Sideline Conversions 21 July (Some news and information to start the new week in rugby)

Above: Lyndhurst Park semi-final scene on Saturday. Photo: Tane Nathan.

Gearing up for Wellington club rugby Finals Day this coming Saturday, at Kilbirnie Park and Evans Bay Park.

Full preview on Friday and more content to come midweek, but Wellington club rugby finals at a glance are:

For the record, Club Rugby’s position is that we think Finals Day should be split over two weekends.  Far too fragmented. But we understand this is what the clubs want, so just our opinion.

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Expect a bit of traffic in and out of Levin on Saturday with Foxton and Otaki-based Rahui contesting both finals in Horowhenua-Kapiti at the Levin Domain this coming Saturday

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Speaking of traffic, how much of a nightmare will it be getting in and out of Kilbirnie for Wellington’s finals?

Indeed, club rugby supporters will be hoping for fair to fine weather this coming Saturday, being played at what is an extremely difficult venue if wet or cold or both.

St Pat’s Town are providing carparking this Saturday. For $20 supporters can park inside the school grounds as part of a school fundraiser.

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Big shift for Upper Hutt Rams Colts front rrowers Hemi Moreli and Seth Koneferenisi who both played the full 80 minutes in their semifinal win over Petone. Hooker Latu Tupou would have too, but he spent the last eight minutes on the sideline after being yellow-carded.

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Thoughts with MSP’s Solomona Vaka, who we understand suffered a nasty leg injury in their Colts loss to Norths. Given it allegedly came from a “hip-drop” tackle which has recently been banned by NZ Rugby, we’re interested to see if anything further comes from it.

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Scots College’s 1st XV conceded 97 points for the second time this season in their loss to leaders Silverstream in what has been one of the marquee matchups at College-level in recent years. More on this and college rugby below.

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In 2020, Wainuiomata stunned Petone with a thrilling 28-23 victory, highlighted by a remarkable try scored by Trei Mu. Near the end of the match, with the scores tied at 23-23, Wainuiomata’s first five-eighth, Ruben Love, kicked a re-start that rolled into the Petone in-goal area. Two Petone defenders hesitated, waiting for the ball to trickle dead – a decision they would soon regret. Reserve player Mu made a desperate lunge at the ball and managed to score, creating one of the most dramatic tries ever seen at William Jones Park.

The clubhouse erupted in celebration that night, except for Love, who was quietly sipping a diet coke alone in the corner. When a reporter approached him and asked why he wasn’t joining in the festivities, Love replied, “Sir, I want to be an All Black.” On Saturday Love made his starting debut for the All Blacks in their 29-19 win over France in Hamilton on Sunday.

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Plenty of chat, and mostly negative, about the drip-feeding of this year’s Wellington Lions squad and to social media with a large chunk of older supporters not sitting on Instagram all day; something we understand was the decision of team management. Attracting further ire is the inclusion of two Japanese players for the second year running. While the arrangement certainly provides a boost to the union’s coffers – and many will be aware of their dire state – it does reduce the opportunities for local talent.

Also of interest to us is the inclusion of Akira Ieremia, who has been playing in Japan this year after not being offered a Super Rugby contract.

There are several other points of interest – naming them this way also means they get to dodge questions that the supporters might want to know about some selections and players. One such set of questions could be around the status of injured players such as Riley Higgins. And others that have barely played recently like Siale Lauaki, James O’Reilly, Peniasi Poasa and Xavier Numia.

Players named so far (as at Sunday evening, more to come):

Matt Proctor, James O’Reilly, Jackson Garden-Bachop, Asafo Aumua, Duplessi Kirifi, Losi Filipo, Ruben Love, PJ Sheck, Peter Lakai, Billy Proctor, Caleb Delany, Xavier Numia, Riley Higgins, Siale Lauaki, Sione Halalilo, Hugo Pummer, Kyle Preston, Dom Ropeti, Callum Harkin, Stanley Solomon, Nui Muriwai, TJ Clarke, Akira Ieremia, Penieli Poasa, Harry Irving, Matolu Petaia, Tom Maiava,  Kenshi Yamamoto (Japan, prop), Hibiki Yamada (Japan, halfback).

Out of the 27 names above the only players who have been playing regular club rugby most weeks in Wellington are Losi Filipo, Hugo Plummer, Dom Ropeti, Tom Maiava, Sione Halalilo and Matolu Petaia.

Also, our news about Tjay Clarke shifting to Japan with immediate effect was obviously false but this was told to us directly by more than one person.

Lastly, no Lions players in the finals this weekend, with the Wellington Lions playing a pre-season game on Friday against Taranaki. As it transpires, the only players in the list above in that bracket are Petaia, Hugo Plummer, PJ Sheck, Ieremia (all Tawa), O’Reilly and Nui Muriwai (HOBM),

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Clubs number of teams in finals this coming Saturday:

• Tawa 4
• Paremata-Plimmerton 3 (4)
• Upper Hutt Rams 2
• Poneke 2
• Norths 1 (2)
• Jville 1
• Petone 1 (2)
• Eastbourne 1
• HOBM 1
• Wainuiomata (1)

 Brackets denote including last month’s women’s finalists.

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For those playing the inaugural Club Rugby tipping competition here is the updated top 10 list with a week to go:

We have added all 8 finals this Saturday as a last hurrah and winner takes the glory (and prizes if they choose to get in touch with us afterwards) at https://www.faceyoursfears.com/games/WGTN2025/tip

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Some Johnsonville and Paremata-Plimmerton statistics and tidbits we were saving for later this week, except neither have made the Jubilee Cup final so see below!

From 2006 to 2021, Johnsonville had a record of 10 wins and 110 defeats in the Swindale Shield. Remarkably, they achieved 10 wins in their 2023 Jubilee Cup semi-final season alone. Their overall record since 2022 stands at 30 wins, 30 defeats, and one draw, with two appearances in the Jubilee Cup semi-finals. At one point, Johnsonville experienced a streak of 36 consecutive losses in all competitions. Additionally, Johnsonville was not even in the Swindale Shield from 2007 to 2010 and from 2012 to 2013.

Paremata-Plimmerton won only 8 out of 86 games in all competitions between 2015 and 2021, conceding a total of 3,848 points. Since 2022, the Hammerheads have recorded 39 wins, 24 defeats, and one draw. They won their first Swindale Shield title and made it to their first Jubilee Cup final in 2023. In 2024, they finished as runners-up in the Hardham Cup final, and in 2025, they led 37-19 before ultimately losing in a Jubilee Cup semi-final.

On 15 July 2000, Johnsonville achieved a fairytale finish in the Jubilee Cup round-robin, clinching a spot in the semi-finals. Lying in sixth place heading into the last round, Johnsonville defeated Ories 54-8 while their rivals Avalon and Norths stumbled. Avalon needed a bonus point against Poneke but ended up losing 21-29, gaining nothing. Meanwhile, Norths fell to OBU 13-15 after a late try by Jason Spice for OBU. Five days later, in the semi-finals at the new Westpac Stadium, Poneke narrowly edged past MSP 27-26, while Petone defeated Johnsonville 19-13. David Holwell scored 17 points for Poneke, and a crucial try by Petone’s first five-eighth, Riki Flutey, just before halftime proved decisive for the eventual Jubilee Cup champions.

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Wellington club rugby top try scorers – one week to go. Players still alive to add to their tallies with one week to play in bold, so it is safe to say that Esi Komaisavai is this year’s top try scorer.

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South Africa claimed the World Rugby Under-20 Championship title for the second time by overpowering New Zealand 23-15 at Stadio Mario Battaglini in Rovigo. The Junior Springboks won every match in the tournament, scoring more points (249) and tries (34) than any of the other twelve participating countries. The final was a dour contest in which a determined yet inaccurate New Zealand side was outmuscled. A red card given to second-year loosehead prop Sika Pole in the 22nd minute complicated matters for New Zealand against a South African team that reverted to their traditional style, unlike the free-flowing team that had previously lost a 45-48 shootout to New Zealand in the Rugby Championship in May. It was a tough outing for Hutt Old Boys Marist prop Israel Time.

Previously, the Junior Springboks defeated New Zealand 22-16 in the 2012 final. In that match, 2019 and 2023 Rugby World Cup winners Steven Kitshoff (83 Tests, 50 wins), Handre Pollard (82 Tests, 797 points, 52 wins), Pieter-Steph du Toit (89 Tests, 61 wins), and Damian Willemse (40 Tests, 27 wins) participated.

In 2024, South Africa finished fifth, their worst-ever placement in the tournament. Overall, their record stands at 55 wins out of 79 matches, including a 7-1 record against New Zealand, which has won 59 out of 74 matches, with championship victories from 2008 to 2011 and again in 2017.

Standout players for the New Zealand Under-20s in the tournament included lock Xavier Tracey, blindside Finn McLeod, and winger Maloni Kunawave.

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Wellington club rugby top points scorers with one round to play – Carlos Hihi and Ieti Campbell have both cracked the ton. Players still alive in bold. It is probably fair to declare Tom Maiava as this year’s top points scorer – even if Waylon Tuhoro-Robinson does a Chris Slade in the final he still won’t catch him.

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The Kilbirnie Park balcony is going to be a busy media centre on Saturday, with at least three livestream operations in action. The official WRFU one will likely be complemented by Tawa TV and Pōneke Game Time over the course of the two games there. Plus the ground announcer. Plus the radio commentary team. Little room for actual spectators. Club Rugby has a cunning plan on where to cover the games from (if it doesn’t rain too hard then we’re in trouble)!

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In some further college rugby chat, if there was ever a vivid illustration of the spectacular decline that Scots College has suffered in 2025, it was their 97-10 blowout loss to defending champions St Patrick’s College Silverstream on Saturday.

Since 2012, the rivalry between the Catholics and Presbyterians has been among the most intense and compelling in the country, with 16 out of 22 games decided by less than a converted try. Scots have triumphed in nine of those matches, including four finals, one of which was as recently as 2023.

Despite this recent pedigree and having a full-time Rugby Director, Scots have so few front rowers that several fixtures have been reduced to uncontested scrums, and they even defaulted against Wellington College. Given these circumstances, it was no surprise that a bigger, slicker, motivated Silverstream, which has won 15 consecutive games in the competition, almost cracked a century.

For Silverstream Lochie Jackson 3, Riley Browne 2, William Davis Lenz 2, Elijah Solomona, Osaiasi Manu, Heath Tuifao, Kingston Hill, Jordan Russell, Axel Daken, Fletcher Cooper, and Ryder Thompson scored tries with Cooper slotting 11 out of 15 conversions.

St. Pats Town stayed in the hunt for a home semi-final by decisively defeating Rongotai College 54-22. Merciless prop Ioane Aukusitino clattered over for three of the hosts’ tries, joined by forward colleagues Donncha McNamara-Taele, Faimalie Tagoai and Ethan Lepou. Rongotai was hearty with halfback Quinn Kirk and No.8 Roman Fa’atoafe noteworthy.

Wellington College cruised to a 59-5 win over Tawa College, with Narvin Campbell and Fraser Lindsay each scoring two tries. Rathkeale College maintained their fourth place by scoring five of their six tries in the first half of a 36-7 win over St. Bernard’s College, with fullback Luca O’Gorman scoring two of those tries. Meanwhile, a hat trick from Leo Hutchins helped Hutt International Boys’ School overcome Wairarapa College 31-15.

One of the biggest games on the Super 8 calendar – at least in the Hurricanes region – is this coming Wednesday in Palmerston North when the home First XV hosts Napier Boys High School for the Polson Banner.

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Taranaki beat Thames Valley 97-0 in a Ranfurly Shield defence on Saturday – what a farce.

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Not for the first time that we have seen him do that this season, Tawa’s veteran Penieli Tokakece went from zero to hero all in the space of about 15 minutes on Saturday. With the HD Morgan Memorial Cup Premier 2 semi-final against Norths in the balance, he was one of two Tawa players sin-binned in quick succession in the second half (during which time he may or may not have had a vape behind the posts), then came back on to score a crucial try to help win Tawa the game!

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One Club Rugby contributor’s first ever rugby international was a 1987 Rugby World Cup game between Zimbabwe and Romania at Athletic Park.

This weekend they qualified again, from the World Rugby article below

The work starts now, player of the match Godfrey Muzanargwo said, after the Sables returned to the top table of international rugby tournaments for the first time since 1991 after successfully defending the Rugby Africa Men’s Cup title they won last year at the same venue in Uganda.

“For us, now, it’s back to the drawing board,” the second-row said at the end of an intense encounter. “We don’t want to go to the World Cup just to be there. We want to go there and compete and put Zimbabwe on the map.”

Hopefully Zimbabwe perform better than their current cricket team. Making Kane Williamson’s decision to stay in England and play giggles cricket and miss the two upcoming tests and a chance for likely plunder to add to his test record disappointing for some.

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In the Bay of Plenty Baywide final on Saturday, Rotorua’s Whakarewarewa beat Tauranga Sports 29-25 – a significant win because it was the first time in almost two decades that the trophy has not been won by a Western Bay/Tauranga side.

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In other international rugby starting this weekend in Cape Town, the Black Ferns XV (the B team by another name) starts its two-test series against the Springboks Women’s side. Included in the squad is Petone’s first-five Keira Su’a-Smith, plus 2024 teammate Justine McGregor and former MSP player and now Canterbury prop Marcelle Parkes.

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