Hutt Old Boys Marist and Tawa to meet in Colts final on Saturday

After a full 13-week round-robin followed by a three-week knock out series, the 2024 Wellington Colts Division 1 champions will be crowned this Saturday on Jerry Collins Stadium, kick-off 1.15pm and as the curtain-raiser to the Jubilee Cup decider that kicks off on the same ground.

Hutt Old Boys Marist will go into the final with an unbeaten season record. They defeated Oriental-Rongotai 56-7 in their semi-final, while Tawa battled past multiple former champions OBU Green 10-8.

HOBM won the first round Paris Memorial Trophy with a week to spare, while Tawa finished seventh and sealed the final place for the Division 1 knockout series. They beat Petone the week before, while HOBM had a bye week.

HOBM head coach Al Tetevano said that his side were pleased to beat Ories in the semi-final in what was expected to be a tough physical battle in wet weather, and knows that Tawa will be hard to beat.

“We know Tawa will be a tough side to play in the final after beating Petone and OBU respectively, said Tetevano. ” We will need to be on our game and have the same mentality as we did in the semifinal, if not more, to diffuse a good Tawa Colts team.”

These two teams previously met in the Paris Memorial Trophy round-robin in round 6 on 11 May. HOBM won 43-24 at the Hutt Rec.

“We’ve had a good squad of players this season willing to do what it takes to win this Championship for HOBM.

“We’d love the sun to come out at Jerry Collins stadium on Saturday as our team thrive off playing an expansive game.”

HOBM have scored 675 points in 15 games so far in 2024. Top try scorer heading into the final is wing Phelan Rona who has scored 14 tries. Their top points scorer is Junior Leleisiuao with 177.

HOBM’s captains are Dominic Ernst Captain and Max Fata-Meafou – both out of nearby St Bernard’s College

The Eagles are expecting a lift from their supporters on Saturday.

“We’ve been lucky to have this weekend a supporters bus for us this which we are grateful for.We know how important this final means to not only the team but especially our whanau and friends in the Hutt.”

Coach Tetevano is a past co-coach of the Hutt International Boys’ U15 team with Norm Hewitt who tragically passed away last week after a battle with motor neurone disease.

“We took the team to the top four in both years for the first time in the schools history, which was amazing.

“Norm Hewitt has been a role model and holds great Mana for us all and I’ll truly miss him.

“Giving his whanau Arlene, Lizzie and Alex all our love from the Tetevano whanau and HOBM rugby community. KIA KAHA “UNTIL WE BREAK BREAD AGAIN NORM.”

Tawa’s head coach Petaia Petaia said his side was happy and relieved when the fulltime whistle blew for their 10-8 semi-final win over OBU:

“Weather conditions dictated how the game was played. It was a tough watch, but I thought our boys stood up to the might of the OBU machine. The tenacity and grit they showed with all the spilled and dropped balls due to the conditions was commendable, but our boys know that we could have done better.

Petaia said that with their unbeaten record, the HOBM Eagles are firm favourites but win or lose his team will be giving their all.

“We are aware that we go into this final with the underdog tag but that’s how we like it,” he said. “That doesn’t mean that HOBM is the better team, however we acknowledge that they’ve been unbeaten all year, they just happened to finish first in the Paris Memorial Trophy round and we finished seventh.

“We see ourselves as a team of battlers and most of us are here because we love playing with our mates. That is where the strength of our team lies, it’s the comradery and relationships built during the season through our training under the leadership of our HOR Steve So’oialo and management team.

Tawa will look to their team leaders to be the key for their title tilt.

“They will guide and lead us in the game and adjust and make decisions that will lead us to glory and the John E Kelly Memorial Trophy. We won’t be doing anything different from how we’ve played all season and as a wise man once said “all animals are equal, but some animals are more equal than others”…may the best team win.”

Tawa will have three teams contesting the six finals on Saturday, and it’s a full club effort.

“Of course, we will be playing for the people that matter to this team, our Tawa Club board and management, especially Banksie, Kevin KD, Graham, Tony  – stalwarts of the club who are always there for the boys cooking and making sure we’re all taken care of. Our club supporters, families and friends are the people that will lift us with their voice and support on Saturday when the going gets tough. UP DA TAWA.”

ABOUT THE JOHN E KELLY MEMORIAL CUP

The John E Kelly Memorial Cup was donated to the WRFU by the Wellington Football Club for play in the Under 21 Division 1 Competition in 1985. The trophy is in memory of Wellington’s late Club Captain, John E Kelly, who died of cancer. John played and administrated rugby with the Wellington Club for many years and had the privilege of playing alongside his young son.

The University club won the first John E Kelly Cup in 1986 and Porirua won the second in 1987. In total, OBU (including University and WCOB) have won this 11 times and Norths (including Porirua) have won four titles.

The past 10 winners have been:

2014 OBU Green

2015 Hutt Old Boys Marist

2016: OBU Green

2017: Petone

2018: OBU Green

2019: OBU Green

2020: OBU Green

2021: OBU Green

2022: Petone

2023: Oriental-Rongotai

MATCH DETAILS

• What: John E Kelly Cup Colts Division 1 Final
• Where: Jerry Collins Stadium
• Who: Hutt Old Boys Marist Green v Tawa
• When: Saturday 27 July, 1.15pm

SQUAD LISTS

The two teams that will contest the final will be selected and finalised from the following players (with their former schools in brackets):

HOBM Colts Squad 2024 (likely playing position in final)

1 Israel Time Wellington College

2 Nio Taulata St Bernards

3 Tyrell Tuia Naenae College

4 Max Fata-Meafou St Bernard’s

5 Hugh Bloomfield Hutt International Boys school

6 Theo Van Ooyen St Bernard’s

7 Sam Morgan St Pat’s Silverstream

8 Levi Morgan St Pats Silverstream

9 Trent Browne St Pat’s Silverstream

10 Junior Leleisiuao St Bernard’s

11 Phelan Rona  St Pats Silverstream

12 Junior Paulo  St Pat’s Silverstream

13 Brodee Tetevano  Hutt International Boys school

14 Pahi Mateo   St Bernards

15 Dom Ernst Captain  St Bernard’s

16 Andy Soanai  St Bernard’s

17 Adwin Ngu NaeNae College

18 Hunter Anderson Hutt Valley High School

19 Wiremu Tokona Hutt Valley High School

20 Matt Nixon Hutt Valley High School

21 Ants Fale St Pats Town

22 Kelly Tangawai-Scott St Bernard’s

23 Josh Burns St Pat’s Silverstream

24 Ariki Tongia St Pats Silverstream

25 Jo Paradis Nanaimo District Secondary school

26 Dylan Hopkins Hutt Valley High School

27 Taia Taula Taita College

28 Alec Pedebone Forest Lake High School Australia

29 Daniel Masoe St Pats Silverstream

30 Ignatious Sio St Pat’s Silverstream

31 Ethan Edwards Hato Poara College

HEAD COACH: AL TETEVANO

ASSISTANT COACH: JOSH BALDWIN

ASSISTANT COACH: BEN ROSS

MANAGER: DARRELL HOPKINS

 

Tawa Colts squad 2024 (squad list, not numbered but from low numbers to high)

Joseph Ulugia (Aotea College)

Jarred Kuresa (St Pats Town)

Omarion Vagana (Wainuiomata High)

Tapue Maka (Porirua College)

Evan Paenga (Mana College)

Aloali’I Fa’aita (St Pats Town)

Isaiah Ieremia (Aotea College)

Julius Faraimo-Tinilau (Porirua College)

Jarred Fermanis (Tawa College)

Hadley Vaoliko (St Pats Town)

Anthony Hunt (Tawa College)

Dawt Kung (Tawa College)

Mannfred Sofara (Bishop Viard)

Neru Sheck (Porirua College)

Randall Paenga (Mana College)

Tristan So’oialo (Tawa College)

Solomon Uelese (Porirua College)

Daniel Baker (Tawa College)

Tasimeta Afamasaga (Tawa College)

Shaun Wilson (Aotea College)

Chris Sei (Tawa College)

Kazz Ruaporo (Tawa College)

Mataira Wallace (Tawa College)

Floyd Natabuwaqa (Tawa College)

Samanoa Euta (Porirua College)

Teiana Tu’uga (Aotea College)

Hunter Sao (Mana College)

Papa Kupa (Aotea College)

Tyson Hall (Tawa College)

 

Coaches: Petaia Petaia & Steve Boyle

Manager: Tony Tomlinson