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News this morning that Jackson Garden-Bachop has signed with Moana Pasifika for 2025. Photo: Hugh Pretorius.
A few days off this week, then another big weekend of rugby coming up.
There are two National Knockout Cup U85kg matches at Evans Bay Park on Saturday, with the OBU Scallywags and Poneke teams hosting teams from Christchurch and Auckland respectively. OBU play defending champions High School Old Boys at 12.30pm and Poneke meet the Pakuranga Black Panthers at 2.15pm.
In scheduled representative matches, it’s the second round of the Hurricanes U18 competition. Matches are: (home teams first): Wellington Centurions v Hawke’s Bay; Wellington Samoans v Poverty Bay (in Palmerston North); Horowhenua-Kapiti v Wellington Māori; Whanganui v Wairarapa-Bush.
Also on the calendar is a match between the Wellington U18 Girls and the Hawke’s Bay U18 Girls in Palmerston North.
The Wellington Centurions are scheduled to play Canterbury B away in Christchurch.
The big match of the fifth round of the Heartland Championship in lower North Island quarters is in Masterton between Wairarapa-Bush and Horowhenua-Kapiti, as the latter prepares to take their show on the road to Auckland the following weekend.
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The Wellington Lions have games on Wednesday night against Otago and next Sunday against Tasman, for the Ranfurly Shield.
It will be interesting to see what team the Lions will put out on Wednesday against Otago? They could roll out the nucleus of the Centurions team and keep the top 20 or so guys for Sunday. Or default/forfeit the fixture to focus solely on Sunday – but unsure the rules of the competition would allow them to do that. Regardless, they need to be throwing every resource possible into winning the Ranfurly Shield.
Wellington’s scheduled game on Wednesday night against Otago will also be for the Mike Gibson Memorial Trophy.
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The Wellington Pride move into knockout mode for Saturday. A week after dispatching the Otago Spirit 51-13 in Dunedin, they return home (presumably Porirua Park, TBC) to host Otago in their FPC Championship semi-final. Manawatu host Tasman in the other.
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What about Campbell Parata:
Timoci Tavatavanawai x Campbell Parata is a Ranfurly Shield-winning combo 🤝 pic.twitter.com/4U4oxwCpf0
— Bunnings NPC (@BunningsNPC) September 7, 2024
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Tasman’s first challenge will be against the Lions next Sunday afternoon at Blenheim, which means it will be an 8-day tenure should the Lions win and bring it home.
Shortest Ranfurly Shield tenures
- Hawke’s Bay (six days); 1 – 7 September 2013
2= Wellington (seven days); 31 August – 7 September 1963
2= Waikato (seven days); 24 August – 1 September 2007
4. Taranaki (eight days); 19-27 September 2020
5. Otago (nine days); 23 August – 1 September 2013
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How far has the New Zealand Herald dropped off the media landscape? On Saturday afternoon Auckland and North Harbour met in their annual famous (in Auckland) ‘Battle of the Bridge’ match, with Auckland scoring a last-gasp try to win 36-32 and take their first win of the NPC season. But an online visit to the newspaper that serves these two unions later that evening and again on Sunday morning delivered absolutely nothing on the game. So the only conclusion is that the NZ Herald (est. 1863) has rejected its own domestic rugby teams! Apparently this same crowd has the exclusive rights to radio broadcasts of the NPC, so go figure.
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A busy match on Saturday for Johnsonville prop Jake Wetere against many of his former teammates at Tasman B. In turn, Tasman B had Old Boys University loose forward Blake Love come off the bench against the Centurions on his home club ground.
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Alex Fidow made his Horowhenua-Kapiti debut at No. 8 on Saturday in their loss to Mid Canterbury at home.
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The way Riley Higgins is suddenly playing, could he soon be talked about for higher honours sooner rather than later?
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Held up over the line with the final try of the game. The Centurions won 32-26, so a converted try here would have given Tasman the 33-32 win at a windswept Rugby League Park.
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Five tries in five games for Wellington Lions fullback Tjay Clarke. He also won his 13th straight first-class match.
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Upper Hutt Rams prizegiving on Saturday night. Senio Sanele (pictured above with his father Lamasi) presented the club with his recent New Zealand U20s jersey.
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With 6 points on Saturday, Jackson Garden-Bachop has moved alongside Mick Williment on 748 points for Wellington to sit joint third in the all-time Wellington points scoring list. Both behind Allan Hewson and John Gallagher.
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The National Top Four First XV tournament has been played in Palmerston North every year since 2016. Is it time for a change, as it used to be spread around the country? A barren, wind-swept, empty arena miles from the combatants’ hometowns was hardly the grandest venue for the boys decider between Hamilton Boys’ and Nelson College.
Perhaps the format of the tournament needs addressing too, particularly the girls competition where there are far too few matches during the season for most teams, and teams and players want to play the game. Is it any wonder many are playing rugby league now over rugby, with several pop-up tournaments throughout the year and an expanding nationals. It doesn’t help in Wellington either when the St Mary’s College rugby league coach is also the Wellington Pride assistant coach. Check out this media release from NZ Rugby League on Sunday night (relevant parts below in italics):
On Saturday, the New Zealand National Secondary Schools and Pasifika Wellbeing Carnival saw 3500 players taking part in matches across 16 fields in South Auckland.
A record 49 schools entered the National Secondary Schools tournament which saw around 1000 boys and girls travel to Bruce Pulman Park in Takanini.
To put the tournament’s growth into perspective, there were 21 teams in 2022 and 38 teams in 2023. This year a total of nine new schools joining others from Auckland, Christchurch, Hamilton, Hibiscus Coast, Huntly, Matamata, New Plymouth, Putaruru, Rotorua, Tauranga, Tokoroa, Whakatane, Whangarei, Wellington.
It is estimated that close to 20,000 people attended, making it one of the largest rugby league tournaments for youth in Australasia.
“We started this tournament in 2019 with 43 teams and to see it grow by another 100 is something we’re really proud of,” said Hakula Tonga Aotearoa Rugby League GM Hengi Fusitu’a.
“We use rugby league as a vehicle to celebrate our culture and the interest has increased so much that we are looking to take additional tournaments to other cities around the country.”
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Two great coaches leave the First XV since after the National Top Four, Jono Phillips won 78 out of 96 games with Nelson, Greg Kirkham 358 out of 420 with Hamilton Boys.
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There have been 166 tries, 97 conversions, 89 penalties and eight dropped goals scored in the National Top Four Final.
All Blacks National Top Four try scorers have been Sitiveni Sivivatu, Stephen Donald, Colin Slade, Charles Ngatai, Sam Tuitupou, Jonah Lomu, Ant Strachan, Rhys Duggan, Pat Lam, Craig Newby, Richie McCaw and Peter Umaga-Jensen.
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No, you are NOT reading that wrong. A RECORD loss!
Los Pumas have produced one of the biggest second halves in their history – and given the Wallabies an absolute thrashing! 😱 #ARGvAUS pic.twitter.com/waOtV7szbY
— The Roar (@TheRoarSports) September 7, 2024
Australia conceded their largest ever score in a 67-27 loss to Argentina. The previous highest score they conceded was 61 against South Africa in 1997.
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A drawn match on Sunday between the Upper Hutt Rams Golden Oldies and an Avalon and Railways side. Photo: Peter McDonald.
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