An early contender for dog supporter of the season. Photo by Hugh Pretorius.
The atmosphere at most venues in Wellington at about 3.30pm on Saturday had the look and feel of old-school grizzly July Jubilee Cup rugby. Except it was barely mid-April and the second Saturday of the season. Let’s hope we don’t get another afternoon of similar conditions for a while. It didn’t help that all seven matches were at venues that were out in the open and exposed to the elements.
As such, Saturday’s rugby was definitely a leveller, and we will perhaps have to wait at least another week for clear themes of the year to start emerging. There are a few things to think about though, such as:
- Hutt Old Boys Marist are two from two and early leaders but they have played the two sides that could perhaps be at the strugglers’ end of the table this year, Wellington and Avalon. HOBM play Norths at Porirua this coming Saturday so this result will generate interest from other clubs.
- Marist St Pat’s are two from two as well, and beat defending Jubilee Cup champions Oriental-Rongotai at home in a close encounter on Saturday. Are they back or is it too early to tell?
- Likewise, the Upper Hutt Rams had a good win over Petone away at the Village on Saturday. Their home match this coming weekend against Ories could be a cracker
- Last year’s first round winners Paremata-Plimmerton are 0-2 to start their season, losing their second tight one on Saturday, to Tawa. Too early for a flicker of concern? They are at home on Saturday for the first time this year and will be hungry for a good performance against Avalon.
- Johnsonville are going to be an extremely tough nut to crack at home at Helston Park. They have home matches to come against Wellington (this coming Saturday), Ories, Upper Hutt Rams, Poneke, Wainuiomata and MSP. Who would beat against them winning them all?
- Old Boys University appear to have clicked into gear early. After beating Johnsonville first up in a close one at Rugby League Park, their margin of victory was 43 points at Wainuiomata. This was against a side that has given the Goats plenty of trouble in recent seasons, so what to make of that?
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Callum Watts-pointer (above) soars high for Norths on Saturday. His return from a year playing club rugby for Paraparaumu is a good one for Norths. They lost on Saturday, but he was busy throughout and scored two tries along with the veteran Luca Rees. Although, Norths did lose a player to the sin-bin late in the first half and that might have been Watts-Pointer. It was raining so hard we could barely see what was happening 80m away at that point!
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Speaking of ‘veterans’ Andy Ellis stepped up to first-five for Johnsonville on Saturday and had a terrific first half directing play and helping to drive Johnsonville down the other end and to a 27-5 lead by halftime after trailing 5-3 early. Ellis and halfback Mark Sutton, who came into is own in the second half as Johnsonville held off Norths, were outstanding in the wet. It will be interesting to see what the Hawks do when Aukuso Tuitama returns. Second year player Finlay Sharp, normally a right wing, slotted in at centre, scoring a popular try under the posts.
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A busy game on Saturday for Old Boys University’s No. 8 Dougal Perrers, another second year player to the competition. OBU shellacked Wainuiomata and their 33-0 halftime lead wasn’t going to be headed.
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Plenty of good hookers about in the Colts grade, the Norths hooker Tino Afele won the match for them on Saturday against Johnsonville having an industrious game and then stepping up with a few minutes to play to kick a 38m penalty to put them into the lead, followed by scoring the match-winning try in front of his Premiers warming up. Last week we were impressed with Tawa Colts hooker Evan Paenga, while it was Petone’s Regan Shaw that won that game for them.
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Referee Matt Thomas’s multitasking skills were on offer on Saturday in awarding a try on the ground. Just as Johnsonville’s forwards were piling through to score their first try of the match, Thomas took a tumble but quickly regrouped to award the try on his knees in the pouring rain.
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Caleb Robson scored two tries for Poneke on Saturday in his team’s 26-0 win over the Wellington Axemen, his second two-try haul of his career. All four of Poneke’s tries were scored through the backs.
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The Wellington Lions named their coaches for the upcoming NPC.
Head coach Alando Soakai is joined by Petone’s Ryan Piper, Tawa’s Trent Renata and Greg Halford as the scrum coach.
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Check out the Club Rugby Photos page – more galleries loaded all the time:
https://clubrugby.smugmug.com/2024
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Marist St Pat’s held its Pasifika Night at its clubrooms on Saturday night, and were joined by three Oriental-Rongotai teams.
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Former Waikato, Chiefs, and All Blacks loose forward Jono Gibbes is the New Zealand Under 20 coach for the first time. Gibbes has extensive experience coaching in France with Clermont Auvergne (2014-17, 2021-23) and La Rochelle (2018-21). Clermont Auvergne won the Top 14 in 2017 and in the 2021-22 season La Rochelle won the European Cup. Gibbes was forwards coach between 2008 and 2014 at Irish powerhouse Leinster. Leinster won 205 of 294 matches under head coaches Michael Cheika, Joe Schmidt, and Matt O’Connor. That includes three United Rugby Champions and European Cups. Gibbes identified World Rugby Player of the Year (2022) Josh van der Flier (62 Tests, 48 wins) and loosehead prop Jack McGrath (56 Tests, 38 wins) as two of the best Leinster Academy youngsters he worked with.
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Wellington College had a 17-7 win over New Plymouth Boys’ High School on Saturday.
The boys from the Gully meet Nelson College this coming Thursday at neutral Hataitai Park, then St Pat’s Silverstream on Saturday in Upper Hutt.
It is school holidays for the next two weeks, so not a lot on in that space, this week at least.
It is is also the inaugural Schools Round in club rugby this coming Saturday, the first of three themed rounds this year. Look out for more information about this later in the week.
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The Beard Trophy draw was released late last week – should be another exciting year in this series
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Finlay Christie a starting All Blacks halfback. Seriously. Look at the form of TJ Perenara and Cortez Ratima on Saturday night.
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We see the Hurricanes and WRFU media manager John Lazo-Ron is moving on. A brief stay in what is a high-demanding job. We wish him the best for the future.
Perhaps someone who does the hiring wonders why there is high turnover in this role?
First, this is a job that should be separated between the Hurricanes and the WRFU/Wellington Lions, such as the Chiefs and Waikato have been doing for a few years now.
Second, we believe it is one for an older, experienced person with plenty of mileage on their clock, preferably in the sports media industry, who loves rugby and wants to embrace the lifestyle that this type of job requires. Not for a young person who wants a 9-5 role and is ready to pounce on all the generous leave entitlements on offer, nor for someone with strong family pulls outside of the job.
Will be interesting to see who steps up to their plate. Will it be rinse and repeat, or a break to that type of person we suggest?
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Why don’t teams train players in other positions to throw the ball to the lineout and if you were to rid the hooker of the throwing duties what position would be best suited to throw the ball into a lineout while maintaining the best possible shape on attack and defence? Imagine the Hurricanes having Asafo Aumua used on the crash or decoy and then going back to throw. Not a lot of innovation in lineouts in that regard. Abolishing, or seriously reducing, the impact of the rolling maul would help make things more intriguing too.
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Why are people not going to Super Rugby Aupiki? It can’t be the rugby? Aupiki lacks the incessant kicking of its male counterpart. A desire to keep the ball in play and use it expansively makes for a refreshingly vibrant spectacle. The final in Saturday was as good as any match you could see.
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England women have won 43 of their past 44 internationals, including 27 in a row in the Six Nations.
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Check out this interview page from Steve Coles, father of All Black Dane Coles.
https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100064336652481&mibextid=qi2Omg&rdid=1P4WUophhvFO3obb
As per usual,no respect for the tawa press. They put on a defensive display for the ages. Sure you guys will focus on them when they lode though. Biased much?
No, we are straight down the middle neutral. Didn’t see the game, but did see them last week against Petone. Were you at that game?