Above: TJ Perenara and Ardie Savea in action for the Hurricanes earlier this year - both start for the Wellington Lions this Friday night against Southland.  When you light up the turf like Beauden Barrett, then you’ve got to expect things to get silly. From sacrificial Goat pre-Bledisloe, to potential GOAT, all in the space of two tests. GOAT, all capitals, is the moniker for Greatest Of All Time. Poor Beaudy, no-one should have that slung at them at this stage in the career. They’re not the same players but inevitably the comparisons are made with Dan Carter, and in particular that second test against the Lions in Wellington, 2005...More

Above: The Northern United team after winning the first round title. From this side, Dora Laupola, Sanita Levave, Nina Foaese, Dhys Faleafaga and Shaye Whareaorere have been selected in the Pride squad and Julie Tusa is in the wider training group. We caught up with Dora Laupola (middle of group shot and inset in the same game against HOBM). Popular Norther United prop Dora Laupola is not a player to give in easily, as her former coach at Aotea College Findlay Siania testifies. “Dora joined rugby at Aotea College in 2014 and lasted one training and never returned after a 40-minute running drill...More

The curtain has come down on the 2018 club rugby season, with the Upper Hutt Rams J8s beating the MSP Internationals 15-12 to win the Reserve Grade title on Saturday. Club Rugby correspondents have reflected on the season and come up with the following awards (in no particular order): Coach Killer of the Year: Petone. Act One - Round one against Northern United. In a seesaw season opener Petone thought they had done enough when Jarrod Adams scored to put them ahead 20-15, only for Norths to pour down field and Leon Ellison to tie the match and then win it 22-20 when he kicked the conversion...More

Above: Jordan Gillies dives over to score the first of his two second half tries for Wellingotn Maori on Saturday. Off the Ball is in association with Rob Law Max, Lovelocks Sports Bar,  Motor Doctors and Sarah Kilner Real Estate  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 close of the club season and the representative season in full swing. The last of the club finals was played on Saturday, with the Upper Hutt Rams J8s edging the MSP Internationals 15-12 at Maidstone Park in the Reserve Grade decider...More

Above: Fereti Soloa scores one of his three tries for the Wellington Samoans. Soloa and HOBM teammate Jordan Gillies for the Wellington Maori were both key protagonists in the two Hutt Rec games today. There were wins today for the Wellington U19s in the Central Region Shield and the Centurions Development over the Samoans and Wellington Maori teams in the Hurricanes Development Shield and Festival Cup competition, while all four of Wellington’s school teams bowed out of national contention in their Hurricanes region knock-out matches...More

Wellington: 20 (Thomas Umaga-Jensen, James O'Reilly, Du Plessis Kirifi tries; Jackson Garden-Bachop con, pen ) Canterbury: 27 (Braydon Ennor, Reed Prinsep, Mitchell Drummond, Caleb Makene tries; Brett Cameron 2 con, pen) WHAT HAPPENED Wellington were the architects of their own demise - too many mistakes gifting a more accurate, but unspectacular Canterbury a narrow victory, who also won back the Harry Saundercock Memorial Shield off the Lions. Wellington slumped to a 22-7 deficit at halftime on the back of poor defence...More

There is a fair spread of rugby on tomorrow for supporters to tuck into, involving Wellington club, school and representative teams. As reported here yesterday, the Upper Hutt Rams J8s and the Marist St Pat’s Internationals contest the final club final of the year, meeting at Maidstone Park in the final of the Reserve Grade John Davies Cup competition at 2.30pm. In college rugby, four Wellington teams are involved in semi-finals and finals. St Mary’s College play Manawatu champions Manukura in the Hurricanes region final...More

Then there was one. The last club rugby final of the year is at Maidstone Park this Saturday, where the Upper Hutt Rams J8s take on the MSP Internationals in the 2018 Reserve Grade decider. A competitive eight-team grade will see both teams arrive at the final hoping to reap the fruits of a hard-fought and spirited season. Both clubs have already won one championship trophy each this year and both want another to sit beside it in the cabinet. The silverware they are playing for is the John Davies Cup...More

Malo Tuitama crosses for one of his two tries in Sunday's Wellington Lions season opener against Otago. I hate to say I told you so. No, no, I’m not. So the hype about the Wallabies was just hype, once the first 40 played out. And now the knives are out in earnest across the Tasman. They should sheath them, not because the case against Michael Cheika isn’t a good one. That he’s been a dud, excepting that time they got into the world cup final when they shouldn’t have. That the players probably aren’t listening...More

“I couldn't believe it. I was floating. It’s the sort of thing you daydream about, but never expect to happen.” Neyla Masima admits when reflecting on his three tries for St Patrick’s College, Silverstream in the Premiership final against St Patrick’s College, Wellington on Sunday. So what was Masima thinking when he went within a metre of scoring four tries? “I stepped the wrong way which slowed me up. If I had gone right, I might have scored. It didn’t matter in the end, we got the try and that’s what counted...More