Jubilee Cup final preview: Northern United v Poneke A gladiatorial final between is predicted in this year's Jubilee Cup final between Northern United and Poneke. The last time these teams met in a Jubilee Cup final was in 2006 and Norths were comfortable 25-12 winners. But don't expect anything like this winning margin in the 2010 re-run. This year's final is between two teams packed with punch and power and recent Jubilee Cup final pedigree and both know what it takes to win. One or both of these clubs have been involved in nine of the past 11 finals - but between them have only won four times...More

Top qualifiers Poneke and first round Swindale Shield champions Northern United will meet at Westpac Stadium next Sunday afternoon to decide the 82nd winner of the Jubilee Cup, after winning two contrasting home semi-finals. At Porirua Park, Norths' flair and enterprise won the day over Hutt Old Boys Marist in a four tries to one 38-13 victory. Norths took the game to the Eagles and had a match-winning 18-0 lead before the visitors could respond, sealing their sixth final berth since 2004...More

Jubilee Cup For match details visit Games & Results across the top of this page (teams will be published on Friday morning).? Poneke v Petone Another chapter will be written in one of Wellington club rugby's longest standing rivalries in Saturday's Jubilee Cup semi-final at Kilbirnie Park between top qualifier and Andy Leslie Trophy winner Poneke and fourth placed Petone. Poneke's 21-14 win over Hutt Old Boys Marist?in last week's seventh round saw Poneke grab the top qualifier's position for the semi-finals for the second consecutive year...More

The Wellington Rugby Football Union and Cricket Wellington are this week paying tribute to Wellington's most celebrated all-round sportsman Eric Tindill who passed away on Sunday. Tindill is the only man to have ever represented New Zealand in both Test rugby and Test cricket. He also refereed both cricket and rugby Test matches and was a leading rugby and cricket administrator and selector in both sports for many years.Eric William Thomas Tindill was born in Nelson on 18 December 1910 and passed away at Wellington hospital on Sunday 1 August, aged 99...More

Poneke held on to earn top spot for next week's 2010 Jubilee Cup semi-finals with a gutsy 21-14 win over Hutt Old Boys MaristPoneke will host their great rivals Petone at Kilbirnie Park in one semi-final after Petone repelled Upper Hutt's challenge to win 32-17 at home, while Northern United will host the HOBM Eagles in the other semi-final following their 51-33 victory over wooden spooners Old Boys-University at Porirua.Poneke collected the Andy Leslie Trophy for the second successive year for winning the round-robin phase, and also retained the Bill Brien Challenge Cup following their third defence since winning it off Ories in round four...More

The 22 Vodafone Wellington Lions players selected for this Sunday's ITM Cup opener against Tasman won't be playing club rugby this weekend, but the rugby played in the final round of Jubilee and Hardham Cup matches without them promises to be as hard-fought as ever. There's much at stake for many contenders in round seven, with several teams across both top grades jostling for either semi-final home ground advantage next week or to clinch their places in the final four, or in the case of Johnsonville and Avalon in the Hardham Cup, their immediate Premier futures...More

The ITM Cup kicks off this Thursday night with Taranaki hosting Northland in New Plymouth and Wellington fans will recognise a host of current and former Jubilee and Hardham Cup players lining up for other unions in this year's NPC. A highly competitive ITM Cup team could be fashioned from the following Wellington club players playing for other provinces in 2010 (listed in alphabetical order):Luke Andrews (playing for Bay of Plenty, formerly of OBU)Cory Aporo (Bay of Plenty, Upper Hutt)Robbie Fruean (Canterbury, Norths)Joe Hill (Otago, OBU)David Holwell (Northland, Poneke)Scott Ireland (Taranaki, OBU)Ross Kennedy (Hawke's Bay, OBU)Daniel Kirkpatrick (Hawke's Bay, Petone)Paula Kinikinilau (Otago, OBU and Ories)Kas Lealamanua (Hawke's Bay, MSP)Manu Leiataua (North Harbour, Ories)Mathew Luamanu (North Harbour, Upper Hutt)Seminar Manu (Southland, OBU)Chris Middleton (Waikato, Norths)James Oliver (Manawatu, OBU)Shannon Paku (Manawatu, OBU)Tomasi Palu (Otago, OBU and Norths)Ash Parker (Canterbury, HOBM)Anthony Perenise (Hawke's Bay, Norths)Lote Raikubula (Manawatu, Ories)David Smith (Taranaki, Tawa and the Wests Roosters)Eugene Smith (Hawke's Bay, Petone)Chris Smylie (North Harbour (Norths)Jack Tarrant (North Harbour, Wests Roosters)Kane Thompson (Southland, Wests Roosters) Sinoti To'omaga (Hawke's Bay, Norths) Tana Umaga (Counties-Manukau, Petone)Tu Umaga-Marshall (Canterbury, Petone and Wainuiomata)Scott Waldrom (Taranaki, Avalon)Brendon Watt (North Harbour, MSP)Coaches:Dave Rennie (Manawatu, Upper Hutt)Peter Russell (Hawke's Bay, MSP) Sean Horan (Bay of Plenty, MSP)Names based on known ITM Cup squad lists, 29 July 2010...More

The battle for semi-final spots in the 2010 Jubilee Cup will intriguingly go down to the last round after a dramatic day of sixth round matches, that saw Upper Hutt hold on to draw with title favourites Northern United and decisive wins for Poneke, Hutt Old Boys Marist and Petone.Upper Hutt's 23-23 draw with Norths, Poneke's 45-28 win over Old Boys-University, HOBM's 25-16 win over MSP and Petone's 36-22 victory over Oriental-Rongotai have set up a mouth watering final round next week in which three teams will be chasing the two home semi-final spots and a further two teams will be playing for the one remaining playoff berth still up for grabs...More

Leading trio Poneke, Northern United and Hutt Old Boys Marist will all be assured of places in the Jubilee Cup semi-finals with a round to spare if they win this week, but the fates of the other four remaining playoff contenders are wide open heading into the sixth and penultimate round set of matches.Leaders Poneke will also earn a home semi-final at Kilbirnie Park with a week in hand if they win with a bonus point against strugglers Old Boys-University and Marist St. Pat's beats Hutt Old Boys Marist at the Hutt Recreation Ground...More

The Vodafone Wellington Lions have named their squad for the ITM Cup which kicks off at Westpac Stadium against Tasman on Sunday 1 August at 4.35pm. ? The 2010 Vodafone Wellington Lions ITM Cup Squad is: ? Dane Coles (Poneke) Hayden Cripps (Petone) Jacob Ellison (Northern United) Fa'atonu Fili ?(Marist St. Pat’s) Scott Fuglistaller (Wests Roosters) Hosea Gear (Hutt Old Boys Marist) Michael Hobbs (Old Boys-University) Cory Jane (Upper Hutt) Alapati Leiua (Northern United) Faifili Levave (Northern United) Serge Lilo (Northern United) Alby Mathewson? (Upper Hutt) Motu Matu'u (Oriental-Rongotai) Api Naikatini (Northern United) Charlie Ngatai? (Poneke) Ma’a Nonu (Oriental-Rongotai) Buxton Popoalii (Northern United) Daniel Ramsay (Poneke) Mark Reddish (Oriental-Rongotai) Ged Robinson (Marist St...More