Anzac Day Round thrillers

Anzac Day 2018 at the Petone Recreation Ground. Photo: Andy McArthur

This Saturday’s fourth round of the Swindale Shield is being played a day after Anzac Day on Friday. There has been no shortage of thrillers contested when games have fallen on Anzac Day down the years. A few examples below from the Today in History files, a couple from the 1970s and some over the past decade or so.

1972: Both unbeaten after three rounds, Petone and Wellington square off in this heavyweight Anzac Day fixture. The outcome is a draw, with Petone scoring seven points in as many minutes to lock it up at 13-13. The battle of the halfbacks, Dave Henderson (Wellington) and Ian Stevens (Petone) is absorbing.

1978: Wellington College Old Boys beat Petone 9-6 in their Anzac Day fixture, with Paul Rolls kicking a dropped goal with time almost up. The previous week Paul also dropped a goal to beat University. Of WCOB players In 1978 Stu Wilson makes the All Blacks, Hamish Vance is in the Junior All Blacks and Laurie Holmes is in the NZ Colts. Captain Al Keown will captain Wellington to its maiden NPC title.

2012: Playing to a sizable Petone Recreation Ground crowd, HOBM soar to the outright lead in the Swindale Shield standings and retain the McBain Shield after beating Petone 43-21. A super-slick HOBM have too much pace for the Villagers, running in six tries to two with left wing Leka Tupuola the main beneficiary by scoring a hat-trick. In three close matches with interclub trophies on the line that could have gone either way, Marist St. Pat’s beat Poneke 20-8, Norths defeat Tawa 26-13 and OBU overcame the Wests Roosters 10-6. MSP and Norths both pulled away late in their contests to seal their wins. At Evans Bay Park, MSP scored two late tries to clinch the competition points and retain the Horan-Millar Trophy. Norths came from behind to retain the Sammy Saili Memorial Trophy against Tawa and they also scored two late tries to make their victory appear much more comfortable than was the case. Norths wing AJ Vaalepu was the third player of the afternoon to score a hat trick in the Swindale Shield.

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2013: The power and passion of Tawa’s forwards eventually win over Norths at Lyndhurst Park, rumbling over for the winning try a couple of minutes from the end to win 28-27 and capture the Sammy Saili Memorial Shield. Wainuiomata hold off a Petone comeback in the second half to win 36-29 at William Jones Park and retain the Darren Larsen Cup.

Junior Togia looks to slip a tackle in Tawa’s one-point win over Norths on Anzac Day 2013. 

2015: HOBM take home the Father Cleary Shield and also defend the Bill Brien Challenge Cup with a remarkable 54-49 victory over previously unbeaten Marist St Pat’s, coming back from a 10-29 deficit, and Tawa defeat Johnsonville for the Carman Cup with a last-gasp James So’oialo 50-metre penalty to win 18-15. Oriental-Rongotai break Poneke’s hearts, with first five-eighth Trevor Marama kicking an extra time penalty to give them a 28-27 Jimmy Grbich Shield win.

A decade ago this week – the HOBM celebrate their 54-49 win over Marist St Pat’s in 2015.

2017: Oriental-Rongotai and Poneke finish all square in two of today’s Anzac Day Swindale Shield matches played in glorious sunshine. Ories and Poneke finished their match for the Jimmy Grbich Shield locked up at 30-30. Trailing 25-30 late, Ories halfback Adam Deck ducks under a ruck and slices through on a 20-metre run to score under the poles. But his handy conversion is charged down by the Poneke players.

Adam Deck scores for Ories against Poneke in their 2017 Polo Ground draw. 

2018: In two classic Anzac Day club rugby finishes, Tawa beats Old Boys University 42-38 at Nairnville Park and the Upper Hutt Rams tip over Oriental-Rongotai 36-34 at Maidstone Park. Tawa centre Ryan Preston scores a last-gasp converted try to the left of the uprights to give Tawa their win and the Bill Brien Challenge Shield. With time all but up on the clock, Upper Hutt Rams second five-eighth Tyler Tane kicks a penalty from a similar angle to give his side an Old Timers’ Day and Bob Lendrum Cup win over Ories.