates the try scored by Charlie Pahulu on Saturday for Petone against Marist St Pat’s. MSP won the game 19-17. More on Pahulu’s storming Premier debut below. 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. +++++ The calm before the storm. The two darkest weekends of the year are coming up, split by the shortest day of the year in the middle of these two Saturdays...More

First round Swindale Shield winners Old Boys University, Wainuiomata, Marist St Pat’s and Hutt Old Boys Marist emerged from a gloomy afternoon as opening week Wellington club rugby Jubilee Cup winners. The OBU Goats secured a bonus point 36-10 win over Northern United at Jerry Collins Stadium. OBU scored six tries, through six individuals, No. 8 Teariki Ben Nicholas, wing Teegan Minkley, midfielders Matt Goosen and Patrick Hausman, fullback Jono Ihaka and replacement Sam Reid. OBU struck twice just prior to halftime, giving them a 19-5 lead at the turnaround...More