Petone produced the comeback of the 2007 club rugby season to secure the fourth Jubilee Cup semi-final spot next weekend, beating top qualifier Marist St. Pat's 39-34 in a thrilling round seven encounter at the Petone Recreation Ground. Petone fullback Tu Umaga-Marshall provided the final pass and veteran winger Willie Moala scored the try in the right hand corner with the last act of the game to break a 34-34 deadlock and complete a blockbuster Petone win - after they had trailed 26-8 at halftime...More

Wellington Premier Rugby players and coaches left their rugby balls on the training paddocks this week in favour of calculators, instead plotting their chances of making next week's semi-finals. It's tight across both the Jubilee Cup and Hardham Cup competitions going into this weekend's last round sets of matches, with five Jubilee Cup and four Hardham Cup teams chasing the remaining three playoff places still up for grabs in each competition. The scenario is similar on both points tables, with Marist St...More

The Hardham Cup will go down to the wire next week following Upper Hutt's upset 17-11 win over previously unbeaten Oriental Rongotai in the penultimate round robin set of matches. Upper Hutt edged out an undisciplined Ories, with two Ben Aoina dropped goals proving the difference, while their three promotion-relegation rivals, Avalon, Wainuiomata and Johnsonville all had bonus point wins as excepted over Premier Two opposition. These results presenting a congested points table with just one round remaining...More

Marist St. Pat's have qualified top for the Jubilee Cup Semi-finals with a round to spare with a clinical 69-15 demolition of wooden spoon-bound Wests Roosters at home at Evans Bay Park. MSP won their sixth straight second round match and earned their first bonus point, minus recent forwards regulars Wellington lock Bernie Upton and new Manawatu signing and hooker Ged Robinson. Their semi-final visitors look likely to be either Petone, whom they play in the last round next week, or outsiders Tawa or Old Boys-University, after Hutt Old Boys Marist got up to beat Petone 21-15 and Tawa and OBU kept their Cup dreams alive in other?round six fixtures...More

Look out for a frantic final fortnight of Hardham Cup round robin play, with four premier clubs fighting it out for a place in next year's Swindale Shield competition as well as for a spot in the semi-finals. It shapes as an anxious next two weeks for Wainuiomata, Avalon, Upper Hutt and Johnsonville, all desperate to join the already safe Oriental-Rongotai in the playoff round and avoid the relegation noose. In shades of last year's Hardham Cup, that went down to the final whistle of the last round, all the signs are there for a similar outcome...More

The make-up of the top four Jubilee Cup contenders should be all but decided with a round to spare following this weekend's penultimate round-robin set of matches. Should they win this weekend, Northern United and Petone will join unbeaten Marist St. Pat's in this year's semi-finals, while fourth placed Hutt Old Boys Marist should be through if they win and there are no major shock results over the final two weeks. Two teams hoping for just that are Old Boys-University and Tawa, both still alive, each of who can fill two of the playoff spots at both Petone's and HOBM's expense if they win their last two games with bonus point wins...More

Marist St. Pat's edged out Hutt Old Boys Marist 17-16 to maintain their lead in the Jubilee Cup while Poneke bowed out of playoff reckoning in losing to Petone 12-10 in the fifth round set of matches played on Saturday. MSP won the battle of the Marist clubs and confirmed their place in the semi-finals courtesy of a hat trick to fast finishing left wing Jope Naubo to keep the Eagles at bay in an Evans Bay Park bogfest. Across the road at Kilbirnie Park, Poneke were served their last rites by Petone first five-eighth Sam Rasch, whose four penalties held off the two tries scored by Poneke halfback Blair Bradley...More

The pressure falls right back on Johnsonville against Avalon at Fraser Park in the key Hardham Cup clash of round five. With their promotion-relegation chances for 2008 on a precipice, Johnsonville fans know it could be too greater a mountain to climb to make the playoffs if they lose to Avalon this weekend. Awaiting them in the last round will be runaway leaders Oriental-Rongotai whose hot run of form is showing no signs of abating, while rivals Wainuiomata and Upper Hutt appear to have an easier run-in to the playoffs over the final three weeks...More

Wellington club rugby fans should have a clear picture of the make up of this year's Jubilee Cup semi-finalists following this weekend's fifth round of matches. Last week's round four action saw Marist St. Pat's confirmed as the first semi-finalist and the Wests Roosters drop out of the reckoning, leaving six teams chasing the remaining three playoff berths over the next three weeks of round robin play. Last week MSP became the first team to book a playoffs berth, their first in four seasons, when they beat Tawa 23-16 last weekend for their fourth straight win, while the Wests Roosters were knocked off their playoff perch with their fourth straight loss, going down to Petone 18-7...More

Marist St. Pat's emerged as the only unbeaten side and Poneke kept their playoff chances alive for another week at the conclusion of the fourth round of Jubilee Cup play on the coldest day of the year. MSP beat Tawa 23-16 away at Lyndhurst Park to move to the top of the standings, two points clear of second placed Hutt Old Boys Marist who lost their first second round game to Northern United 28-5 at home at the Hutt Recreation Ground. At the other end of the table, Poneke lived to fight another day with a typically gutsy 23-3 win over Old Boys-University at the Basin Reserve, Poneke's win leaving both them and OBU needing to win their remaining three round robin matches to make the semi-finals...More