Old Boys University looking forward to playoffs

Above: Old Boy University's Seminar Manu in action in last year's Hardham Cup final. Manu is set to become the fourth OBU player to reach the milestone of 100 games for the club in this Saturday's semi-final against Tawa.

2013 will be the first year in the past 20 seasons that one or more of the big three traditional Jubilee Cup teams of the modern era - Petone, Poneke and Marist St. Pat’s - won’t be featuring at playoff time.

More recently, at least two of Petone, Poneke and MSP featured in the Jubilee Cup semi-finals every year between 1999 and 2010. Throw in Northern United as well, who will be headlining the Hardham Cup semi-finals, and the landscape has suddenly changed.

There’s a fifty percent chance that this year’s Jubilee Cup winning club will be a first time winner, with top qualifiers and Swindale Shield winners Tawa and Old Boys University drawn to meet in one semi-final on Saturday at Lyndhurst Park and both chasing their first titles.

The University club, who in 1991 merged with Wellington College Old Boys (originally called Harlequins before the name change in 2000 to OBU) of course won the first ever jubilee Cup contested in 1929, WCOB won it four years later and the University side that won it four times in the 1950s was one of the great teams of Wellington club rugby.But they haven’t tasted success since 1966.

The last time that OBU made the semi-finals was in 2002, a side that featured several household names, such as Hurricanes Jason Spice, Ross Kennedy, Luke Andrews, Paul Steinmetz, a young Conrad Smith and current assistant coach Shannon Paku.

In 2002 Paku was the hero for OBU in their last round match against Ories, dashing 80 metres with the last play of the game to score the winning try that put OBU into the semi-finals ahead of Norths. Steinmetz was the Player of the Match in the following week’s 18-10 semi-final win against Poneke, carrying them to the final against MSP, which they lost 13-18.

Although they’ve subsequently missed out on a home semi-final this year with their 10-26 last round defeat to Ories, the Billygoats have nevertheless deservedly qualified for the semi-finals for the first time in 11 seasons.

Highlanders and Wellington Lions first five-eighth Lima Sopoaga was the hero the previous week, sparking a key second half try and kicking 16 points as OBU beat Tawa 31-28. This reversed Tawa’s 22-19 win over OBU in the Swindale Shield round.

OBU’s Coaching Coordinator and former All Blacks halfback Dave Loveridge says that it’s an exciting weekend for the club being back in the semi-finals.

“The success this year was moulded in Hardham Cup disappointment. Eleven years outside the top four makes for tough times but that’s also made us hungry – our players, coaches, and our supporters have all had to work to drag themselves back into contention for the top prize.

"Tawa have trodden a similar path themselves at times, which we respect, but we’ve earned our chance and want the rewards.”

The occasion is also Seminar Manu’s 100th game for the Billygoats. Manu will become just the fourth OBU player to reach this milestone after Chris Te’O, Mike Te Moana and Darryl Gore.

Manu like many of the current Billygoats is an old boy of Wellington College. Manu played three seasons in the First XV, 2001-2003, winning a Premier 1 Championship in 2002 and earning a New Zealand Schools jersey in 2003. Wellington College coach at the time Chris Wells recalls Manu was a “superb schoolboy footballer.”

Manu was renowned for tormenting Wellington’s great rivals St Pats Silverstream, who he never lost to in seven matches. In the 2001 traditional, Manu scored a winning try from a charge-down, in the last minute, to win 18-13. In the 2002 Premier 1 final Wellington College beat Silverstream 24-23 at Porirua Park. Manu had a conversion attempt charged down that was ordered to be retaken, he kicked the goal!

A complement to his schoolboy prowess was that All Black and 2003 NZ Schools teammate Jeremy Thrush called Manu the toughest schoolboy player he faced.

Logically Manu made the New Zealand under 19s in 2004, winning a World Championship and then embarked on a professional career in Southland.

Regular game time in the deep south was hard to come by, however there was an obvious highlight with the Stags. In 2009 Manu was a member of the first Southland team to win the Ranfurly Shield in 50 years, when they beat Canterbury (9-3) in 2009.

Loveridge says reaching the 100-game milestone and also achieving it in Saturday’s semi-final is great reward for Manu. “In many ways Sem reminds me of some of the guys I played with – talent to burn but he gets the need to earn your spot; ferociously loyal to his mates but never happier than when he’s having a joke at their expense. He’d give you the shirt off his back but he won’t back off an inch this weekend.”

Another of Manu’s teammates, first five-eighth/fullback Jesse Johnson also praised Manu’s contribution to the club.

“Sem is a great man who has epitomised OBU in recent seasons,” said Johnson. “He returned from Southland in 2011 where he was in a position to really promote his rugby either in Wellington or abroad. He chose to stay with us through some pretty tough seasons in the Hardham Cup, so it is special for us to be able to mark his 100th in a Jubilee Cup Semi-final.

“We believe Sem is playing as well in 2013 as he ever has, and his vast experience in senior rugby has been invaluable for some of us younger guys in the team this year. He is a guy we look up to on and off the field and someone who’s advice is never discarded.

“Sem is well respected by all clubs in Wellington and we look forward to representing him well this weekend.”

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