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Short Passes – 6 May

 

Photos above: Header: Pepesana Patafilo scores from one of his two tries from grubber kicks against MSP on Saturday. PHOTO: Barry Stead. Above: Fulltime in Saturday’s annual Avalon Cup fixture between the two local secondary school First XVs. Taita College beat Naenae College 17-5. PHOTO: Hugh Pretorius.

Welcome to a new week in rugby. A short breather then it is all again!

With three rounds to play in the Swindale Shield, leaders and unbeaten Hutt Old Boys Marist have a 17-point buffer to eighth placed Tawa. This means that the Eagles are the first team to officially qualify for the second round championship Jubilee Cup.

Below is where the intrigue kicks in.

There is 10 points separating fifth placed OBU and 12th placed Wellington, meaning these eight teams are in a bunfight over the next three weeks chasing the remaining six spots available for the Jubilee Cup. At least one good team is going to miss out.

This coming weekend’s Swindale Shield draw is HERE 

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A top-of-the-table Colts Division 1 clash this coming Saturday, between Old Boys University Green and Marist St Pat’s at Ian Galloway Park at 1.oopm. The WRFU should shift this to Kilbirnie Parks 1,2 or 3 as it would give OBU supporters there for the 2.45pm Premiers game a chance to support their Colts team first and also those MSP’s supporters who want to/need to stay in town and not head out to Ngatitoa to watch their Premiers.

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The second round of the Tranzit First XV series is in Gisborne this coming Saturday. Matches are: Scots College v Hastings BHS, St Pat’s Town v Palmerston North BHS, St Pat’s Silverstream v Gisborne BHS and Wellington College v Napier BHS.

Week one results in Masterton saw Wellington College losing 24-40 to Gisborne BHS, Scots College toppling Palmerston North BHS 35-31, St Pat’s Town drawing 26-26 with Napier BHS and St Pat’s Silverstream missing out 5-14 to Hastings BHS.

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It took Luca Rees 25 games to score a Premier rugby try. He now has 36 in his last 26 games.

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From the “you can’t stop her, you can only hope to contain her” file Ories Women’s winger Ayesha Leti-l’iga scored 5 of her side’s nine tries in their 47-10 win over Paremata-Plimmerton, taking her tally since the start of last season to 51 in 15 games and the fifth time she’s scored 5 tries or more in that span. See one of her strikes on Saturday at the bottom of this column.

 

However for once Leti-l’iga was outdone in the tries scored number with OBU Impalas fullback Thamsyn Newton scoring 6 tries along with kicking 8 conversions for a personal haul of 46 points in their 78-12 win over Poneke. That total is still short of the Wellington single-match record which is held by Lizzie Goulden with 60 (4 tries and 20 conversions) in Ories’ 150-0 win over Upper Hutt in 2016.

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Turnaround of the year so far – last week Wainuiomata’s Premier Reserves lost 10-97 away at Tawa. This week they beat top four side the Upper Hutt Rams 38-20 on home soil.

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Dropped goal watch – will we see one in this years Swindale Shield?

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Dark horse watch – we think the Wainuiomata Premiers are a strong chance to go far this season – provided they make the top seven and provided their x-factor players like TJ Va’a and Peter Umaga-Jensen stay on board. Although, what has happened to the Upper Hutt Rams, who on paper at the start of the season were a Jubilee Cup side?

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Congratulations to returning Johnsonville midfielder Richard Henderson, who joined his side for the first time this season against Petone on Saturday to play his 200th career club match – including appearances for other teams around the world.

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Referee Steve Newson refereed his 50th Premier match on Saturday, between Wellington and Old Boys University.
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The final Hawke’s Bay Premier Nash Cup points table.

The first round of Hawke’s Bay club rugby is in the can:

 

  • Premier Grade Nash Cup Winners: Taradale Rugby & Sports Club.
  • Town & Country Grade Winners: Napier Old Boys Marist.
  • Colts Grade Arthur Brown Cup Winners: Taradale Rugby & Sports Club.
  • Division 3 Big Barrel Maury Coady Cup Winners: Hastings Rugby & Sports Club.

The second round Premier Maddison Trophy starts this coming weekend.

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The Canterbury Metro club rugby competition is heating up.

The CRFU metro first round table after 6 rounds of 11.

After six rounds of 11 of the first round half the field is seperated by two points (see table right).

On Saturday, recent top dogs Lincoln University were beaten 21-19 by Sumner, the latter’s first win of the season.

Of note, Canterbury University are floundering at the bottom of the standings, winless and conceding over 60 points a game.

For more visit the Canterbury Club Rugby website here: http://www.clubrugby.co.nz/canterbury/games-results.php?competition=30&season=15&round=6

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What is happening with University rugby across the country? In Wellington back-to-back Jubilee Cup champions Old Boys-University have forced themselves back into position to defend their title after a slow start, but elsewhere it’s not pretty. Auckland – recent champions up there – are struggling and were beaten by Marist yesterday, Waikato conceded 100 points in a match to Hautapu earlier this year but have rebounded and might yet make the Premiership round, and in the Manawatu Massey sit midtable. Down south Canterbury were hammered 73-22 by Marist Albion and are bottom and winless, though Lincoln sit third but were upset by lowly Sumner, while in Otago University – long the powerhouse of the Metro competition – are only mid-table

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The New Zealand U20s met a 0-24 defeat to Australia on Saturday night.

What is going on?

And why wasn’t Naitoa Ah Kuoi or Devan Flanders playing? The pre-match media release had nothing about these guys being injured so presumably Flanders in particular wasn’t selected.

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St Peter’s College were beaten 5-52 by South African school Paul Roos Gymnasium in the final of the 20th Sanix World Rugby Youth Tournament in Japan this weekend.

In other college news from around the country, the Canterbury, Auckland, North Harbour and Otago competitions started on Saturday. View the draws, results and standings at College Rugby HERE 

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The Hurricanes won the game on Saturday against the Rebels in the first 20 minutes – 26-0 after the opening quarter becoming 29-19 at fulltime. The Hurricanes are a clear second on the New Zealand Conference ladder behind the Crusaders and fourth overall. The other conferences are really close so watching these unfold over the next few weeks should be interesting.

The Hurricanes play the Blues in Auckland and then the Jaguares in Wellington over the next two Friday nights, before a trip to South Africa.

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