Lions hunting first home win on Sunday against Otago

The Wellington Lions host Otago on Sunday at Porirua Park, kick-off 2.05pm in their third round NPC fixture.

Team news 

In some team news, Brad Shields returns from a head knock to captain the side at No. 8, with Dom Ropeti dropping to the pine alongside former Hastings Boys’ High School’s Matolu Petaia as loose forward cover. Sione Halalilo is at openside flanker, with Peter Lakai not playing this one.

Asafo Aumua is a scary prospect for opposition teams at this level and he returns from injury as reserve hooker.

Paremata-Plimmerton halfback Esi Komaisavai, with 34 club rugby tries under his hood in the past two seasons, will look to add to that tally at NPC level as the starting halfback. Mitch McLeod comes off the bench.

Ories playmaker Tom Maiava starts on the right wing, with Losi Filipo coming off the bench.

Jackson Garden-Bachop will join Paul Quinn and Brian McGrattan on 103 caps for Wellington when he takes his place at first-five.

For visitors Otago, Thomas Umaga Jensen starts at centre, New Zealand U20s player Dylan Pledger at halfback and All Blacks squad member Christian Lio-Willie at No. 8.

1. Xavier Numia (Ories)
2. James O’Reilly (HOBM)
3. PJ Sheck (Tawa)
4. Hugo Plummer (Tawa)
5. Akira Ieremia (Tawa)
6. Caleb Delany (OBU)
7. Sione Halalilo (Ories)
8. Brad Shields (Petone)
9. Esi Komaisavai (Paremata-Plimmerton)
10. Jackson Garden-Bachop (Norths)
11. TJ Clarke (Petone)
12. Julian Savea (Ories)
13. Matt Proctor (Ories)
14. Tom Maiava (Ories)
15. Callum Harkin (OBU)

RESERVES

16. Asafo Aumua (Avalon)
17. Kenshi Yamamoto (Japan)
18. Siale Lauaki (Norths)
19. Matolu Petaia (Tawa)
20. Dominic Ropeti (Ories)
21. Mitch McLeod (OBU)
22. Losi Filipo (Petone)
23. Stanley Solmon (OBU)

Mike Gibson Memorial Trophy

This Sunday the two teams are playing their 123rd game against each other and also playing for the Mike Gibson Memorial Trophy.

Gibson was a popular and dashing centre and wing who played for both Wellington and Otago in the 1980s, before dying of Leukemia, aged 27. He played three seasons for Otago, and one full season in Wellington and for the Lions before cancer struck and he passed away the following year in 1988.

In his honour, Gibson’s Bay of Plenty-based family commissioned a trophy to be played annually between Wellington and Otago and his parents and several family members brought it down to present it to the inaugural winner. The trophy was carved by Winiata Tapsell, a grandson of Winiata Tapsell who played for New Zealand Maori against the Springboks in 1921.

Wellington won the inaugural Mike Gibson Memorial Trophy 27-11 in 1989.

Profile above republished from a story last year on this website. 

Mike Gibson highlights:

Wellington v Otago – some fast facts:

Going into this Sunday’s fixture, Wellington has played Otago 46 times previously in the NPC competition, with Wellington winning 27, losing 17 and drawing two of these.

Wellington won its first eight NPC encounters with Otago between 1976 and 1983, but Otago beat Wellington in eight out of nine successive encounters between 1990 and 1998. The other match was drawn.

There have been two NPC draws between Wellington and Otago, these were in 1993 (20-20) and in 2004 (16-16).

Wellington’s 68-7 win in 2007 was the highest score and biggest margin ever recorded against Otago by any team.

In all NPC matches against Otago, Wellington has aggregated 1,119 points made up of 145 tries, 107 conversions, 74 penalty goals, and two drop goals.

In all NPC matches against Wellington, Otago has aggregated 968 points made up of 110 tries, 75 conversions, 92 penalty goals, and six drop goals.

In 122 first-class matches overall since their first clash in 1883, Wellington has won 67, Otago 46 and nine have been drawn.

The first match

Otago had just beaten Canterbury in Christchurch and there was plenty of interest in this game, played on a Tuesday afternoon on 24 July 1883 at Newtown Park.

About 4,000 attended, including the Governor Sir William Francis Drummond Jervois and Members of Parliament, in fine conditions on a greasy surface. The run of play was a frantic affair and Otago’s forwards almost scored midway through the first half from a series of dribbling rushes. Robert Galbraith ran back a kick and almost crossed, followed by Wellington’s Johnson Thompson doing likewise soon after.

The second spell of 45 minutes kicked off at 4.00pm, and the tight run of play continued. Wellington soon had a penalty shot at goal, which missed and pitched dead in the in-goal but Otago made a meal of cleaning up and Henry Roberts poured through to score the try.

Now behind, the visitors lifted their intensity and John Murray and Galbraith both made concerted runs that were checked by desperate defence. George Campbell, Arthur Cooper and Hart Udy all dug deep with big plays. There was no further scoring and Wellington won 1-0.

There was a post-match ball held at the Arcade and for several hours the floor of the building was almost one moving mass of human beings.

Otago would win their next meeting in 1885 11-0,  their 1887 encounter was drawn 0-0, Otago won again in 1891, their 1896 fixture was drawn 0-0 and the Wellington finally beat Otago again in their sixth encounter in 1899.