Tough Tackling Tyler Ready to Stop Magpies in Jubilee Semi-final

Johnsonville flanker Tyler Hall and Johnsonville are hosting Ories in a home Jubilee Cup semi-final this Saturday. Photo: Andy McArthur.

By Adam Julian

Tyler Hall turned down the chance to be in the Wellington Lions training squad. The tenacious Johnsonville openside is on a fast track to becoming a certified plumber, a job he described as “making sure water’s running and shi# flows downhill.”

His role at the Hawks is equally unglamorous but crucial to the smooth running of his team. Hall, who has started 13 of a possible 14 games in 2023, is a busy and bustling tackler who is adept at gaining possession at the breakdown and slowing down the opposition. It wasn’t always that way.

“I was a first-five at Newlands College and then I played a bit of hooker and halfback in league. It was in league I learned how to tackle. There were some formidable opponents who ran direct. I learned to chop, pull, scrag, anything to pull big fellas down. I’ve been stuck at flanker ever since,” Hall said.

Tyler Hall playing for Johnsonville in their 31-31 draw with MSP at Evans Bay Park earlier this season. Photo: Andy McArthur.

This Saturday at Helston Park, Johnsonville hosts a Jubilee Cup semi-final for the first time in its history when Oriental Rongotai comes to town. Johnsonville has won seven consecutive matches, Ories only won seven matches in the Swindale Shield but in the past fortnight have eliminated Marist St Pat’s (25-15) and Upper Hutt (30-27) from Jubilee Cup contention.

Dominic Ropeti and Sione Halalilo are loose forwards for Ories. The young pair started for the Wellington Lions in their successful Ranfurly Shield defence against Horowhenua Kapiti on Wednesday. How does Hall intend to subdue two players with much bigger reputations?

“We’ve got to make sure our discipline is top-notch. Ories are good at getting niggle out of you, so we’ve got to focus on the job at hand and execute our game plan. Were an internally focused team. If we control what we do well then generally things go well,” Hall said.

“I love good competition; it brings out the best in me. Sione is built like a brick shi#house. He’s got good skills and is tough to tackle. Dom has a good offload game, tackles hard, and runs their lineout.”

Johnsonville beat Ories 29-26 in Round 5 of the Swindale Shield with Hall scoring one of his three season tries. He also scored a try in their most recent match, a 46-12 slaying of Old Boys University, an almost unthinkable result 12 months ago.

“My favourite thing about this season has been looking at the trophy cabinet and actually seeing some silverware replacing the cobwebs,” Hall laughed.

“We’ve got a tight-knit group of players who’ve been here a while now. They’ve grown in confidence and continuity. The young fellas have been awesome, and some guys have come back to fill some big holes. How good has AP (Anthony Pettett) been this season?

“I reckon some of the old guys on the committee saw this coming before we did. The whole community has been awesome. Our pre-season started in November and was insane.”

“Fancy hearing school kids do the blue, blue chant.”

Johnsonville flanker Tyler Hall packing down against Ories opposite Sione Halalilo when Johnsonville beat Ories 29-26 at the Polo Ground at the end of April. Photo: Andy McArthur.

Johnsonville went 29 games (792 days) between 2018 and 2020 without winning a single match. That’s half the Trump Administration and a Level Four lockdown. Following a 38-12 win over Avalon on August 29, 2020, to break that losing streak Hawks captain at the time PJ Sheck said.

“At last, at f****last, I guess the boys were pushing not to come last for another season in a row.”

In 2021 Sheck went to Tawa and won a Jubilee Cup. He has played 18 games for the Wellington Lions.

Hall was born in the Bay of Plenty but is a Johnsonville junior. In 2019 Newlands College struggled to produce at First XV in his last year at high school so he received a dispensation to play Colts. It proved to be a seminal experience.

“You didn’t know who was going to turn up. Would they look like you or be these six feet five, 120kg beasts? You had to be mentally prepared to tackle anything,” Hall said.

Johnsonville tackles Oriental Rongotai in the Jubilee Cup semi-final at Helston Park at 2:45 pm on Saturday.

+++++

Huddy Sports spoke with Johnsonville fullback Jacob Walmsley on Wednesday night. Watch the episode below: