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Week three is in the books, and Hutt Old Boys Marist and Marist St Pat’s are the two unbeaten sides so far.
Of the two, MSP will feel they are in a good position, while HOBM are probably grounded as the three clubs they have played so far – Wellington, Avalon and Norths – have lost all three of their games. This Saturday the Eagles are at home for the first time this season, to play Old Boys University for the Wood Cup. HOBM teams are unbeaten in all three top grades, Premier, Premier 2 and Colts, but these other two sides will also face a sterner test this Saturday against OBU opposition.
Swindale Shield matches at a glance this coming Saturday are (home teams first):
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Anzac Day this coming Thursday – lest we forget.
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Second week of the school holidays, and the annual ‘Hope Cup’ tournament amongst Hutt Valley secondary school teams is tomorrow at the Petone Rec. The schedule is (as always this will be subject to change):
Scots College are in Auckland to play their Presbyterian Cup Quadrangular tournament with St Kent’s, Lindisfarne and St Andrews.
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On Friday at 1.oopm at the NZCIS, there is a match between the New Zealand U20s squad and the Hurricanes Hunters (Development) team.
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Congratulations to Brandyn Laursen for playing his 150th Premier match on Saturday, celebrating a third straight win to start the season for Hutt Old Boys Marist. He scored 20 points in the 45-12 win over Northern United.
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A fine Premier debut for Hutt City Mayor Campbell Barry at Helston Park. People who we’ve spoken to were impressed with his calm demeanor which bodes well for a future at the province’s top-level.
A sighting of a recent Premier referee, with Ryan McLean on the middle for the Colts match at Porirua Park between Norths and HOBM. Having alternated between playing and refereeing in past seasons, is a full-time return on the cards?
A bit of a odyssey for veteran referee Gordon Noble-Campbell. Firstly his game got moved twice in quick succession on Friday, the second a time change as well, and then he must have felt he was refereeing in the highlights as the Tawa Ducks ran riot over MSP in a 109-7 scoreline
And finally great to see long-serving former professional referee Mike Fraser dust off his whistle as well. Like Noble-Campbell, Fraser was in charge of an Under 85kg fixture but had a much closer affair with Poneke beating HOBM 15-5
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The Hurricanes have won eight matches in a row in their best start to a Super Rugby Pacific season. The Blues were the first team to string together 10 successive victories in their 12-game span in the 1997 campaign, followed by the Bulls who would stretch their exploits to 12 games across the 2009 and 2010 seasons. The Crusaders won 19 in a row between 2018 and 2019 and 15 in a row between 2002 and 2003. The Lions won 14 in a row in 2017. The Hurricanes won 10 in a row in 2016-17 and 2018. They won seven in a row to start 2015.
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Some potential shenanigans in the U85kg grade last week as well, with the WRFU sending out an official email reminding players to adhere to honesty and transparency during the weigh-in process.
“Any attempt to manipulate or misrepresent weight measurements not only undermines the fairness of the competition but also erodes the trust and respect within the community.”
No more stop-offs at the bakery on the way to matches!
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Bring back the South Pacific Championship.
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It’s going to be hard to go past the Petone Ponies as this year’s Wellington club rugby Women’s champions. They have scored 167 and conceded just 22 points in their three games so far, and had Jackie Patea-Fereti and Monica Tagoai on their bench on Friday night.
Tia Brown scored four tries for Petone in their 77-12 win over Poneke-OBU. She has nine tries in 11 matches.
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Tawa scored 41 points and lost to MSP on Saturday (41-57). Likewise, Waikanae beat Paraparaumu 45-42 in the Horowhenua-Kapiti competition. What have been some other high scoring losses in club rugby? Here’s three that spring to mind:
- HOBM 54-49 MSP in 2015
- Norths 50-45 0BU in 2018
- Norths 97-48 Wests in 2013
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Vince Sakaria two tries for Marist St Pat’s on Saturday. The 2012 Wellington College tighthead prop has returned to the competition this year after a year away last year owing to injury. Just the sort of player MSP needs as their resurgence continues in 2024.
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Likewise, another longstanding experienced player returning this year in Petone outside back Belgium Tuatagaloa. The former NZ Sevens contracted player last played in the competition in 2016 and first made his debut in 2009.
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The Wellington Axemen have now lost 37 games in a row and in 27 of those defeats conceded 40 or more points. Their last win was an 18-5 victory over Avalon in round 11 of the Swindale Shield in 2021.
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Sensational food options at Maidstone Park on Saturday. In addition to the newly furbished café and bar inside the main grandstand, a fundraiser was selling muscle fritters, Bacon Butties, sausages, and seafood chowder.
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OBU No. 8 Dougal Perrers had his own support crew on the Jeremy Coney Terraces at Nairnville Park on Saturday. During the week he teaches at Scots College, so a couple of his students were cheering him on from afar.
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A standout performance from Petone Colts fullback Max Hosking on Saturday in his side’s 44-21 win over OBU Green. He set up the first try for his team and then scored a second half hat-trick before being Hosea Geared with about 15 minutes to play. His teammate at lock, Bailee Laurenson-Tupai, has returned to his home province after moving away for university last year after leaving the Wellington College First XV. For OBU, openside flanker Tana Maene-Lokeni had a busy match, particularly in the first half when he won several breakdown turnovers/penalties.
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New Wellington Axemen tighthead prop Antonio Prim has nine international caps for his home country Portugal. Hopefully we can do a story with him and find our more about him and his rugby journey soon!
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The Premier match at Nairnville Park got underway four minutes late. The teams were about a minute late starting, then there was a three-minute delay whilst a match ball was sourced so it could kick off.
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A lively match at Porirua Park on Saturday morning, between the Combined Western Bays Schools (effectively a Beard Trophy schools selection) and the touring NSW State High Schools side. The visitors won 22-15, after conceding the game’s first try after two minutes but regrouping to score three well-taken first half tries of their own.
The NSW team is travelling around NZ and has also already played matches against Howick College and Taupo-a-nui College and are on their way to Christchurch to meet CBHS, as well as partake in coaching sessions and some sightseeing. There is a girls side too, who played sevens matches against St Mary’s and Sacred Heart Colleges on Saturday.
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A niche accomplishment of sorts for veteran referee and Club Rugby contributor Scott MacLean who made his Wairarapa-Bush debut in Saturday’s top-of-the-table Senior Reserve clash between Tuhirangi and Pioneer at Pirinoa. The club, which is on the road out to Lake Ferry and Cape Palliser, is the southern-most in the North Island, and having previously refereed at Tokanui in Southland has ticked off the most-southern grounds in both islands.
“The ground was classically rural, being a sheep paddock for most of the year and the changing sheds were in the back of the village hall a few minutes’ walk away. At halftime I counted the vehicles parked around the perimeter; about 60 of all sorts, plus two quad bikes, a Polaris farm truck, and a bloke on a horse. The hall was heaving afterwards with plenty of young kids running amok, and really the club is the heart of the community in winter”
Tuhirangi have never had an All Black but can claim significant credit for the development of one. Andy Earl was playing for the club when he was called up for the Wairarapa-Bush representative side as a teenager and helped them earn first division status in 1981. He was still with the club when he made the NZ Colts side before returning to Canterbury, later playing 45 matches for the All Blacks including 14 Tests and being part of the 1987 World Cup-winning squad.
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Taradale, Havelock North and Hastings are all 5/5 to start the Nash Cup in Hawke’s Bay Premier rugby.
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Nick Robertson has scored 83 tries for Poneke.
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Ories winger Herman Seumanufagi has scored 10 tries in 14 matches. On four occasions he has scored a pair of tries in the same game.
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The Black Ferns squad for the Pacific Four series against Australia, USA, and Canada in May is named this week. Wholesale change from 2023 is unlikely. Kennedy Simon and Ruahei Demant should retain the co-captaincy. Blues lock Maama Vaipulu was sensational in Super Rugby Aupiki and would be a strong contender for selection. Prop Aldora Itunu won a Rugby World Cup in 2017 and might push for inclusion. Former Wellington flanker Marcelle Parkes made a successful transition to prop for Matatū and could be selected to cover for propping shortfalls. Other outside chances could include young Hurricanes Elinor Plum-King (Flanker) Hannah King (First five) and Monica Tagoai (Second five). Halfbacks Maia Joseph (Matatū) and Kahlia Awa (Blues) could challenge the status quo.
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Hoskins Sotutu has scored eight tries in eight games for the Blues. That equals the record for a Blues forward set by Andrew Blowers in 1996. Blowers scored 13 tries in 34 games for the Blues, including a try in the first Super Rugby final won by the Blues 45-21 against the Sharks at Eden Park in 1996.
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An early contender for ‘Supporter of the Year’:
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The Crusaders have had seven losses or more in a season for just the fourth time in their history. In each of the previous three seasons, they lost seven or more games they didn’t make the playoffs. The Crusaders are 86-29-2 against Aussie opponents but suffered their biggest loss, and highest concession, to an Australian side in their 37-15 hiding against the Force on Saturday. In 1996 the Crusaders lost 29-7 to the Brumbies. In 1999 they were beaten 36-23 by the Reds. In that game Wallabies legend Chris Latham (78 Tests, 40 tries, 50 wins) scored two tries. First Five Nathan Spooner scored 21 points. Spooner scored 25 points for Australia in two Test wins against Ireland in 1999.
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The Highlanders were held scoreless for only the fourth time since the inception of Super Rugby in 1996 when they were beaten 31-0 by the Reds. The Reds other instance of holding an opponent scoreless was an 11-0 defeat of the Hurricanes in 1999. Queensland beat ACT 33-0 in Inter-State Competition in 1992. They boast just 10 shut-outs in all competition dating back to 1978.
The future of New Zealand rugby union's governance currently has more questions than answers: https://t.co/tBYKdG0nh4@SENZMornings | #Rugby pic.twitter.com/mBoLlWF5zf
— SENZ (@SENZ_Radio) April 18, 2024
