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The Jubilee Cup has been contested every year since 1929.
The first winner was University and the most recent was Oriental-Rongotai.
This Saturday either Old Boys University or Tawa will lift the Jubilee Cup for the 95th time.
Looking back on our Today in History files and some past articles we have done, here is a mash-up of some of the many stirring Jubilee Cup deciding matches*, in order by date but not a definitive list.
*Prior to the early 1990s, there was no official semi-final/final series, rather a second-round round-robin series, but the union would always try and schedule it so the likely best two teams would meet on the last afternoon of the season.
1936: Interest has stirred to a high pitch by this meeting between Wellington College Old Boys and Athletic in the last match of the season to decide the Jubilee Cup title. Despite the best attempts by their star backs, Athletic’s defence holds, and they score the only try of the match with only about 10 minutes to play, to win 3-0.
Dominion, Volume 29, Issue 281, 24 August 1936, Page 11
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1939: On the cusp of WW2, that was to take the lives of 85 Wellington Axemen and many more from other clubs, Wellington has captured its maiden Jubilee Cup title and first club championship since 1901. Wellington beat Petone 18-17 to finish on top. In a grandstand finish, Petone’s ace goal kicker Bunk Pollock misses a penalty at the end.
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1965: Player-coach and former All Black lock Nev MacEwan leads Athletic to a 12-3 win over University in the ‘virtual’ Jubilee Cup final. MacEwan confesses afterwards that no victory in his career has been sweeter. Athletic’s other former All Black Russell Watt scores 9 of Athletic’s 12 points in his last ever match.
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1971: Petone blast Wellington off Athletic Park to win a fifth successive Jubilee Cup. By the time they take the field in the main game, Petone are guaranteed the title outright when their nearest challenger Marist St Pat’s loses to Onslow 6-14 in the early game and thus gives Petone a four-point buffer at the top of the table. The Villagers wrap it up in style, however, scoring five second half tries into the wind in the second half and winning 30-0. No. 8 Andy Leslie, halfback Ian Stevens and first five-eighth John Dougan are all standouts.
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1975: Anyone and everyone has picked Petone to romp to a comfortable win in today’s Jubilee Cup ‘final’ against Poneke. But nobody has told Poneke. With few stars and brilliantly captained by Don Cederwall, Poneke upsets Petone 11-9 and wins its first Jubilee Cup since 1951. Poneke apply constant pressure on Petone. A big moment comes in the 55th minute when Poneke wing Peter Peilua scores a key try. Petone’s only points in the final are via the boot of Richard Cleland.
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1980: The underwater Jubilee Cup decider. Petone beat Marist St Pat’s 12-3 in atrocious conditions – the game had it all , see our previous article about this game below:
Classic Matches: Petone v Marist St Pat’s 1980 (Jubilee Cup final)
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1989: Petone defeat Upper Hutt 19-13 to win the Jubilee Cup. Trailing 3-7 just before halftime, Petone halfback Tui Bradbrook scores off an attacking scrum and Petone go to the break leading 9-7. They keep their noses in front in the second spell to reward former hooker and coach Frank Walker an eighth Jubilee Cup as a player or coach.
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1996: Poneke edge Western Suburbs 9-8 in the final to win their first Jubilee Cup since 1975 (see entry above). The final is won up front and on defence, led by retiring Poneke flanker Shane McClure. In Poneke fashion, they grind first time finalists the Roosters down. Poneke first five-eighth James Ogden lands two dropped goals and a penalty, and finishes with 226 points for the season, while for Wests, Shane Tiatia scores the only try of the final.
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1999: The last ever club match played at Athletic Park, ahead of a move in the summer to the new railyards stadium. A superb first half performance by MSP’s forwards sets up their fourth Jubilee Cup win of the past six years, beating Poneke 22-16. Heading into the match, Poneke had conceded just four tries in their past 11 matches. But MSP cross for three tries in the opening 40 minutes and took a match winning 22-3 lead into halftime. MSP scored through fullback Jeremy Coulter and then twice through No. 8 Nic Fitesimanu. Poneke mount a comeback but for the most part MSP’s defence holds and Poneke’s only try comes through fullback Peato Lafaele.
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2008: The drawn final. Played in bitter conditions at Wellington Stadium, Marist St. Pat’s and Northern United battle to a 10-all draw in the Jubilee Cup final at a cold and wet Westpac Stadium. The Championship is shared for the first time since 1982 when Wellington and Petone jointly held the Jubilee Cup aloft.
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2011: A superb all-round team effort and some breathtaking tries gives Oriental-Rongotai its first standalone Jubilee Cup title and first since they won back-to-back when they amalgamated with Poneke during WW2. Once the dust has settled, Ories have run in five tries to blitz two-time defending champions Norths. In 20 minutes of play either side of halftime, Ories have come from 13-6 behind to score four tries and take the game away from Norths. With 10 minutes gone in the second half, Ories have scored their third and fourth tries and opened up a 33-13 lead.
Dominion Post 8 August 2011.
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2013: Tawa out-passion Oriental-Rongotai to win their maiden Jubilee Cup final, holding off the 2011 champions 26-21 to lock the Swindale Shield – Jubilee Cup away in their cabinet. Steven and James So’oialo are key players in the win, Steven scoring a sweeping 36th minute try giving Tawa a 14-13 lead at the turn and James kicking back-to-back penalties in the 73rd and 76th minutes to take the final away from Ories.
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2014: Hutt Old Boys Marist are victorious in the 2014 Jubilee Cup, taking down Wainuiomata 14-11 at a packed Hutt Recreation Ground in the final. Led by their inspirational skipper, Jason Risdon, the Eagles come from behind to win in a nail-biting encounter that could have gone either way for long periods. A solitary penalty kick is all that separated the teams.
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2015: Old Boys University Goats supporters are dancing in the Porirua Park stand this evening after OBU and Wellington Lions centre Wes Goosen plucks a high kick out of the air and scores to take the score in the Jubilee Cup final to 30-20 with several minutes to play. Their hearts are pounding a few minutes later when MSP lock Nick Harrison crashes over to score their third consecutive try of the second half from a forwards drive and evergreen first five-eighth Fa’atonu Fili adds the conversion to close the score up to 30-27. But the Goats hang on and win the club’s first championship since 1966.
