Sideline Conversions 20 April (some rugby news and information to start the week)

The Northern United and Hutt Old Boys Marist teams in action at Porirua Park on Saturday. Photo: Kinetic Images.

A wild Saturday saw most matches played in conditions more akin to mid-July than Mid-April, and a handful spanning at least four grades that didn’t go ahead. The most high profile of these was the Paremata-Plimmerton – Avalon Wolves Swindale Shield game. We await decisions on if, when and where these catch-up matches will be played.

In the meantime, we move on to this weekend’s fourth round matches, which will hopefully be played under more benign skies. These scheduled Swindale Shield games that will be headlined by a top-of-the-table fixture between Hutt Old Boys Marist and Old Boys University are a glance are:

• Hutt Old Boys Marist v Old Boys University (Wood Cup), Hutt Rec.
• Marist St Pat’s v Wainuiomata (Rona-Morrissey Cup), Evans Bay Park
• Northern United v Wellington, Porirua Park
• Oriental-Rongotai v Avalon, Polo Ground
• Paremata-Plimmerton v Upper Hutt Rams, Ngati Toa Domain
• Petone v Johnsonville, Petone Rec
• Pōneke v Tawa (Kevin Carmichael Cup), Kilbirnie Park

The updated Swindale Shield points table is here: https://stats.clubrugby.nz/table/2026-swindale-shield/

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It’s return to school this week, but there is one midweek college match between the Bishop Viard College and St Bernard’s College First XVs. Kick-off at BVC on Wednesday is 2.30pm.

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The HOBM Premiers have won nine of their last 10 matches.

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The Oriental-Rongotai Premiers have lost their five matches.

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In regards to the two matches at Ngati Toa Domain that were called off on the day on Saturday, when was the last time a Premier Wellington club rugby match was postponed because of bad weather?

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A Hurricanes Hunters invitational side was scheduled to play the New Zealand U20s at NZCIS on Saturday at 12.00pm, but this match was cancelled. This meant that some players involved in the game were free to go and play club rugby. Some did, such as Hunter Kennedy for OBU, while a couple of others couldn’t join their teams in time, such as Sam Thomson for Petone in the same game.

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A good win for the Tawa Colts on Saturday over the Upper Hutt Rams, in a replay of last year’s final that was won by the Rams.

The Tawa team struggled to get to Upper Hutt’s Maidstone Park as the Hutt motorway had an accident and flooding, plus a Power Pole came down. The team spent two and a half hours in traffic.  What was to be scheduled a 12.30pm kick Off moved to 1.00pm. They arrived at Maidstone Park at 12.05pm, and dug deep and won 24-12.

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Luca Rees with two tries for HOBM against his former Norths teammates on Saturday.

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The Wellington Axemen lost their captain and blindside flanker Ami Paongo to injury in the opening minutes of their match against Johnsonville on Saturday. This clearly set them on their heels, but were later met by a wall of blue defence in the second half and failed to score a try in the match.

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Lots of talk on social media about the dominance of rugby league over rugby. That may be true, but a significant difference between the Hurricanes and the Warriors is that the former plays at Wellington Stadium several times a year while the latter is a one-team sport that after almost 30 years of often poor performances and underachievement is finally doing well and whom last played at Wellington Stadium three years ago.

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There was a hashtag  doing the rounds called #FreeHiggins this weekend when the Hurricanes Hunters was named and Riley Higgins wasn’t in it – more a reflection of the Hurricanes’ ongoing poor communication around informing fans what their players are up to. On Sunday night the Hurricanes announced that he was leaving them and the Wellington Lions at the end of the NPC season to link up with Edinburgh in Scotland where he is qualified to play for. The question is ‘what if’ had he not broken his leg last May against the Highlanders? Since his return he has been unable to break back into the side (barring one appearance), with All Blacks Jordie Barrett and Billy Proctor filling the midfield most matches.

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A kick and collect try to Tawa lock Hemi Fermanis near the end of their Swindale Shield match against MSP prompted one well-known Tawa supporter to exclaim loudly near the livestream camera ‘stick ’em in the All Blacks.’

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A Petone Life Member was overheard exclaiming ‘they have a giraffe’ when Old Boys University brought first year lock Lachie Earl off the bench to make his debut at Nairnville Park on Saturday.

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The Norths Premiers will do well to have Jackson Garden-Bachop back for more games.

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Terrific comeback win for Wainuiomata against Poneke on Saturday in terrible conditions at Kilbirnie Park that resembled some games played there in previous years, except the field was re-laid so no mud baths anymore. Wainuiomata came back from 0-16 down late in the first half, then 7-23 down to win 25-23. Two second half tries to left wing Raymond Va’a, the second running on to a pin-point cross-kick into open space by first-five Emmanuel Solomona to cut the gap to 22-23. Solomona then kicked a winning penalty with about five minutes to play.

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TIPPING COMP UPDATE – note this is still be worked on as far as updates after round three are made owing to a curveball with the Paremata-Plimmerton v Avalon match not being played!

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Above: The Wallace family plot featuring Billy Wallace following its recent restoration at Karori Cemetery. This is a project driven by Simon Strombom of  the  NZ Remembrance Army 

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A nice shout-out to Rob Corliss at a Friday lunch celebrating the 150th Anniversary of the Wellington College v Nelson College fixture. Corliss has been a teacher at Wellington College for 48 years. He helped coach the First XV during a golden era, during which they won the annual quadrangular tournament from 1992 to 1995.  The 1994 First XV, with a 24-4 win-loss record and the 1995 side, with 20 wins in 22 matches, both made the National Top Four.

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Mason Malagamaali’i was asked to “politely leave” Rongotai College, ending up at Wellington College and making the 1995 First XV that narrowly lost the National Top Four final to Kelston BHS. On Saturday, he was the MC for the sesquicentennial Wellington v Nelson match. The Ories icon hadn’t seen Rob Corliss for 31 years. Magic.

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Former Wellington College headmaster Gregor Fountain was flipping sausages in the rain at the Wellington College v Nelson College 150th match. At grassroots footy, no job is beneath anyone.

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Despite leading for 65 minutes, the Hurricanes were knocked off their perch by the Chiefs 22-17 in a wild extra-time finish in Hamilton.  Where did the Hurricanes team that had averaged 44 points per game in seven previous outings this season disappear in the last 10 minutes? Limp kicks and tentative tactics led to two-thirds of possession being surrendered. Why would talisman Cam Roigard be replaced in extra time?

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Former Rongotai College and Northern United product Reon Paul was strong for the Chiefs in their 22-17 win over the Hurricanes. He made 14 of his 16 tackles marking an All Blacks midfield.

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Hurricanes Loosehead prop Xavier Numia is rediscovering the form that had him on the brink of the All Blacks in 2024.  Is Pasilio Tosi the best scrumaging tight-head prop in New Zealand at present?

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The Crusaders have lost two games in a row by the same score, 31-26.

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Hat-trick talk. In some club rugby hat-tricks on Saturday, hooker Paige Misky scored one for the Norths Women’s side in their win over Wainuiomata Women, tighthead prop Tyrell Tuia bagged one for the HOBM Premier 2s over the Norths Premier 2s, tighthead prop Mike Rongo scored one for the Wellington Axemen Premier 2s against the Johnsonville Premier 2s and No. 8 Vati Vulu ran in three tries for the Tawa Colts over the Upper Hutt Rams Colts.

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St Pat’s Silverstream’s First XV rallied from 29-14 down to beat St Bede’s College 31-29 in their annual fixture in cool, clear conditions in Christchurch on Saturday

Silverstream has won the game, which stretches back to 1931, four consecutive years, and enjoys a 32-13 advantage in all matches. However, throwing two interceptions that led to tries risked fate against an always determined, sometimes dashing, and vastly improved Bede’s outfit from 2025. ​ Silverstream replacement Donald Mar was named the visitors’ player of the day, a salute to the collective power of their bench. The Wellington champions’ tries were scored by Fletcher Cooper, Val Tufui, Jaxon Ropitini, Salaki Kini and Mea’ole Ma’i. Cooper kicked three conversions.

This match was also a Holley Shield defence, which is contested as a challenge trophy between these two schools and St Pat’s Town and is next on the line when the Wellington colleges meet in their annual round-robin fixture in July (draw yet to be made). Read more about the Holley Shield at (opens a new PDF link): 190426-THE-HOLLEY-SHIELD

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The Black Ferns Sevens beat Australia 19-14 in the Hong Kong Sevens final.

The Black Ferns Sevens have won 23 of their last 24 matches in Hong Kong and 48 of their 60 SVNS Cup final appearances. Twenty-seven of those wins have come in 37 matches against Australia. The Black Ferns Sevens have now won their last 26 consecutive matches. They have won 383 of 423 SVNS matches.

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Sam Clarke was the All Blacks Sevens top points scorer at the Hong Kong Sevens with 40. Roderick Solo made more tackles than any other player.

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It is noted that residents to nearby rugby grounds are starting to fightback from the influx of cars and patrons that arrive on a Saturday (why would you live next to a sportsground then complain?). Residents in the street at the southern end of Lyndhurst Park have taken to parking their SUVs across space that two small cars can park and one gentleman takes up similar space by parking his car and trailer outside his house (perhaps not deliberate but the effect is the same). Take Hardy St in Johnsonville at the top of the path at the southern end of Helston Park. The whole street now has yellow lines on it. How does that work? Can residents just call up the council to get this done? It’s not a narrow street and there were previously several carparks on it. At one stage during the game a spectator came down the path and announced to the denizens of the western bank that the tow truck had arrived and that the white van and another car parked on the yellow lines better move their vehicles straightaway!

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PHOTOS 2026: As well as social media all our photo galleries are put online here: https://clubrugby.smugmug.com/2026  Not all photo galleries are posted to our social media

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This column is a collaborative effort, to share news and information and help to keep people informed in one place and also free and open and not behind a paywall please contribute by emailing editor@clubrugby.co.nz or contacting us via social media.