Solid Simon bringing backbone to the Eagles

“No matter what competition you’re in you’ve got to stamp your mark on it,” Simon Malaeulu explains.

The veteran prop has played 184 games for Hutt Old Boys Marist but wasn’t pleased to be contesting the Hardham Cup in 2016.

“I can’t put a finger on what went wrong last year. No premier team wants to be in the Hardham Cup.”

HOBM went from Jubilee Cup champions in 2014, Swindale Shield winners in 2015, to Premier 2 in the space of three years. At one stage the Eagles were on a run of 17 wins in 18 games with their only defeat in that sequence a single point failure against Wainuiomata.

“Sometimes things go against you. We have become better at handling the hype and dealing with pressure moments,” Malaeulu theorised of the Eagles massive improvement in 2017 which has seen them reach the Jubilee Cup semi-finals for the fifth time in ten seasons.

“I think the Hardham Cup was a silver lining. We pulled together, built some momentum and that has carried on into this season,” Malaeulu reveals.

HOBM won last year’s Hardman Cup sweeping all nine games and amassing 406 points.

Winning is a feeling Malaeulu is accustomed to. He had a stellar schoolboy career appearing 44 times for the St. Patrick’s College, Silverstream First XV and captaining the unbeaten Wellington Under-18’s who also featured future Samoan international and close friend Filo Paulo.

In his first season of senior rugby Malaeulu was a starting tighthead in the Jubilee Cup final which HOBM won over Marist St. Pats 18-10.

“That was a real eye-opener. I was a rookie, but learned a lot being mentored by the likes of Jeremy Thrush (All Black) and Otto Rasch in a few of the dark spaces,” Malaeulu reflects with a chuckle.

Despite semi-final appearances in 2010, 2011 and 2013, further Jubilee Cup glory remained elusive for the Eagles. By 2014, Malaeulu’s priorities had changed.  

“I think every player in Premier rugby wants to be a professional, but there reached a point for me where that was out of reach and no longer the goal. I play for the love of the game and the satisfaction of helping younger guys crack it now.”

Malaeulu’s maturity and stability was integral in the Eagles winning the 2014 Jubilee Cup.

“We had four school leavers in our starting team that year and they were unbelievable. The enthusiasm they brought each week was infectious, but sometimes I had to be the JT (Jeremy Thrush) or Otto (Rasch) and pull them into line,” Malaeulu says.

During the week Malaeulu is a manager at Ebert construction and is married with three children to Claire, a nurse at Lower Hutt hospital.

HOBM will have to be in perfect sync this Saturday to topple Marist St. Pats in the semi-final at Evans Bay Park. Both teams have traded victories against each other this season, but in Round 4 of the Jubilee Cup the Eagles lost 27-33 despite outscoring the Reds five tries to three.

“All semi-finals are the same. They come down to handling pressure moments the best. We have a good mixture of youth and experience. Watching Joe ‘Apikotoa this season has been great. Man he’s well. If we stick to our systems, I’m confident we can win,” Malaeulu concludes.

Jubilee Cup semi-finals this Saturday (kick-off 2.30pm):

• Marist St Pat’s v Hutt Old Boys Marist at Evans Bay Park
• Old Boys University v Tawa at Jerry Collins Stadium