Above: Hutt Old Boys Marist and Northern United are both Jubilee Cup contenders this year. HOBM travel to play Ories in their competition opener while Norths host OBU. There will also be a moment’s silence before the Norths-OBU game to mark the two-year anniversary of Jerry Collins’ death. And so it begins. The business end of the season and the 89th edition of the Jubilee Cup. Standing between now and lifting the trophy on August 5 are seven weeks of hard-fought rugby, followed by a pair of high-pressure playoff contests, and some of the best club rugby action you’ll find anywhere...More

After the Swindale Shield Lester Maulolo is the leading back in the Best and Fairest standings by six points, the equivalent of two man of the match awards. Surprisingly, the Petone centre was unenthusiastic about rugby before the season, but the reasons were exceptional.  "I lost my dad to a stroke which was really tough. Rugby was the furthest thing from my mind." Maulolo mourns. "I had an offer to play in Italy for two years and it was worth quite a lot of money. It was tempting to run away, but I decided to stay at home and support my family...More

Above: Julian Savea will play his 100th match for the Hurricanes this Friday evening against the Chiefs. The Lions sure were unimpressive in their first real outing. And I don't mean the match. If Warren Gatland is going to be so easily baited, as he was with a Warrenball question earlier this week, then it's going to be a long, long tour.I was surprised he got so feisty, so fast. It's the sort of question line equivalent of an up-and-under, You expect it, you train for it, you even look to turn it into a counterattacking opportunity...More

St. Pats Silverstream: 26 (Kienan Higgins 2, Masima Neylamoris, Swayde Brightwell tries; Riley Forbes 2 con, Harrison Boyle con) Wellington College: 3 (Oliver Paotonu 1 pen) St. Pats Silverstream have regained the Ken Gray Memorial Cup with a commanding second half against Wellington College. Silverstream turned a 5-3 advantage into a resounding win with three unanswered tries in the second-spell. On a heavy ground, a tight and fumbling tussle turned in favour of the visitors in the 41st minute when lock Masima Neylamoris strode 15-metres unopposed after receiving an offload from openside Josh Southall...More

Above: Wainuiomata and Tawa pack down for a scrum on Saturday. The current two Best & Fairest competition frontrunners, Hemi Fermanis and Ben Tupuola come from these two forward packs. Wainuiomata and Tawa meet again this coming weekend in the opening round of the Jubilee Cup and the ground could shake.  One of the staples of our coverage of Wellington club rugby has been the annual team named at the end of the year based on the Billy Wallace Best & Fairest standings. Because points aren’t awarded for Hardham Cup matches, standout players from the six sides that don’t make the Jubilee Cup often get overlooked if for no other reason that they miss out on up to 9 matches...More

Above: The Paremata-Plmmerton Colts team outside their clubrooms with the Division 2 first round Les Mills Colts JRD Cup, winning this for the first time since 1995. Photo credit: Paremata Plimmerton Facebook  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. Congratulations to Old Boys University (first and second XVs), Petone (Colts, Division 1) and Paremata-Plimmerton (Colts, Division 2) for winning their respective first round competitions on Saturday...More

Above: Petone fullback Willie Fine crosses today for the try that put his side in the lead against the Upper Hutt Rams. Petone pulled away late to win 43-32 to seal the eighth and final place that was up for grabs for the Jubilee Cup, starting next weekend. Old Boys University teams won Wellington club rugby’s top two division men’s first round titles today, while Petone sealed the eighth and final spot up for grabs in the championship round starting next weekend. OBU teams annexed the 2017 Premier Reserve Harper Lock Shield and Premier Swindale Shield trophies within two hours of each other at Nairnville Park this afternoon...More

Above: The Upper Hutt Rams will have Poneke's supporters right behind them tomorrow. Should the Rams beat Petone and Poneke beat Paremata-Plimmerton then the latter will leapfrog the Villagers into the last Jubilee Cup place still open. It’s the final set of matches in the respective Premier and Premier Reserve first rounds tomorrow. From next week the fields split into the respective Jubilee and Hardham Cups at Premier level and the Ed Chaney and HD Morgan Cups for the Premier Reserve sides, and while Old Boys-University are at short odds to claim both the Swindale and Harper Lock Shields there’s still things to play for, even if it’s some fine-tuning ahead of the weeks to come...More

Above: The Hutt Valley High School First XV squad recently had a 90-minute classroom coaching and mentoring session with Sir Graham Henry. “We are not the biggest side, we are quite skilful, but our main strength is we have a team this year with a terrific culture and we love sticking together, says first year Hutt Valley High School First XV coach Warren Bradshaw. HVHS were beaten Premier 3 competition semi-finalists last year, but they have made the leap to the WelTec Premiership this season after winning all three of their grading games, beating Aotea College (24-22), Naenae College (29-21) and Bishop Viard College (39-22)...More

Cue grainy black and white film. Cue Movie Pathe voiceover. "And it's kia ora and hello to the latest contingent of tourists from the Mother Country - but what a bunch of tourists these are. Long and tall and short - and that's just the plane needed to carry the team. I'm counting them now as they descend the steps from the BOAC Stratocaster jet. Yes, there are the English yeomen, the Welsh boyos, and the Irish lads. And my word, yes, I think that's a Scotsman right at the back. No, make it three...More