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One of the more impressive trophies of the year is on the line this week, the Don Broughton Shield for the winner of the Hurricanes U16s tournament that is being this Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday in Levin.
After calling it this time last week (and then an extra U18s match popped up on the schedule) we think that this is just about it. The end of the line for local rugby in Wellington for the year. Just a high performance U18s match in Upper Hutt next Friday and then some sevens tournaments to come
There are two school-aged tournaments this week. The first is the 2024 Hurricanes Girls’ U18 Tournament, which gets underway at Napier Boys’ High School this week, featuring two days’ of games on Tuesday and Thursday as well as a training and development day being led by the Hurricanes Poua coaches. For more visit: http://www.hyrc.org.nz/news/girls-under-18-tournament-kicks-off-on-tuesday-in-napier.html
The second, closer to most lower North Island-based people reading this website, is the Hurricanes Boys’ U16 tournament in Levin. This is Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday at Playford Park, Levin. We previewed this tournament in our story on Friday, here: https://clubrugby.nz/wp/2024/09/27/one-more-u18s-match-to-come-hurricanes-u16s-tournament-starts-on-monday/
For tournament results and daily updates visit the Hurricanes Youth Council’s website at: http://www.hyrc.org.nz/
At a glance, the draw for the U16s is in this graphic:
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With one match left at home to the Hawke’s Bay Magpies this coming Saturday at 4.35pm, the Wellington Lions can finish the round-robin anywhere between 1st and 5th. A win next Saturday would guarantee at least 3rd place (2nd place with a bonus point win), a draw would seal a home quarter final while a loss would need other results to go their way to grab the final home quarter final spot.
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When was the last time that traditional powerhouses Wellington and Canterbury both conceded over 50 points over the same weekend?
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Counties Manukau won the Jonah Lomu Memorial Trophy in Pukekohe for the first time on Friday night with an astonishing 51-12 demolition of the Wellington Lions. With a 3-4 record heading into the contest, contrasted with Wellington’s 6-1, there was little indication a result like this could occur.
However, the Steelers played like men possessed, winning the initial collisions and then becoming more expansive as the scoreline ballooned to 48-0 at one point. The hosts dominance was best illustrated by a 20m pushover from a lineout drive
It was perhaps fitting the first time Counties Manukau would win the Lomu trophy it would be done in shocking fashion. Has there been a more jaw-dropping player than Jonah?
Surprisingly, both the score against them and the margin of victory (39 points) isn’t the worst result against Counties Manukau. That distinction was exactly 10 years to the day prior to this one. On 27 September 2014, Counties-Manukau beat Wellington 55-7.
Where does Friday’s defeat leave the Lions? They’ll comfortably make the eight (itself a round too far, why not straight semi-finals, or do what the Heartland Championship does and create a top four fortnight for the 5-8 teams) but a poor Ranfurly Shield challenge was followed by a lucky escape against Bay of Plenty and now this roadblock? Is it an aberration or are the wheels falling off?
In the coaching staff’s defence, injuries have been mounting. For example, Dominic Ropeti is a great prospect as a loose forward but as an NPC-starting lock perhaps a bit under-gunned in the size department.
The Lions now turn their paws to Hawke’s Bay, who are seemingly back after beating Auckland 36-35 on Saturday. Petone fullback Harry Godfrey kicked a last play conversion for the win.
A non-exhaustive list of Wellington Lions horror shows down the years could include (but perhaps not be exclusive to, and not including some heavy pre-season and South Pacific Championship defeats) these losses below:
1898: 0-19 to Auckland (away). One of Wellington’s biggest defeats in the early years of inter-provincial contests. 0-32 in today’s scoring. Reports of the day insinuated that Wellington was saved by a heavy field and wet day.
1926: 8-58 to Hawke’s Bay (away). Ranfurly Shield challenge. Lindsay Knight, in his book Shield Fever, recounted the journey home for Wellington’s players. “And as the Wellington team left Napier by train for home, they got a constant reminder of the hammering they had suffered. The clickety-click, clickety-click, clickety-click of the train wheels sounded horribly like 58-8, 58-8, 58-8.”
1961: 0-30 to Waikato (away) A series of narrow losses this season, then this one that stuck out as an absolute shocker. 0-42 in today’s scoring. Also 1992: 10-39 v Waikato (home).
1990: 12-40 to Auckland (home). This was an era of strong Auckland teams and not a vintage one for Wellington sides. This was Wellington’s NPC opening match, so the campaign was over before it had barely begun. Also 1993: 14-51 v Auckland (away).
1995: 17-66 to Canterbury (away). A much-hyped Ranfurly Shield fell to pieces in this match in Christchurch. Everything that could go wrong did. A 49-point margin of defeat stung. Six years later they had another challenge – same opposition, same venue. This one almost went to plan but a couple of interesting refereeing decisions meant they lost 29-31.
1998: 10-82 to Otago (away). Wellington’s heaviest defeat in terms of points scored against them (82) and margin of victory (72). Granted, Otago were on fire in 1998 and deserved to sweep to the NPC title. But a thrashing here for Wellington was an alarming result at the time.
2014: 5-35 to Northland (away). An Annus horribilis for the Lions with nine straight losses before a morale boosting win over North Harbour at the end, so the less written about 2014 the better. There was the 7-55 loss to Counties-Manukau (as noted above) but this comprehensive loss to the Taniwha is one that sticks out as the forwards got swept off Okara Park.
2019: 8-45 to Tasman (away). A season opening shocker in Blenheim that came out of nowhere for Lions fans. Luckily, they quickly regrouped and went on to play Tasman in the final 12 weeks later with Tasman winning the return match 31-14.
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It was worse for Canterbury though. They got thumped 65-19 by North Harbour – the most points they have ever conceded in a NPC match.
There is a real possibility that both Canterbury and Auckland could fail to reach the playoffs. Canterbury are currently 7th but face 6th placed Waikato Mooloos in Christchurch this coming weekend with Counties Manukau Steelers and North Harbour – both coming off impressive wins – waiting to pounce on any slip up. Auckland meanwhile have two matches left – both against top 4 sides – and almost certainly will need to win both to qualify. This Wednesday’s match is also a Ranfurly Shield, so the Tasman Mako will be playing their top team (after playing no fewer than eight debutants in what appeared to be a piss-take selection on Saturday against Otago).
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Early on during Sky’s coverage of the Wellington Lions debacle in Pukekohe there was an on screen graphic “Play Off predictor – WEL with win 99%, with loss 94%”. Given that the Lions had already qualified for the playoffs the previous weekend you have to wonder how they come up with these numbers. Spurious probabilities however are not confined to rugby – a few years ago the cricket WASP predictor showed that Canterbury had a 79% chance of winning a T20 match against Auckland with 0 balls left and still 14 runs needed to win!
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Wellington women’s rugby fans will be watching Marcelle Parkes at loosehead prop for the Black Ferns this afternoon. She started playing as a back and fast finisher in the sevens game, then to loose forward and now to prop.
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The sledge of the weekend was at Memorial Park in Masterton where, in response to one West Coast supporters incessant criticism of the referee, Bruce Kauika-Petersen responded with “You’re about as sharp as a marble”
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A good game on Saturday from Horowhenua-Kapiti’s Hutt Old Boys Marist blindside flanker Willie Rua. He battled hard all day in a losing cause against Whanganui, and up against a pair of physical and equally hard-working Fijian flankers who both stood out.
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A potential Higgins versus Higgins clash would be one to look forward to. Older brother Kienan and younger sibling Riley perhaps lining up against each other in the midfield for the Hawke’s Bay and Wellington sides this coming weekend.
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Update: Monday morning Hurricanes release:
Rust never sleeps. And neither does the Super Rugby competition.
The Hurricanes have released their draw for 2025, and there is good news here for community rugby fans. Apart from the first in February, there are no home Saturday afternoon games.
The draw is (venues to be confirmed):
Round 1: Friday 14 February v Crusaders 7:05PM (A)
Round 2: Saturday 22 February v Fijian Drua 4:35PM (H)
Round 3: Saturday 1 March v Blues 7:05PM (H)
Round 4: Saturday 8 March v Moana Pasifika 7:05PM (A)
Round 5: Friday 14 March v Highlanders 7:05PM (A)
Round 6: BYE WEEK
Round 7: Friday 28 March v Waratahs 7:05PM (H)
Round 8: Saturday 5 April v Blues 7:05PM (A)
Round 9: Friday 11 April v Crusaders 7:05PM (H)
Round 10: Saturday 19 April v Force 9:35PM (A)
Round 11: Saturday 26 April v Brumbies 9:35PM (A)
Round 12: Saturday 3 May v Chiefs 7:05PM (H)
Round 13: BYE WEEK
Round 14: Friday 16 May v Highlanders 7:05PM (H)
Round 15: Friday 23 May v Reds 9:35PM (A)
Round 16: Saturday 31 May v Moana Pasifika 7:05PM (H)
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The dark arts.
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One more round to play in the Heartland Championship, before the top 4 Meads Cup and 5 v 8 Lochore Cup playoffs. Leaders South Canterbury (on 35 points) are the only team to have qualified for a home semi-final. What about the fortunes of the three Lower North Island teams?
Please note that the below is taken off the ‘unofficial’ Tribe App so subject to change; whoever runs the NZR website doesn’t work weekends so they don’t update their website, despite the competition being played on weekends. Nor it seems do they cover their competition, with a grand total of zero stories about the Heartland Championship this year, whilst they can drop tens of thousands or more into podcasts and general bullsh#t that no one watches or listens to.
Whanganui (second on 31 points)
- To play: King Country (5th, 23 points) at home.
- Goals: To win and secure at least second place and a home Meads Cup semi-final. Should they lose, Thames Valley (3rd, 29 points) could overtake them.
Horowhenua-Kapiti (seventh on 17 points)
- To play: Thames Valley (3rd, 29 points) away.
- Goals: To win and secure a home Lochore Cup semi-final in Levin or Auckland next weekend. Or lose but secure at least a solitary bonus point and hope West Coast (sixth, 18 points) get nothing from their match against table toppers South Canterbury (1st, on 35 points), then the Nua will sneak into sixth based on their 27-26 win over West Coast back in round three. If they don’t achieve any of these goals, they will finish either finish seventh or eighth and will be playing away next week.
Wairarapa-Bush (ninth on 12 points)
- To play: East Coast 8th, 15 points)
- Goals: To beat Ngati Porou East Coast and leapfrog them into 8th place and play another week! That is as high as they can go though; should they draw level with the Nua on 17 points the Nua will go through to the Lochore Cup based on their head-to-head 62-45 win over them three weeks ago.
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Despite the win at the weekend is there a correlation between the All Blacks poor results at Wellington Stadium and the change from rugby crowds to quasi music festival crowds ? On a number of occasions on Saturday a large section of the crowd continued to sing despite the music over the PA having ended when play recommenced rather than cheer on their team.
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The New Zealand Schools series starts this Wednesday.
The schedule is:
Wednesday 2nd October (St Paul’s Collegiate, Hamilton)
NZ Barbarians U18 v Australia U18 – 2pm
NZ Schools v Samoa U18 – 4pm
Sunday 6th October (FMG Stadium Waikato)
NZ Māori U18 v NZ Heartland U20 – 12pm
NZ Barbarians U18 v Samoa U18 – 2pm
NZ Schools v Australia U18 – 4pm
Thursday 10th October (St Paul’s Collegiate, Hamilton)
Chiefs U18 v Samoa U18 – 12pm
NZ Schools v NZ Māori U18 – 2pm
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New Zealand Schools Quick Stats
Playing Record: 139 wins, 19 defeats
Test Record: 66 wins, 15 defeats
Head to Head v Australia: 29 wins, 10 defeats
Head to Head v Fiji: 7 wins, 1 defeat
Most Wins In A Row: 23, 1991-1997
Most Test Wins In A Row: 21, 1998-2007
Biggest Win In A Test Match: 100-0 v Tonga, 2000
Biggest Defeat In A Test Match: 4-23 v England, 1979
Biggest Win Overall: 112-5 v Australian Schools Division 2, 1992
Biggest Defeat Overall: 11-37, Waikato Under 20, 2012
Did You Know: The first New Zealand Schools international was against Australia (who started in 1973) at Eden Park in 1978. New Zealand prevailed in a tight tussle featuring no future All Blacks 7-6. The New Zealand skipper was Miles Valentine from Auckland Grammar School. In 2012 Valentine signed over Zeacom, a call centre software company he founded in 1994, to global software player Enghouse Systems for US$30.6 million.
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Rest in peace Steve Hinds (back centre in this photo below) – Jubilee Cup winner and part of the MSP team that won 42 matches in a row and 72 first class matches including 59 for Wellington.
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The Hurricanes announced a list of names for a Hurricanes Development Camp next week, as per their article:
“This year, 37 players will attend the camp, which runs from October 8 to 12 at the New Zealand Campus of Innovation and Sport (NZCIS) in Trentham. The selected players represent 17 schools and one club from the Hurricanes region.
Throughout the camp, participants will focus on essential rugby skills, including game performance, physical conditioning, mindset skills, nutrition education, and the Hurricanes Pathway.
The camp will conclude with an exciting match against the Crusaders U18 team, taking place on Friday October 11, 12:30 PM at NZCIS.”
Read more here: https://www.hurricanes.co.nz/news/article/next-generation-of-hurricanes-rugby-stars-selected-for-2024-development-camp
View the names below:
Congratulations to Pakuranga for winning the 2024 National U85kg club rugby title.
