Jubilee Cup Final – big efforts in losing causes

Name the only player to win the Super Bowl MVP after his team lost the game. Winners write history so when this pub quiz question is asked it poses a genuine head-scratcher.

The answer is Chuck Howley. The Dallas Cowboys linebacker and Pro Football Hall of Fame inductee was MVP in the 1971 Super Bowl which the Cowboys lost 16-13 to the Baltimore Colts in Miami.*

The Jim Brown Memorial Plate has been awarded to the MVP in the Jubilee Cup final since 2004. As yet a player in the losing team hasn’t received the accolade. Who would be the leading contenders in history to receive the Jim Brown Memorial Medal as runners-up?

Below are four examples from the past 10 finals and one from the drawn final in 2008:

2008: Peter Sciascia – Marist St Pat’s

The 2008 final at the Westpac Stadium was drawn 10-10 with Chris Middleton receiving the Jim Brown Medal. Interestingly the Norths lock was the only player acknowledged for MVP honours in the tie.

The game was played in bitter cold and a swirling wind. The MSP pack proved organised and resilient suppressing the dashing Norths’ backs.

With his nippy opportunism and tactical nous, halfback Peter Sciascia had a profound impact. MSP won the territorial tussle and Sciascia scored the Scarlets only try from a scrum caused by a Norths knock-on following a Sciascia up-and-under kick.

The 2008 decider is the only drawn match since the final was conceived in 1993. It was the seventh time the Jubilee Cup was shared and the fifth time involving a Marist team, after St. Pat’s Old Boys (1949) and Marist Brothers Old Boys (1962 and 1964) each shared Jubilee Cups, and now MSP in 1978 and 2008.

Sciascia won a Jubilee Cup outright in 2009 and fetched Jim Brown honours.

Players of both teams after the famous drawn final of 2008 – following this, extra time was added to all knockout matches to find outright winners. 

2014: Josh Robertson-Weepu (Wainuiomata)

When Wainuiomata fell agonisingly short to Hutt Old Boys Marist in their maiden Jubilee Cup final appearance, there were several players wearing the green and black hoops who were standouts in a losing cause. From tighthead prop Justin Va’a to flankers Shahn Eru and Greg Lealofi, Wainuiomata had many big players for them that day in the 11-14 loss.

But one player singled out for his performance under the greatest club rugby pressure of all, and whose second half exit through injury was a factor in defeat, was tyro fullback Josh Robertson-Weepu.

With his illustrious step-uncle Piri Weepu running water, the first-year fullback out of St Pat’s Silverstream showed little signs of the occasion getting to him.

The first half was a titanic struggle in a nervy game of finals footy, neither team wanting to roll the dice and take 50/50 risks.

Despite Wainuiomata controlling the territorial advantage they failed to mass early points on their opposites. Robertson-Weepu’s tactical nous led them into the right areas of the field in the opening 40, keeping HOBM’s electrifying attack at bay.

Robertson-Weepu’s afternoon was cut short as he required medical attention and hobbled from the field with an ankle injury. His role was vital and with him out of the equation Wainuiomata lost their direction and with it, the possession. The Eagles held on to a precious three-point lead to the end to win.

Ironically for Robertson-Weepu, he had scored 17 points for the Silverstream First XV in the previous year when they narrowly lost the Wellington final to Wellington College.

2016: Matthew Peni (Marist St Pats)

In MSP’s 2016 semi-final win over Ories (24-3), Peni scored a try and then promptly left the field. He told Club Rugby in 2017.

“I took a nasty head gash and had to wait in A&E until midnight to get it repaired. They put nine staples in my head and the doctor advised me not to play the final.

“I didn’t want to miss the final because of a cut. Are you serious? I said it will be ‘sweet as.’”

In the stuff of legend, the big No.8 scored two tries against Tawa in the decider but is modest about his rousing effort.

“I was lucky to score two tries. Nemani Waaka pushed me over the line for the first try and all I had to do was pick up the ball to finish the second one.”

“It was a great occasion and a close game, certainly one of the most memorable I have played, but when I think back on it, we should have used our backs more. We had the likes of Fa’atonu Fili, Ryan Setefano and Michael Buckley and didn’t involve them enough.”

MSP lost 24-20 to Tawa at Jerry Collins Stadium on the same chilly day the Hurricanes won their first Super Rugby title.

Peni had missed the whole of 2015 after rupturing his Achilles tendon at the Tawa 7s tournament. In 2016, he missed an additional 12 weeks, the victim of ankle and hamstring injuries.

A product of St Pats Town, Peni represented the New Zealand Under 20’s in 2014 with 50-Test All Blacks Anton Lienert-Brown (73 Tests, 14 tries, 56 wins), Damian McKenzie (50 Tests, 200 points, 41 wins) and Richie Mo’unga (56 Tests, 464 points, 39 wins).

2018: Du’Plessis Kirifi (Northern United)

Northern United’s bid for their first Jubilee Cup final success at the Petone Rec since 2010 couldn’t have got off to a worse start – trailing a rampant Old Boys University 25-3 at halftime.

In a performance that hinted at his future Wellington Lions capacity credentials, Kirifi was a man-possessed in the second half. The openside flanker scored two tries, made repeat breaks and salvaged a couple of turnovers as Norths closed the gap to 37-31 with a minute remaining.

OBU won a scrum penalty on halfway to terminate time, but it was only the beginning of for Kirifi. In 2019 he helped Norths win the final against Wainuiomata and was appointed Wellington Lions captain. Kirifi is 21-2 in a Norths shirt, winning another Jubilee Cup final in 2022.

2022: Josh Southall (Petone)

When Petone captain Jacob Gooch left the field after 20 minutes of the 2022 Jubilee Cup final against Norths at Jerry Collins Stadium, the Villagers appeared to be crumbling. Petone was down 12-3 and Gooch’s replacement Southall was listed as a hooker and had only played two games the whole season.

Instead, Southall produced a star turn, the equal of Wellington Lions captain Du’Plessis Kirifi, as Petone rallied to take the lead in a seesaw contest.

Southall was powerful with ball in hand and worked feverishly on defense. Petone eventually lost 23-20 with Peter Lakai or “Mini Gus” beastly.  Pint-sized halfback Cam Ferreira played a blinder opposing All Black TJ Perenara, Richard ‘Squid’ Evans was lion-hearted and elusive. Riley Higgins scored two tries in midfield as a 19-year-old, but the spark from Southall arguably gave Petone a sniff in the first place.

Southall converted to hooker in 2023. All six of his appearances for the Wellington Lions have ended in victory but he’s struggled with injuries and only played four times for Petone since the 2022 decider.

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*Rugby league and Australia Rules football are other prominent oval ball codes with a Grand Final MVP award. The NRL Grand Final MVP has received the Clive Churchill medal since 1988. The medal has only been awarded to a member of the losing grand final team on four occasions. Bradley Clyde (Canberra) in 1991, Brad Mackay (St George) in 1993, Daly Cherry-Evans (Manly) in 2013, and Jack Wighton (Canberra Raiders) in 2019. The AFL Grand Final MVP has received the Norm Smith Medal since 1979. Only four players have received the award as members of the losing teams: Maurice Rioli (Richmond) in 1982, Gary Ablett Sr (Geelong) in 1989, Nathan Buckley (Collingwood) in 2002, and Chris Judd (West Coast Eagles in 2005).

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JIM BROWN PLATE WINNERS (SINCE 2004):

• 2023: Dominic Ropeti – Oriental-Rongotai
• 2022: Boston Hunt – Northern United
• 2021: Hemi Fermanis – Tawa
• 2020: Dale Sabbagh – Old Boys University
• 2019: Campbell Woodmass – Northern United
• 2018: Alex Barendregt – Old Boys University
• 2017: Regan Verney – Old Boys University
• 2016: Junior Togia – Tawa
• 2015: Joe Hill – Old Boys University
• 2014: Steven Bradshaw – Hutt Old Boys Marist
• 2013: Steven So’oialo -Tawa
• 2012: Jeff Toomaga-Allen -Marist St Pat’s
• 2011: Iani Pahulu – Oriental-Rongotai
• 2010: TJ Perenara – Northern United
• 2009: Peter Sciascia – Marist St Pat’s
• 2008: Chris Middleton – Northern United
• 2007 2007: Nick Risdon – Hutt Old Boys Marist
• 2006: Lua Vaoloaloa – Northern United
• 2005: 2005: Earl Va’a – Petone
• 2004: Tamati Ellison – Northern United