Sideline Conversions 1 June (some rugby news and information to start the week)

Jordan Soli dives over to score a first half try for Ories against Poneke on Saturday. He is the clear-cut leading points scorer in the Swindale Shield – more below. Photo: Andy McArthur. 

Monday afternoon updates: Welcome to a new week and new month of rugby. There is a whole lot going on over the next few weeks leading up to the first round crowning of champions across several leading grades and the unravelling of the college competitions.

It is round 10 of 13 in the Premier Swindale Shield and Premier 2 Harper Lock Shield this coming Saturday. Premier games at a glance are below (as always check back Friday for a full preview).

• Avalon Wolves v Petone (Morgan Family Trophy), Fraser Park.
• Northern United v Wainuiomata (Alf Keating Memorial Trophy), Porirua Park.
• Old Boys University v Wellington (Dean Gifford Memorial Cup), Nairnville Park.
• Paremata-Plimmerton v Johnsonville (John Struthers Memorial Cup), Ngati Toa Domain.
• Poneke v Marist St Pat’s (Horan-Millar Trophy), Kilbirnie Park.
• Tawa v Oriental-Rongotai, Lyndhurst Park.
• Upper Hutt Rams v Hutt Old Boys Marist (Gillies-Melville Cup)

On Wednesday it’s the second of the midweek traditionals involving Wellington College, Rongotai College and the two St Pat’s colleges. This is at Rongotai College and they are hosting Wellington College, kick-off 12.30pm.

The Avalon and Stokes Valley women’s teams play a catch-up Rebecca Liua’ana Trophy match at Maidstone Park on Tuesday night at 7.30pm.

The Hurricanes are in action at home in Wellington on Friday night in their quarter-final against the Brumbies.

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It’s the last round of the Rebecca Liua’ana Trophy women’s competition on Saturday with Northern United and Petone meeting at Porirua Park in a match that amounts to a virtual final for first-round honours. Both sides are unbeaten.

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After their statement win over Marist St Pat’s on Saturday, can the Petone Premiers be installed as hot favourites to win the Swindale Shield this year? It is theirs to lose and it will likely come down to their McBain Shield match next Saturday against HOBM. An unofficial points table (the WRFU one hadn’t been updated as of Monday morning) reads: Petone 39, Tawa and HOBM 37, Upper Hutt Rams 34, OBU 32, Paremata-Plimmerton 31, Ories 29, Wainuiomata 25, MSP 20, Northern United 16, Wellington 15, Pōneke 14, Johnsonville 13, Avalon 5.

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Some players are coming back from overseas to give their sides boosts. One player is Avalon centre JJ Puna, back from Ireland to give his side the win over the Axemen on Saturday. This was Avalon’s first win in 49 Premier matches going back three seasons. He was up against Matt Proctor (second-five) in the midfield.

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Another returnee recently is Taleta Tupuola in the HOBM Eagles side. Tupuola has returned from almost 14 seasons playing professional rugby overseas, in France the whole time as far as we know. As a young man, Taleta was a leading player in the Wellington competition as far back as 2011 and he played two games for the Hurricanes Development that year. He returned to the Eagles to score eight tries in 2012 as they won the Swindale Shield. His record prior to his recent return was 19 tries in 25 games, which included a hat-trick against Petone in a 43-15 McBain Shield win in 2012.

Taleta Tupuola in the halftime huddle on Saturday. Photo: Warwick Burke. More photos of the HOBM – Johnsonville game at: https://clubrugby.smugmug.com/2026/2026-Swindale-Shield-Premier-Club-Rugby/Round-9-HOBM-66-v-Johnsonville-19/i-dxpWZXh 

One more on Saturday was Ambrose Curtis, on the bench for the Ories premier 2s. He briefly made an appearances for the Ories sevens team last year, but has been in Australia. He spent several years in France after making his name in Wellington club rugby and playing for the New Zealand 7s team.

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Did you know that in the 49 games from mid-April 2023 to end of May 2026 in which Avalon didn’t win a Premier game, they scored a total of 566 points and conceded 2,446?

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A big result in Horowhenua-Kapiti Premier rugby on Saturday with Waikanae beating previous leaders Foxton 18-7. Hooker Tyrone Parson played his 100th match in the win.

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Dave Rennie will name his first All Blacks side of the year at the Feilding Yellows club.

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Palmerston North Old Boys Marist celebrated their 100th anniversary with a 46-10 win over College Old Boys on Saturday.

It is hard to get Manawatu results and news this year, with the MRU not covering their own competitions until early to midweek each week and the local media now full paywall.

Update. The MRU can’t – or won’t – update their own results on their Facebook page, but they have announced today the signing of former St Pat’s Town First XV and Wellington Axemen lock/flanker Rory Woods:

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A successful 150th weekend for the Greytown club – lots of great content like above on their Facebook page.

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No scoreboard in use at Maidstone Park on Saturday – what was going on there? As per previous comments in this space, it is our opinion that every Premier match should have an operational scoreboard and preferably a clock as well.

On the field, can the Upper Hutt Rams go the whole season holding the Bill Brien Challenge Cup? The answer is they have to get through HOBM at home this coming Saturday, then their last two home matches are against Wainuiomata and Avalon. The Bill Brown is only contested in the first round in this modern era as the Jubilee and Hardham Cups are knockout rounds.

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Veteran lock Ola Va’ai could be the Chuck Norris of Ories rugby – he doesn’t turn up to pre-season training, he runs pre-season training.

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A couple of reunions at Kilbirnie Park this coming Saturday. The winning 1982 Colts team is getting together as is the 1996 team that won the Jubilee Cup 30 years ago.

This Poneke team edged Western Suburbs 9-8 in the 1996 final to win their first Jubilee Cup since 1975. The final was won up front and on defence, led by retiring Poneke flanker Shane McClure. In Poneke fashion, they grinded first time finalists the Roosters down. Poneke first five-eighth James Ogden landed two dropped goals and a penalty, and finisheed with 226 points for the season. The previous week they had beaten Harlequins 23-13 in their semi-final.

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There was a reunion of the 1987 Petone Premiers on Saturday.

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This Wednesday the Remembrance Army is unveiling the fully restored grave at Karori Cemetery of Henry Roberts. All are welcome and the team is meeting up at 12.00pm on the main driveway at the cemetery. More on Roberts here: https://clubrugby.nz/wp/2022/04/27/pioneers-of-rugby-in-wellington-010-harry-roberts/ 

See below for the before and during shots, looking forward to seeing the finished restoration:

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Hurricanes fans have dodged an unfortunate situation by playing their quarterfinal against the saddlemen on Friday night. They could have got the Saturday 4.35pm slot, which is in the community rugby and sport timezone.

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As someone emailed in, if the Hurricanes make the Super Rugby final they could go down in the record books as having played the first ever Super Rugby game at home (in Palmerston North) and then the last ever at home, 30 years apart.

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The Black Ferns Sevens’ 30-game, five tournament win streak is over after falling to Australia 28-26 in the semis of the Valladolid Sevens in Spain. They did gain a measure of revenge though swift  the Black Ferns demolishing Canada 50-12 in the playoff for third. Kelsey Teneti scored five tries. Fellow Black Ferns Sevens stars Portia Woodman-Wickliffe and Michaela Brake and Australian Emma Tonegato are the only other players to have scored five tries in an SVNS match. Brake scored six against Sri Lanka in the 2022 Commonwealth Games.

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A great night out for Reon Paul formerly of Rongotai College and Norths in the Chiefs 59-34 thrashing of the Blues in Hamilton on Saturday night. He scored a try, created another, and made a game-high 122 metres with 14 carries. He also made 14 tackles, with the Chiefs making 94 more tackles than the hapless Blues, who have now conceded 50 or more points in a game eight times and have lost three straight matches.

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Similarly, Naitoa ah Kuoi had a bustling game for the Chiefs and is good form.

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St Pat’s Silverstream has won 20 consecutive Premiership matches, 12 by 50 or more points. Their own record is 28. Gun first five-eighth Fletcher Cooper returned in their 57-0 win over 2025 semi-finalist Rathkelae College. He scored 17 points.

Another great win for HIBS running Rongotai College ragged 37-10. Winger Ben Park has scored five tries in two games.

Wellington College overpowered Scots College 53-3 with the highlight being a hat-trick to fullback Tom Hodgson.

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Now with less than two months to go, has the venue for this year’s WRFU club Finals Day been confirmed? Kilbirnie and Evans Bay Parks proved a success last year, but was aided by fine weather. Wet weather would be difficult.

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What happens when a team defaults two matches in a row in the college competition but fronts for a midweek non-competition match in between?

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In regards to a team in the Premiership, does playing a non-competition mid-week match against a school from another region have priority over fronting on Saturday in a competition match if player numbers are paper thin and there are known injuries?

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Women’s and schoolgirls rugby on Friday as highlighted in the poster below. It is understood that St Mary’s and Manukura met a couple of weeks ago, but the result was very one-sided in favour of Manukura.

The Monday column above is a collaborative one – so to contribute or give us news and information please get in touch.