Jordan Gillies on building Eagles champions 

Grit and determination wins Jubilee Cups – HOBM openside flanker Jordan Gillies looking for the chargedown of Tawa first-five Solomona Uelese’s exit play in Saturday’s final. Photo: Andy McArthur.

• By Adam Julian

Jordan Gillies finally reached the pinnacle of Wellington club rugby on Saturday by winning the Jubilee Cup.

As a result, the resolute and pugnacious Hutt Old Marist centurion must honour a handshake agreement made a couple of years ago with this website.

“This will be the last time,” Gillies snarled, then smirked.

His reluctance to speak isn’t personal; once you earn his trust, Gillies is quite affable. He simply prefers actions to words. He was visibly irritated with the Eagles’ start in their 29-22 victory over Tawa at Kilbrine Park.

“It wasn’t our best game of the season, but it was the best game on that day,” Gillies noted.

“We were sloppy with a couple of lineouts at the beginning and didn’t use our scrum dominance as we should have. Phelan Rona’s intercept helped build our momentum.

“To be fair, the three tries we scored in the second half were sharp. Kapu Broughton-Winterburn, Sapati Tagoai, and Dom Ernst are outstanding young players – lethal finishers.” Gillies added, “Unfortunately, I didn’t see them; I was getting up from a ruck.”

“Tawa is a great team, and their record speaks for itself. Hemi Fermanis. What a leader. Luke Bidois, in his first year out of school, has a big body and a bright future ahead of him. He goes all day.”

Scrapping vigorously in close quarters has been Gillies’ forte since he played his first of 119 premier matches in a 47-20 win against Avalon in 2016.

In 2017, he helped the Eagles reach the Jubilee Cup final, which they lost to Old University. Since then, Hutt has been a perennial contender, suffering four semi-final defeats that were hard to accept.

“The first was against Norths in 2018. It was a good game with lots of tries. In 2021 we played Tawa at home and had a shocker; I can’t really complain about that one. The toughest loss was in 2022 against the infamous Norths Hurricanes. We had them for an hour – played really well – but, obviously, players like TJ Perenara and Du Plessis Kirifi are a cut above.

“For years, we’ve had the team on paper to win the Jubilee Cup. The core of this group has been together since 2017, and like a jigsaw puzzle, we’ve finally fitted all the pieces together.”

Ironically, Aiden Cains, who coached the 2022 Norths team that eliminated the Eagles and went on to claim the Jubilee Cup, has now become a vital asset at the Nest.

“He’s been a huge contributor, having played in and coached Jubilee Cup-winning teams. He brought a refreshing new perspective. Obviously, he’s big on the rugby side of things, but culturally, he knows how to bring people together.”

Halfback and captain Waylon Tuhoro-Robinson was another pivotal figure Gillies highlighted for praise.

“Waylon is the glue that holds us together. He connects with everyone on a deep level. On Wednesday, he lost his koro, which is far more important than a rugby game. Still, he showed up for the final, was at the clubhouse until midnight, and then drove a dozen hours, way past Gisborne, to be with his whānau. He’s an awesome guy.”

Another touching story is that of Khya Wilson, who joined the Eagles halfway through the season after returning from Brisbane, where he had been living with Pakai Turia, a charismatic Eagles Pōneke and Wellington Lions player who tragically passed away earlier this year.

“I only came back to the game to put some respect on your name, cuz. I was fortunate enough to get the one trophy you never got. Love you forever, my cousin. This year was for you,” Wilson wrote on Facebook.

The backbone of the Eagles’ triumph is their skyscraper-sized forward pack. Redoubtable veterans David Filipo, Teofilo ‘Fizz’ Paulo, Brett Manaia, Jason Hoffman, Mika Alaifatu, and Lise Soloa have been knocking on the door for years. Hooker Harry Press won the Jim Brown Medal as the MVP of the final. Head Coach Otto Rasch anchored the scrum in Hutt’s successes in 2007 and 2014. Kent Harris is a respected Director of Rugby.

“There were some pretty special connections with those boys on Saturday,” Gillies said.

“I’m lucky to have now won a Jubilee Cup, a John E Kelly Cup, an Ed Chaney Cup, a Swindale Shield, and of course, a couple of McBains.’ To achieve that with your best mates is why you play the game.”

In 2024, Jordan’s father, Malcolm Gillies, along with his friend Kevin Melville, donated a trophy for the Upper Hutt, HOBM Swindale Shield fixture. The Rams have won both encounters.

“I’m going nowhere. I’ll be around this club in some capacity for at least another decade,” Gillies asserts.

His best friend is his wife, Georgia, whom he married in 2023. The couple has two children, Gus and Gracie, whom Jordan was summoned to “sort out” sometime on Sunday.

“Dad’s only a title. She’s the boss.”

HOBM Eagles: 2025

• Played: 16
• Won: 12
• Lost: 4
• Points For: 573
• Points Against: 359
• Previous Jubilee Cup Wins: 1931, 1934, 1991, 2007, 2014