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Paremata-Plimmerton’s Tane McMillan-Parata plucks out a lineout last week against Avalon. The defending first round champions are back at home tomorrow to play the Upper Hutt Rams, while the Wolves are in Miramar to meet Jubilee Cup holders Oriental-Rongotai. Photo: Stewart Baird (who is on assignment in Hawke’s Bay club rugby this weekend).
- By Scott MacLean
Friday afternoon edition. In one match played this afternoon at the NZCIS, the Hurricanes Hunters Development team beat the NZ U20s squad 45-26.
There’s a little less rugby on tomorrow as the lower grades get a weekend off, but there’s still plenty of big matches in the top grades to whet the appetites.
The E Tu Whanau Footy Show comes from the Hutt Rec for the OBU v HOBM match. They are on air from 2:30pm, 1161AM, 87.6FM, iHeart Radio and Whare Kōrero Apps and also streaming www.teupoko.nz.
The day starts at 9.30am at the joint venues of the Petone Rec, Ngati Toa Domain and Kilbirnie Park with the WRFU hosting a ‘walk around the park in support of and awareness of health and wellbeing. The King Toyota BBQ and Muddy Grinds Coffee cart will be in attendance.
For Draws and Teamlists (subject to change on match-day) please visit: http://www.clubrugby.co.nz/wellington/games-results.php?competition=1&season=21&round=4
Premier Swindale Shield
Starting at the top and after their usual odyssey away to start the season, Hutt Old Boys Marist are at their Hutt Rec Nest for the first time this season. The Eagles have fattened their account so far on the teams that currently occupy the bottom three places, but that changes tomorrow with Old Boys-University the visitors.
HOBM are almost unchanged; their only alteration sees Sam Morgan come into the loose forward trio in place of Taine Tata, while Harry Press is amongst those involved in today’s Hurricanes Hunters vs NZ U20s fixture at the NZCIS campus but is named to back up tomorrow.
OBU will have been bitterly disappointed in the manner of their defeat to Petone last week from leading 24-0 at one point. They have both Kyle Preston and Callum Harkin for the first time this year, though the latter comes back at second-five for his 50th match for the Goats. Prop Laurence Jarel-Lim also returns to their starting lineup.
They’ll play for one of three interclub trophies in play tomorrow. The Wood Cup honours Ron Wood who was a founding member of HOBM predecessor club Woburn after WWII, having previously attended Wellington College and played for Wellington College Old Boys. Through mergers it’s been played for by different clubs since first contested in 1960, but for the last 30 years it’s been between the two incumbents. OBU hold it after winning 37-7 early last season.
The hotbed of matches is in the eastern suburbs. The very new-look Marist St Pat’s have surprised many with their fast start and they’ll be keen to continue that tomorrow at Evans Bay when they take on Wainuiomata, who are back in that part of the world after being across the road at Poneke last Saturday. Depth could be an issue for MSP, and that gets a bit of a test, with Meinrad Fitesemanu, Eamonn Carr, Grayson Whitman, and imposing winger Sefo Aukustino all absent. Jack O’Brien is also involved with the Hunters today but named here, and amongst those on their bench is Naitoa Ah Kuoi.
Wainuiomata are nursing a few knocks and their side as provided to us could change before kickoff. Veteran forwards Teru Time and Matt Jacobs both return, as does Andrew Wells in the #10 jersey. Mikade Fono deputises for Keanu Kotuhi, and Renata Kotuhi drops back to fullback with Campbell Cowie suspended following his red card early last Saturday.
In play is their Rona-Morrisey Cup. Cliff Rona hailed from the valley but played his Premier rugby with MSP where he was a Swindale and Jubilee winner before returning to Wainuiomata and turning out for their Premiers. John Morrisey played his rugby at the pre-merger Marist Brothers before a lengthy association with Wainuiomata as a coach and club President. MSP are the holders following their 30-24 win in the penultimate round last year.
Swapping places with Wainuiomata are Tawa, who this week over at Kilbirnie Park to face Poneke. Both teams put up 40 points in their matches last Saturday; it was enough, just, to get Poneke over the line but not enough for Tawa, so the scoreboard operators might be kept busy.
The visitors have a number of changes; Jacob Mua starts at tighthead with Michael Reid switching to the blindside flank, and Kalim Kelemete and Connor Sharrock form this week’s midfield pairing. Veteran Tolu Fahamokioa is back in town and is on the bench. It’s an unchanged backline for Poneke with their changes all up front with Andrew Jones, Patrick Sitagata, and Nathan Marsh all back in.
They’ll contest one of the more recent additions to the interclub trophies list in the Kevin Carmichael Cup. Starting out his playing career with Tawa, Carmichael moved to Poneke to play at the top-level and played 118 games there before returning to Tawa and adding 120 more back at Lyndhurst Park and is now a Life Member of the Tawa club. Tawa holds it after their 50-21 win at home last season.
Further east and through the cutting and on the peninsula itself Oriental Rongotai return to Polo where they’ll host Avalon. The Magpies have alternated wins and losses so far but will be looking to break that string against a Wolves side that conceded heavily last Saturday against a rampant Pare-Plim.
Ories are the side most heavily affected by the Hunters match today, which costs them Dom Ropeti for tomorrow while both Sione Halalilo and Salesa Seumanufagai have been named here. The latter’s brother Ronaldo and Sammy Se’au come into the loose with regular No.8 Siaosi Lavea being rested. Avalon have made a handful of changes, and bring in two debutants on to the bench and another two TBC players. They will want to find their spark and that traditional Fraser Park flair so a great opportunity for them tomorrow to do this.
For the third time in a fortnight a different team will defend the Bill Brien Challenge Trophy after Ories took it from Upper Hutt last week.
On the south side of the Hutt River Petone welcome Johnsonville to the Petone Rec. The Villagers might have already cashed their “Get Out Of Jail Free” card last week, overcoming a woeful start against OBU to score 40 of the last 45 points in that fixture. They’ll look very different tomorrow without those Hurricanes players, nor Stanley Solomon. Rory Woollett is handed the #10 jersey while Belgium Tuatagaloa makes his first start in the saddle for many years at centre. Kaliopasi Uluilakepa is another returnee coming in at prop, and the otherwise retired and now assistant coach Carne Green is on the bench.
The Hawks bring back veteran Andy Ellis at fullback but most of their changes are up front with Raja Sami, Dylan Selkirk, and Josh Betham all starting there and Sean Rankin moving into the front row, and there’s plenty of firepower on their bench in Lucas Aukuso, Serge Hollis, and Tyler Hall.
The remaining two matches are out in Porirua. Farthest north at Ngati Toa Domain Paremata-Plimmerton got on the board last week in emphatic fashion against Avalon and would like to continue their recovery up the table after their stalled start. However that won’t be easy as it’s the Upper Hutt Rams who head over the Haywards to Ngati Toa, who themselves will be looking to get back on track after losing at home to Ories last week and will want to remind the Swindale holders that they were the only team they lost to in the round-robin a year ago.
The home side refresh their tight five with Tony Coburn joined in the front row by older brother James and Leni Apisai, with Junior Davey at lock. Luke Omeri also returns to the starting side on the flank, with the backline unchanged from a week ago. The Rams are largely unchanged. Toby Mallon gets the start at hooker with Pene To’o’s return pushing Josh Mallon back to the blindside. Leon Tuiloma is on the bench alongside the evergreen Josh Hunt.
A short distance away Norths face Wellington at Porirua Park. With both sides currently at the bottom end of the table, they’ll each be targeting this one as a realistic chance of getting a precious win and getting some momentum going.
Like many other sides, Norths’ changes are mainly up front with veteran prop Dan Filemoni, fellow bookend Reuben Ape-Tuputala, and lock Klein Salmon all starting, with midfielder Deni Lauvi the only alteration to the backs. Jayden Kini starts at centre for the Axemen in his blazer game, with Ulai Lawavou and Sam Edlund both coming in at lock and Nicolo Zanotti at fullback.
All seven matches are at 2.45pm as normal
Premier 2 Harper Lock Shield
On paper, the feature clash here is the match of the unbeatens between joint-leaders HOBM and OBU at the Hutt Rec, while just as seismic is the match of the third unbeaten – Poneke – and triple-defending champions Tawa on Kilbirnie #2. Working down the rest of the table Pare-Plim and Upper Hutt meet at Ngati Toa, Petone and Johnsonville take to the Petone Rec, Wainuiomata are on Kilbirnie #3 against bottom-side MSP, Norths and Wellington go in search of their second wins when they meet at Porirua Park, and Ories and winless Avalon are on the back field at the Polo Ground.
All matches are 1pm starts this week.
Colts Paris Memorial
Continuing a theme, HOBM are unbeaten leaders in this grade too, and they’ll host OBU in front of the grandstand at the Hutt Rec with the students having suffered their first loss of the year last weekend against Petone. The young Villagers are also at home on the other side of the river and will be hot favourites against winless Johnsonville. There’s a swag of teams on two wins aside from OBU; MSP host bottom-side Wainuiomata at Evans Bay, Poneke and Tawa clash at Kilbirnie, and Upper Hutt is at Ngati Toa against Pare-Plim. The remaining matches have defending grade champions Ories at home against Avalon at Polo, and Norths and Wellington are on Jerry Collins Stadium.
All matches are timed for 1pm kick-offs.
Women’s Rebecca Liua’ana Trophy
Three matches again this week and a chance for the field to make up some ground with leaders Petone having the bye. Wainuiomata have a strong chance of taking the lead when they host the winless Poneke/OBU combination at William Jones, while Oriental Rongotai host also-winless Avalon at Polo as they look to position themselves for a late run. The third match is the local derby at Porirua Park as one-win pair Norths and Paremata-Plimmerton meet.
All are at the regular 11.30am start time.
Other grades
The Under 85s, Reserve Grade, and Presidents all have the weekend off with one exception; the MSP Internationals and Wainuiomata play their Reserves Division 2 round one match at Kilbirnie Park that was deferred from three weeks ago.
Elsewhere
Leaders College Old Boys have the bye this week in the Manawatu Senior A, so both Kia Toa and Old Boys Marist will look to join them on 20 points at the head of the field. Kia Toa are at home against seventh-placed Freyberg while OBM have a tougher assignment away at Massey against the students. There’s a midtable clash in Feilding between Yellows and Te Kawau, and there’s a chance for Linton Army and Feilding Old Boys-Oroua to get off the mark when they meet at the Army Camp.
In Horowhenua-Kapiti runaway leaders Rahui will be nuclear-level favourites as they head to Levin to face bottom-side Wanderers at the Domain. Levin College Old Boys will look to stay in relative touch as they travel to winless Paraparaumu, with the third match being at Easton Park in Foxton as the home side welcomes Shannon in the battle of the province’s north. Waikanae are on the bye.
On the other side of the country one game in Wairarapa-Bush’s Premier competition has already taken place with Carterton keeping Red Star winless with a 57-15 scoreline yesterday. Martinborough are the sole leaders and their assignment this week takes them to Masterton to face Pioneer, East Coast will look to rebound when they host Marist, and Greytown meets Eketahuna.
Previewing the Hurricanes match tomorrow – which gets underway just as supporters and teams are coming inside to clubrooms following the conclusions of Swindale Shield and U85kg matches:
