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The Wellington Lions welcome back three of their All Blacks on Saturday afternoon when they play the Southland Stags at home at Porirua Park in what is a must-win fixture for them.
The Lions have three round-robin matches to play, and two of them are at home. This weekend’s match against Southland is followed by a home match against Bay of Plenty in a replay of last year’s final and then an away one against cock-a-hoop Taranaki who always bring their best game against Wellington.
With those two other teams coming up, a bonus point win this Saturday would be a desirable outcome for fans who want to see their team make the top eight and progress to the quarter-finals.
Wellington and Southland are currently tied in 10th place on 14 points and two of six teams from positions 8-13 currently separated by 4 points. A lot can happen in the run home – it is generally this stage of our coverage of the Wellington club rugby Swindale Shield that we take a close look at the runs home of the contenders.
It is in that environment that All Blacks Ruben Love, Peter Lakai and Kyle Preston return to bolster the side for the Stags.
Love comes into fullback for this game and Preston slots into halfback, to partner Jackson Garden-Bachop.
Lakai will don the Rob Law Max #7 jersey, a special day for the wearer in honour of the company’s founder Pat Quinn who sadly passed away on Tuesday this week. Look for Lakai to have an absolute blinder.
These selections are three of five changes to the line-up from the side that missed out to Northland nine days prior in Whangarei.
Tawa pairing Akira Ieremia and Hugo Plummer again start at look, while Callum Harkin is on the left wing to accommodate Love, with diminutive excitement machine Stanley Solomon on the right wing.
Some excitement coming off the bench as well, including Japan’s Yamada who will be looking for some big plays given he is keeping players like Tom Maiava out of the 23 and others like Fritz Rayasi who has been in bulldozing form for the Centurions.
He could get a chance too, because in their last eight matches against Southland, the Lions have scored 57 tries at an average of seven tries per match
A look at the betting market has the Lions red hot at $1.15 head-to-head and Southland $5.00 – tempting odds for Southland supporters whose team it could be suggested by some will be a long way from being easybeats.
But perhaps the moneymakers know the history between these sides, which is Wellington has won their last 18 NPC matches on the trot against Southland. The last loss was at Invercargill in 2002 when the home side won 22-20.
The Stags themselves have made seven changes to their line-up from last weekend, so mean business.
The Wellington Lions side to face Southland is:
- Xavier Numia (Ories)
- James O’Reilly (HOBM)
- Siale Lauaki (Norths)
- Hugo Plummer (Tawa)
- Akira Ieremia (Tawa)
- Caleb Delany (OBU)
- Peter Lakai (Petone)
- Dominic Ropeti (Ories)
- Kyle Preston (OBU)
- Jackson Garden-Bachop (Norths)
- Callum Harkin (OBU)
- Julian Savea (Ories)
- Losi Filipo (Petone)
- Stanley Solomon (Petone)
- Ruben Love (Wainuiomata)
PINE RIDERS
- Penieli Poasa (Ories)
- Kenshi Yamamoto (Japan)
- PJ Sheck (Tawa)
- Sione Halalilo (Ories)
- Cody Lokotui (Wellington)
- Esi Komaisavai (Paremata-Plimmerton)
- Kapu Broughton-Winterburn (HOBM)
- Yamada (Japan)
These two sides have now met 34 times in the NPC. Wellington has won on 28 occasions and Southland five. There was a 12-12 draw in 1980 at Invercargill.
As noted above, the Lions will be going for a 19-peat of wins in the NPC over Southland, dating back to 2002.
Fans will also note that in 2021 the two sides met in a rare non-championship match at Porirua. Wellington won that too 24-22, so in fact it will be 20 wins in a row should they prevail.
Wellington v Southland – did you know?
The record for most tries in a NPC match by a Wellington player against Southland is three, by Roy Kinikinilau in 2005. Bill Elvy (in 1928), Ron Jarden (1955) and Jeremy Thrush (2015)
Wellington’s highest score against Southland was 61-3 (eight tries) in 1999 at Athletic Park and 61-12 (nine tries) in 2017 in Invercargill.
Wellington’s widest winning margin against the Stags was 60 points (60-0) in 1910, running in 14 tries (today’s score equivalent 87-0).
In 1920, after seeing off eight challengers earlier in the same year – including Auckland and Taranaki both home and away – Wellington famously took the Ranfurly Shield on tour to the South Island. In quick succession they defended it away at Timaru, Dunedin and Invercargill and lost it to Southland in their 11th and final defence of the year at Invercargill (6-17).
The following season, 1921, Southland returned to Wellington to defend the Ranfurly Shield on the road and Wellington duly won it back off them (28-13). However this second tenure in as many years proved brief as an all-conquering Hawke’s Bay captured it off Wellington early in 1922, which started a famous five-year Magpie reign.
Southland and Wellington first met in the NPC in 1976, and the eventual second-to-last placed finishing Stags defeated the fifth placed finishers Wellington 16-13 at home at Invercargill.
Wellington won 11-3 at Athletic Park in 1977, but Southland again beat Wellington at home in 1978 – 16-7 – one of just two sides to beat Wellington in the year they first won the NPC.
Southland held Wellington to 12-19 in 1979, before another notable clash between the sides in 1980. Wellington finished second to Manawatu that year but there was just a solitary point separating the two at the finish. Southland held the Lions to a 12-12 draw in Invercargill with Allan Hewson having an off day with the boot. If Wellington had won they would’ve taken the title.
In 2012 young flanker Ardie Savea and Samoan international centre Alapati Leuia scored two tries each in their 40-8 win in Wellington. They then didn’t meet for another three years.
Wellington’s 39-17 win over Southland at the Hutt Rec on 19 August 2023 was a Ranfurly Shield defence.
Wellington won the first fixture between these two sides 11-0 on 29 July 1896.
This inaugural match was also noteworthy for being the maiden first-class game played on the then new home of rugby in Wellington, Athletic Park. It had been open for club rugby in April, but this was the first of five games played there in 1896. The third of these was a famous 49-7 win over the touring Queensland side (77-10 in today’s scoring).
Fast-forwarding back to the current day. For the first time since March, there is no other rugby on in Wellington this weekend so officials will be looking to pack Porirua Park to its gunnels. Kick-off is at 2.05pm.
The day Wellington teams re-took the Ranfurly Shield off Southland and beat the All Blacks
