When the lower ranked side has won Jubilee Cup semi-finals

Above: Oriental-Rongotai wing and try-scorer Julian Savea makes a bust in his side's extra-time away semi-final win over Hutt Old Boys Marist in 2013. 

This year’s Jubilee Cup semi-finalists have been found.

Top qualifier and Andy Leslie Trophy winner Old Boys University will host Tawa in one semi-final this coming weekend, while second placed finisher Marist St Pat's will entertain Hutt Old Boys Marist in the other.

Picking winners from both Jubilee Cup playoffs could be a tough exercise this year and one or both semi-finals could genuninely go either way, as happened recently in Manawatu where, for the second consecutive year, 4th beat 1st and 3rd beat 2nd to send the leading two teams from the round-robin packing. Similarly, last weekend in the Waikato fourth placed Otorohanga knocked over top qualifier the Hamilton Marist Ravens.

In the previous 12 years (since our website started in 2005) there have been five instances in 24 semi-finals where the lower ranked from the round-robin has toppled the higher qualified team. Of these, just one has been 4th beating 1st, while two were in the same year (2009).

These matches are below:

2008: Northern United (3) beat Petone (2) 18-5

This was Buxton Popoalii’s semi-final. The Norths fullback scored all the points for his side and generally defied appalling conditions to have a blinder in this Petone Rec playoff. In his first year in Premier rugby out of Wellington College and two years after having major heart surgery, Popoalii enjoyed an electric maiden club rugby season. He scored all 18 points including two tries.

With the semi-final in the balance, Norths ran the ball from a scrum 60 metres out. Popalii received the ball near touch on halfway and cut back on his inside, sliced through a hole and streaked away to score unopposed. His second try was started from a scrum on Norths' 10-metre line and extended his team's narrow lead from 8-0 to 15-0 in a second half that hung in the balance for long periods. There was no coming back for Petone from that point.

Norths went on to draw (and share the title) 2008 Jubilee Cup final 10-10 with Marist St Pat's.

2009: Marist St Pat’s (3) beat Petone (2) 15-8

MSP won the semi-final over the first round Swindale Shield champions courtesy of a colossal second half performance, Led up front by hard-working No. 8 Alex Tulou and locks Nick Passi and Marcus Slade, as well as Peter Sciasica and super-sub Fa'atonu Fili at halfback and first five-eighth. MSP won an intense second half and won the game.

Petone had looked like a team heading for the final when halfback Jared Kahu scored a sizzling try into the wind in the right-hand corner early in the match. MSP retook the lead in the 30th minute; right wing Apoua Stewart scoring off a grubber. Centre Chris Slade drilled the conversion for a 10-5 lead

No. 8 Tulou and blindside flanker Wim Baars both surged forward into the 22 off a tighthead scrum and replacement first five-eighth Fili ripped a wide pass out to Slade who in turn found flying left winger Brendan Watt for the try that won the game.

2009: Northern United (4) beat Poneke (1) 30-10

The steady boot of fullback James So'oialo and the brilliance of centre Alapati Leiua took the game away from Poneke. So'oilao kicked three vital penalties into the wind in the first half to give his side a 9-3 late in the first half, before Leiua broke the game open on halftime with the first of his two tries.

Leiua sliced through the midfield to score under the uprights from an attacking lineout and So'oialo added the extras to give Norths a 16-3 lead at the break.

Leiua then completed another outstanding team try after halftime and So'oialo converted to put Norths further ahead at 23-3, and with a 20-point deficit to come back from Poneke's final dreams were fading fast.

There was a flicker of hope for Poneke when wing Evan Belford crossed to close the gap to 23-10, but Norths lock Tim Faleafaga put the result beyond doubt and sent Norths to their fifth final in six years.

Marist St Pat's beat Norths 21-16 in the following week's final at Westpac Stadium.

2011 Northern United (3) beat Poneke (2) 29-3

Norths blasted past home team Poneke after leading just 7-3 at halftime and turning into the stiff breeze for the second 40 minutes. Left wing AJ Va'alepu was the individual star of the show in scoring all five of Norths' tries - the most in any Wellington club rugby playoff match before or since.

Playing into the wind in the first half, the red and blacks played brilliantly throughout the first 40 minutes and held Norths to just a converted try. Norths had scored early through AJ Vala'lepu, running on to a grubber kick after a turnover.

Early in the second half, Norths broke out from inside their own territory and centre Nene Va'alepu handed his brother AJ a second try and Norths went up 12-3. More rampant attacking play followed and AJ Va'alepu scored his hat trick under the posts. Norths cut loose from well inside their own territory. AJ Va'alepu scampered through to score his fourth try, increasing the lead to 24-3. For good measure, Va'alepu grabbed an intercept and ran away to score his fourth try of the second half and fifth of the match to give Norths a comprehensive victory.

Norths went on to lose 18-40 to Oriental-Rongotai in the final the following week.

2013 Oriental-Rongotai (3) beat Hutt Old Boys Marist (2) 30-27

The greatest semi-final of them all! Ories first five-eighth Fa'atonu Fili won the game for his side in the 17th minute of extra time, after scores had been locked up at 20-20 at fulltime and then 27-27 after 97 minutes.

Ories had given themselves every chance to win when flanker Tutasi Masoe crashed over in the corner with the last play of the game and Fili missed a difficult conversion that would have ended it then. Only a few minutes before, HOBM themselves had thought they had the game won when their right wing James Kusel had fielded a Fili kick on the fly near halfway and steamed up the right-hand touchline to set up a converted try to put them ahead 20-15.

Previously, Ories wing Afa Fa'atau crashed up field and set up a try in reply and scores were locked up at 10-10 at halftime. HOBM spent the first 10 minutes of the second half camped inside Ories' 22 and were twice held up over the line. Eventually they were awarded a penalty and flyhalf Brandyn Laursen took the points to put HOBM ahead 13-10. The match unravelled, with Ories scoring an unconverted try in the corner to All Black Julian Savea to take a 15-13 lead, and both sides scoring twice more to make it 20-20 after 80 minutes.

Ories went on to lose 21-26 to Tawa in the final the following week.