This week in club rugby history 24-30 June

Above: Tyro centre Wes Goosen bursts through to score for OBU when they beat MSP 29-20 on the Basin Reserve in 2015.

In association with the Bond Street Sports Bar on Bond Street in Wellington, some highlights from this week in Wellington club rugby history are below

24 June

1967: The Dominion reports that “the relentless progress of Petone and Wellington toward a great Jubilee Cup conflict continues to dominate the Wellington Senior Rugby Championship.” Both are out in front, level on 20 points, after Wellington beats St. Pat’s 25-9 and Petone beats Hutt 34-9 for the McBain Shield. Petone wins the first of five consecutive Jubilee Cups later in the season.

1984: Wellington Axemen captain Jim Morgan and new All Black lock Murray Pierce jointly hold the Swindale Shield aloft after trumping rivals MSP 22-21 in the final round. Wellington fullback Evan Hopkin has kicked a 72^nd minute penalty to give his side the lead for the final time in a see-saw struggle.

1995: In the battle of the heavyweights, Petone overcomes MSP 33-16 in the feature match at Athletic Park. Petone win through the boot of first five-eighth Simon Mannix and through tries scored by wing Alex Telea and midfielders Jason O’Halloran and Tana Umaga.

2006: Northern United head the points table, after running out narrow come-from-behind 23-20 winners over Old Boys-University at Porirua Park. Norths defend the Bill Brien Challenge Cup for the seventh consecutive time. Norths will beat Poneke in the Jubilee Cup final.

25 June

1960: Petone score a sensational late converted try to beat Wellington 13-11. The ball is spun through most of the team from Athletic Park’s western bank touch to the grandstand touch and back again before captain Don McIntosh scores the match-equalising try and his second of the game.

1983: Petone, ahead 19-3 at halftime, are on the verge of defeat but rally to hold off MSP and win 19-13 in today’s virtual Swindale Shield final – and thus share the Shield. Both teams finish on 22 points, four clear of third placed Wellington. Petone’s win is built on four Allan Hewson penalties and tries to Allan Pollock and Mike Clamp – the latter’s 15^th try of the season.

1994: Tight games in five out of six games include an upset 8-7 win for Johnsonville over defending Swindale Shield champions MSP and a 20-20 draw for unbeaten Avalon with Wests. In tough midwinter conditions, Johnsonville edges MSP at Helston Park, while Avalon scores a very late converted try to tie with Wests.

2011: Oriental-Rongotai shoot to the top  of the Jubilee Cup standings after three rounds, holding on to beat HOBM 36-31 in a 10-try thriller in perfect winter rugby conditions at the Hutt Rec. Ories win the game with a decisive four-try burst just before and after halftime, reeling in a 7-19 deficit and then holding off the Eagles who come back at them hard. In six weeks Ories will return to the Hutt Rec and, playing a similar style of positive rugby, will beat Norths in the Jubilee Cup Final.

26 June

2010 : Hutt Old Boys Marist’s brothers Matt and Alexis Time each score decisive second half tries as part of the club’s centenary weekend 22-15 victory over 100-year old rivals Petone. The Time brothers’ tries make the difference as the home side fight back from a 10-15 deficit early in the second half to draw level and then score the winning try several minutes from fulltime. The Eagles then defend their line magnificently, with second five-eighth Alexis Time also saving a near-certain try with a goal line tackle after numerous phases of pick and driving play by the Petone pack had threatened to spoil their celebrations.

27 June

1987: MSP clean out Petone 31-13 in today’s Swindale Shield ‘final’, winning four tries to two. Former All White soccer player Grant Turner plays for Hutt Valley Marist on the wing and helps beat Western Suburbs 10-3 and make the Jubilee Cup round.

1998: Western Suburbs open up a 7-point lead at the top of the table with two rounds to play before the semi-finals. Young loosie Rodney So’oialo comes off the bench and scores two second half tries to give the Roosters a 31-20 come-from-behind win over Petone.

2008: Upper Hutt upset Northern United 24-18 at Porirua Park in a thrilling round of Jubilee Cup matches played around Wellington, in which three of the four games played go down to the wire. These close matches also include a last-gasp 23-22 win for Old Boys-University over Hutt Old Boys Marist at the Basin Reserve and a gritty 15-11 victory for Marist St. Pat’s over Poneke at Evans Bay Park. The other match proves to be an exception, with Petone defeating Oriental-Rongotai 35-8 at the Polo Ground and emerging as the only bonus point winner of a tight round.

2015: On their Old Timers’ Day at the Basin Reserve, Old Boys-University have won their fourth straight Jubilee Cup match to take an outright lead at the top of the standings and take a significant step towards booking their semi-final place. OBU pull clear of Marist St Pat’s in the second half to win 29-20 and become the only unbeaten side, after Tawa are pipped on fulltime by Petone 31-30 in their match at Lyndhurst Park.

28 June

1983: Petone beat MSP 19-13 in their last round match to share the first round Swindale Shield with them. Mike Clamp runs in his 15^th try of the season, while first five-eighth Murray Blandford finishes as the first round’s leading scorer with 133 points.

1986: MSP halfback Neil Sorenson kicks 17 points in his team’s 25-9 Jubilee Cup win over Upper Hutt. Sorenson also makes an early piercing run that sets up a try to flanker Steve Mark. MSP, Petone and Wellington are the three unbeaten sides after two rounds with Petone defeating Ories 11-6 and Wellington beating Avalon 28-3.

1997: Western Suburbs enhance their challenge for the Jubilee Cup where they beat Harlequins five tries to one, 42-8. In the feature match at Athletic Park, Wests are boosted by Super Rugby players Filo and Ace Tiatia and Alama Ieremia. In the curtain-raiser, MSP beat Petone 29-26.

29 June

1985: MSP snatch a 21-18 victory from under Upper Hutt’s nose after seemingly holding an unstoppable 18-0 lead at halftime. Upper Hutt come back with the wind to level at 18-18, but MSP halfback Neil Sorenson kicks an injury time penalty to seal the win.

1996: A fired up Poneke set the blueprint for their success later in the season, beating defending champions MSP for the first time in three years, winning 26-9. The team Poneke is destined to go on a play in the final, Western Suburbs, power past Harlequins 41-12. The Tiatias, Filo and Shane, both prominent.

2002:  Second five-eighth Ma’a Nonu sets up two of his side’s three tries to give Oriental-Rongotai a narrow 18-17 win over Norths in a thriller. Nonu’s 50-metre burst on the half hour mark puts Ories ahead 9-8 at halftime. Norths regain the lead after halftime, but a subsequent telling Nonu break leads to the match winner for Ories.

2013: Hutt Old Boys Marist soar to a three-point lead at the top of the Jubilee Cup standings after reeling in a 3-19 halftime deficit and beating Old Boys University 37-22 for their fourth straight win, while the Wellington Axemen have officially qualified for next year’s Swindale Shield after beating Avalon 49-24 and also winning their fourth straight game in the second round. HOBM will qualify second for the Jubilee Cup semi-finals, while Wellington qualify third for the Hardham Cup playoffs and go on and make the final.

30 June

1951: Jubilee Cup giant killers Hutt record their third success over a team ranked higher than themselves when they upset Petone 9-5 and win back the McBain Shield. In doing so, Hutt also qualifies for the ‘top six’ for the second round.

1963: A major upset today as Oriental beats leaders Marist 15-6. Hooker Keith Mettrick leads a strong forwards effort and they hold on throughout the second half  after scoring a shock try against the run of play just after halftime.

2001: Poneke continue to be the pacesetters, beating Upper Hutt 29-8 to remain unbeaten after four rounds of the Jubilee Cup. Poneke’s ball runners, led by flankers Shane Page and John Savelio and midfielders Mepi Faoagali and Misipalauni Moananu, are in top form. Elsewhere, Swindale Shield champions Avalon drop out of the Jubilee Cup after suffering their second loss in succession, losing 21-32 to MSP.

2007: Centres of attention today, with several midfielders playing prominent roles. Conrad Smith greatly helps OBU beat Wests 33-7, former NZ Colt Willie Lafaele scores a searing 40-metre try for Tawa against HOBM in a 10-43 loss, Ma’a Nonu helps guide Ories to a 27-10 Hardham Cup win over Wainuiomata and young and old collide at the Petone Rec where Tana Umaga’s Petone beats Robbie Fruean’s Norths 19-13.

2012: Wainuiomata score 38 unanswered points from late in the first half to power past  multiple Jubilee Cup champions Petone 50-20. Wainuiomata are electric in a highly entertaining game. Petone lead 20-19 at halftime, but after the turnaround, Wainuiomata quickly scores two converted tries to race ahead 31-20 and they don’t look back.