Above: Paremata-Plimmerton play Northern United for the Ivan Hargreaves Trophy tomorrow. Photo credit: Peter Mcdonald. 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 coming week. A quick turnaround for Wellington’s Premier and Premier Reserve teams this week, with tomorrow’s ANZAC Day round the second of three rounds in eight days for Swindale Shield and Harper Lock Shield teams...More

Above: Wainuiomata No. 8 Ben Tupuola crashes over to score Wainuiomata's first try of the day on their Old Timers' Day, but Oriental-Rongotai won the match 29-25.  There were two close results and five blowouts in Wellington club Premier Swindale Shield sixth round set of matches played in bright autumn sunshine around the region this afternoon. There were big wins – on the scoreboard at least – to Tawa, Hutt Old Boys Marist, Poneke, the Upper Hutt Rams and Northern United, while it was the two unbeaten teams Old Boys University and Oriental-Rongotai that had to fight hard to maintain their positions as the competition frontrunners...More

Above: Open spaces for Tawa centre Pepesana Patafilo in last week's win over Northern United. Several teams are hoping to break free tomorrow in the first of three rounds over the next week. Updated: At the top end the compressed part of the schedule has rolled around, with tomorrow’s round followed by another on Anzac day on Tuesday, and then again when normal service resumes next Saturday. The remaining grades don’t face the same workload but don’t expect any let-up from them either...More

Christchurch’s St Bede’s College beat Wellington’s St Pat’s Town 28-27 at a windswept Evans Bay Park this afternoon in their annual pre-season Traditional fixture. Despite being out scored five tries to three, St Bede’s capitalised on an error-ridden performance by St Pat’s Town, establishing a match-winning 25-10 lead early in the second half. St Pat’s Town dominated the opening 20 minutes, scoring two tries and leading 10-6. St Bede’s were kept in the game by their excellent fullback Luke Glen who nailed two long-range penalties...More

They’re five from five and within striking distance of qualifying for the Jubilee Cup for the second half of the season, but complacency is not something you’ll hear on Old Boys University’s training paddock. “We set goals before the season started and we’re where we want to be now, but we don’t want a false sense of security in thinking that everything is all good because the nature of Wellington club rugby is that anybody can smash you,” OBU left wing and 2015 Jubilee Cup winner Te Wehi Wright told Club Rugby this week...More

Let the red tide start flooding. Yes the British and Irish Lions squad was announced overnight. With 41 players, it can't be accused of being small. Only three shy of Sir Clive's infamous 2005 squad.   That provides plenty of depth for a tough tour - on the other hand, there may be some Lions who barely get out of the enclosure. Let's hope they enjoy the other aspects of touring.  On paper it looks a strong outfit, but we kind of knew that was coming. What we don't know and they don't know, is how they will compare to the All Blacks...More

The weekend Levi Harmon was named in the Hurricanes Under-18 training camp proved to be bitter-sweet for the midfielder. It was 2015 and Wairarapa College was tussling with Scots College. "I ran at Lotonuu Haueia (now a Poneke teammate) who attempted to tackle me. Bruce Kauika-Petersen (Petone) went to clean him out and his head collided into my shoulder and body. Bruce has a big head and he broke my collarbone." Harmon rues. Harmon played just one more match that season, but the humble and softly spoken 20-year old stuck up a crucial friendship while at camp...More

"He has earned the right to be talked about. It's always a great challenge marking him. He is one of the best players in the world," responds Matt Procter when asked if he is tired of all the attention Sonny Bill Williams receives. It's a typically modest reply by the softly spoken Procter whose consistency continues to impress, but hasn't resulted in the highest honour despite an injury crisis in the All Blacks midfield last year. "I wasn't too fazed about missing All Black selection. The selectors obviously have specific things they are looking for and I wasn't the right fit at that moment...More

The introduction of a Hurricanes Heartland Under 20 team into the Central Region Shield competition and the addition of two new Wellington-based teams to the Under 18 Trustbank Central Secondary Schools Competition are both examples of the continued growth of Hurricanes Youth Rugby in 2017. From the Heartland Under 20 Development Series, the Hurricanes Youth Rugby Council will be selecting a representative team to play Hawke’s Bay, Manawatu and Wellington in the Under 19 Seeding Tournament for the Central Region Shield...More

Above: Muddy conditions always make for great photos, with Andy McCarthur (photo above of Serge Hollis scoring for Ories) and Dave Brownlie both capturing the action at Hataitai Park on Saturday between Wellington and Ories. 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 coming week. Off the Ball is in association with Rob Law Max , Lovelocks Sports Bar  and Harcourts Johnsonville  +++++ The New Zealand Deaf Rugby National Championship was held at Jerry Collins Stadium at Porirua Park this weekend...More