Focus on Maidstone and Kilbirnie Parks in round two

Last weekend's Wellington club rugby season opener was a scorcher, and round two promises to be just as exciting. First round bonus point winners Hutt Old Boys Marist, Oriental-Rongotai,? Poneke and Upper Hutt will all be keen to keen to push on and make it two from two, while for those beaten first round teams Saturday is a chance to open their accounts in the winner's column.

All eyes will be on Maidstone and Kilbirnie Parks in particular this weekend, where the respective home teams Upper Hutt and Poneke will be hoping to build on their first round away wins. Upper Hutt started their season off with a 46-34 victory over Norths -? their first win in the first round against Norths since 2005 when they last won the Swindale Shield - ?while Poneke held off Rimutaka's challenge to win 26-3 at Wellington's newest Premier rugby venue at Maoribank Park.

At Old Timers' Day at Maidstone Park this Saturday, Upper Hutt hosts another first round winner in Wainuiomata, who held off lower Hutt Valley rivals Petone 23-13 at William Jones Park in their season opener. The green and blacks had the services of All Black Piri Weepu at first five-eighth against Petone, which they won't have in this game. But with or without Weepu, Wainuiomata have always play with passion and commitment and they will be up for this match.

Upper Hutt and Wainuiomata square off for the Peter Jones/Dave Ritchie Cup, which Wainuiomata will be attempting to win for the first time since earning re-promotion to the Swindale Shield in 2007.

In this corresponding clash on opening day last year Upper Hutt retained it with a comfortable 40-12 win, but ?the previous four first round clashes were anything but cakewalks for Upper Hutt. Their? previous first round wins over Wainuiomata read 19-17 (2007), 23-16 (2008), 30-26 (2009) and 37-24 (2010).? The 2010 clash was a thriller that saw both sides score five tries but the boot of Upper Hutt's Jason Woodward (12 points) trumped that of Wainuiomata's Frae Wilson (9).

Of note, Wainuiomata beat Upper Hutt 34-6 in their return clash last year at William Jones Park in the Jubilee Cup, so this match could be a cracker.

Fireworks are also predicted at Kilbirnie Park, where Norths travel to meet the home side Poneke for the Cyril Collett Memorial Shield. Norths are in the unfamiliar position of having dropped their first game, and at home at Porirua Park no less. Norths supporters will recall that the last time their side lost their?season opener?was in 2009 to Poneke, and that they went on to win the Swindale Shield (shared with Petone) 10 weeks later.

Norths, coached by former Poneke coach Ross Bond, defeated Poneke three times last year, including twice in two weeks at Kilbirnie Park at the end of the Jubilee Cup. Norths won 19-13 in round seven and then 29-3 in the semi-finals seven days later. Going into this first clash of 2012, Norths and Poneke have met 16 times since the start of 2006 with Norths winning 12, Poneke three and with one draw.

First round winners Old Boys University and Hutt Old Boys Marist meet for the Wood Cup at Nairnville Park in another eagerly anticipated fixture. Encounters between OBU and HOBM are always hard and fast, and both invariably bring the best out in each other.

Fans of both clubs will well remember their one and only Premier clash last year, that saw OBU win 30-28 on fulltime with the students' hooker Mitch Andrews scoring the match winning try. In two matches the year before, HOBM won 23-16 in the Swindale Shield and OBU prevailed 27-22 in their return Jubilee Cup fixture.

Including pre-season matches, HOBM have made an unbeaten start to 2012. Beating OBU would give them two consecutive wins to start the Swindale Shield. Last year they lost their first two matches, albeit to top cards Norths and Ories, but won six of their last nine to finish third in the first round standings.

Rimutaka will present something of an unknown to Marist St Pat's when they host them in the second successive home match at Evans Bay Park to start the season. MSP will be anxious to record their first victory of the year in the Swindale Shield, while Rimutaka will be eyeing up their first ever Premier scalp in their second match.

In other Swindale Shield matches, Ories play at home at the Polo Ground for the first time this season when they host Tawa, as do Petone when they host the Wests Roosters at the Petone Recreation Ground.

The Villagers and the Roosters square off for the Gareth Head Memorial Trophy. Gareth Head played his early rugby for Onslow before moving to Petone in 1966 and played in over 100 Senior games. He also played 96 games for Wellington. When he finished playing he coached the Petone senior 3rds in 1978-79.

The Wests club was formed from an amalgamation of the Athletic, Onslow and Karori Clubs in 1982 and it was to Gareth Head they turned to have the honour of coaching their Premier side in its inaugural season. Two seasons later Gareth was back at Petone and teamed up with long-time teammate Andy Leslie, coaching the Petone Premier side as well as the Wellington Colts. He helped establish the Ken Gray Academy at Petone. His sudden death at age 54 in 1997 was a great loss to the Wellington rugby community.

The Roosters haven't laid their hands on this interclub trophy since 2006, Petone winning each of their last Swindale Shield five encounters, including three of the past four by over 40 points. Can Wests turn the tables in 2012?

In the Senior 1 Harper Lock Shield, at least three teams could get an early jump on the field if they win this Saturday.

Five clubs won with bonus points in the season opener, two of whom clash in round two. An indication of early season form should become clear in the two matches between first round winners Petone and Johnsonville at the Hutt Recreation Ground at 1.15pm and Poneke and Norths at Kilbirnie Park at 1.15pm.

The other team to win with a four try bonus point in round one, Hutt Old Boys Marist, play OBU in the early game at Nairnville Park.

In other Senior 1 clashes, Avalon are looking for their opening win in their first home game of the season at Fraser Park against Wainuiomata at 3.00pm, first round winners, MSP host Paremata-Plimmerton at Evans Bay Park at 1.15pm and opening round losers Ories and Tawa square off at the Polo Ground at 1.15pm.

Upper Hutt, Poneke, Avalon and the Wests Roosters all won with bonus points in the first round of the Senior 2 National Mutual Cup.

Of the four, Avalon and Upper Hutt meet at Maidstone Park at 1.00pm, while Poneke hosts Norths at Kilbirnie and Wests play Petone at the early game on the Petone Rec.

In other games, OBU and HOBM meet at Prince of Wales Park, Ories and Wellington play at the Polo Ground and MSP and Stokes Valley vie at Martin Luckie Park.

All other grades start up this weekend, including the Women's competition which kicks off with the first round of Fleurs Trophy matches.

In two games in the Hutt this weekend, Stokes Valley hosts Norths at Delaney Park and Wainuiomata hosts Eketahuna at Mary Crowther Park. In the third game, OBU and Premier Women's newcomers Ories meet at Martin Luckie Park.

Footnote: If anyone has any background information about the Cyril Collett Memorial Trophy played between Norths and Poneke and the Wood Cup between OBU and HOBM please leave it below or email editor@clubrugby.co.nz