Sideline Conversions 8 June (some rugby news and information to start the week)

Above: Lots going on in this scene in the Premier match on Saturday between Paremata-Plimmerton and Johnsonville, just like there is plenty happening this coming weekend. Photo: Stewart Baird Photography.

Another stirring weekend of rugby, with some notable results across several grades. There are just three rounds to play in the Swindale Shield before this year’s champion is crowned and the teams divert for the Jubilee Cup/Hardham VC Memorial Cup series throughout July.

Much of the talk this week will centre on the affairs at the Petone Rec on Saturday. It is McBain Shield day and the Petone Premiers will likely win the Swindale Shield if they beat rivals Hutt Old Boys Marist. The Premier 2 and Colts matches are also top of the table fixtures so it is well set up.

Swindale Shield 11th round matches at a glance below (same draw for Premier 2, more in our preview at the end of the week):

• Petone v Hutt Old Boys Marist (McBain Shield), Petone Rec.
• Avalon v Marist St Pat’s (Joe Aspell Cup), Fraser Park
• Johnsonville v Poneke (Galu Taufale Shield), Helston Park
• Oriental-Rongotai v Old Boys University, Polo Ground
• Paremata-Plimmerton v Wellington Axemen, Ngati Toa Domain
• Upper Hutt Rams v Wainuiomata (Bill Brien Challenge Cup defence and Peter Jones/Dave Ritchie Cup), Maidstone Park
• Northern United v Tawa (Sammy Saili Memorial Trophy), Porirua Park.

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Top of the table and unbeaten St Patrick’s College, Silverstream and Wellington College will clash in a replay of the 2025 Premiership final in Upper Hutt on Wednesday, both in optimistic form. Kick-off is listed at 1.30pm. More in College Chat below.

Tawa College host Wairarapa College on Wednesday at 11.30am in a friendly, as part of their sports exchange.

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When’s the last time Upper Hutt won six Swindale Shield games in a row?

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A fairytale try and win in his 150th Premier match by Matt Jacobs:

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Expect the second round Women’s draw to be released today with two five-team divisions for the rest of the way. Division 1 for the Championship Tia Paasi Memorial Cup will have Petone, Norths, Ories, Wainuiomata, and Poneke, with the Division Two Izzy Ford Cup comprising Avalon, OBU, Wellington, Pare-Plim, and Stokes Valley.

In the 35-year history of the Poneke Women’s rugby team, this is their first trip to Division 1.

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A study in contrasts on either side of the Ricoh Sportsville building at Fraser Park on Saturday afternoon. Premier referee Ethan Jefferson and his assistants Scott MacLean and Tyler Hill could be seen freely milling about with players and spectators at the conclusion of the Swindale match, while half-an-hour later those watching the Central League 2 football match on the artificial would have witnessed the visiting (and losing) captain berating those match officials at fulltime.

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Every week we ask our Instagram followers who their Premier Player of the Week is, and lately there has been a common name. Tommy Hall from OBU seems to have a bit of a fan club forming getting a number of mentions.

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News last week that Ma’a Nonu has finished his latest and likely last tenure at Toulon in France. Has he hung up his boots? He will probably turn up on Ories teamsheets soon – watch this space!

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On a similar subject, Old Boys University had a 43-year old (Ed Griffiths) make his Premier debut on Saturday, according to an OBU source. We don’t have age statistics, but who would be the oldest player to make their top grade club rugby debuts?

Similarly, a couple of years back we highlighted Pare-Plim’s Ryan McLean’s return to Premier rugby after two stints refereeing – where he reached the Premier-level as well – and another playing Reserve Grade rugby, and asked if anyone had had such a lengthy break between matches in the Premier grade without having left Wellington in the meantime.

Well, it seems we have a new leader in the category. OBU’s Hayden Smith last played a Premier match for the Goats in the 2011 Hardham Cup final which they lost to Tawa. Since then he played mostly B’s before becoming the Goats Team Manager, and currently fulfills that role for the Wairarapa-Bush Heartland side. But with OBU’s propping stocks almost exhausted he managed 50 minutes from the bench for their Premier 2s before making cameo from the bench for the Premier’s last Saturday. Surely a 16-year gap between matches can’t be beaten?

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Sideline Conversions understands the three-week suspension handed to Wainuiomata’s Raymond Va’a for serious referee abuse will be appealed by the Wellington Referees Association. Club Rugby supports this decision. There is no room in the game for threatening violence against officials.

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Last Tuesday night the Avalon and Stokes Valley women’s teams assembled at Maidstone Park to play their catch-up game but the match failed to go ahead because the UHCC didn’t turn the lights on. Is this related to last Saturday when the electronic scoreboard wasn’t working on Maidstone Park #1?

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Above: The Remembrance Army unveiled the restored grace of Wellington and former All Black Henry ‘Harry’ Roberts last week at Karori Cemetery. The photo on the right shows how his resting place originally looked.

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Above: A late long-range winning  to HOBM in their 15-12 win over the Wellington Axemen in their U85kg opening week second division Tony O’Brien Shield on Saturday. As of Monday morning there are still no results of this grade on online so we can’t report what happened in this competition or the Paul Potiki Shield. Although, we do know that Poneke beat Johnsonville 25-22 in their Division 1 opener. 

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Alarming that that Manukura has beaten St Mary’s College 71-0 and 69-0 in their first two matches this year. The second was played in torrential rain on Friday so that score was amplified by the conditions. What is going on at St Mary’s? Manukura might have beaten them 10 years on the trot in the Hurricanes final played each August, but St Mary’s have been a Top 4 standard side this whole time – just unfortunate that two of the best team schoolgirls teams in the country are from the same region.  Apparently none of the St Mary’s players who play club rugby, including for the Petone players  who beat Norths in the first round decider) played on Friday. But at the same time three of the Manukura girls left Upper Hutt on Friday to travel to Taihape to play for Kia Toa in a quarter-final on the same night and a handful others backed up on Saturday playing for Freyberg.

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Good to see Faifili Levave back playing for at least his 22nd season of Premier rugby – scoring a try for Norths against Wainuiomata but failing to prevent a Norths defeat on Old Timers’ Day.

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The Paremata-Plimmerton and Johnsonville Premiers played for the John Struthers Memorial Cup on Saturday.  See below. This must be new?

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Tipping Competition Leaderboard after 10 rounds – Nate W goes big:

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The Hurricanes Poua women’s side capped off their preseason with a 26-12 win over the Blues on Friday. In weather conditions that could only be described as vile with the heavy rain lashing the NZCIS campus both teams understandably struggled with their handling as the ball often seemed more like a cake of soap. The Poua won the try count two-to-one in each half with both sides giving their extended squads game time. From a Wellington perspective Keira Su’a-Smith played the first 25 minutes in her return from injury, while Valini Vaka, Arene Landon-Lane, and Litia Bulicakau had strong outings in the second half and would have given head coach Hayden Triggs plenty to ponder before they meet the same opposition for real in Saturday’s Aupiki opener.

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Both newly-minted NZR President Erin Rush and Black Ferns Head Coach Whitney Hansen were amongst those who braved the elements to watch that match. Rush was back in the Hutt Valley on Saturday afternoon at Fraser Park to watch son Stanley Solomon in first Wellington outing of the year after the Highlanders elimination from Super Rugby:

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MSP’s Tomasi Connor became the second player to surpass 100 points this season (102). Ories’ Jordan Soli has scored 149 and the Rams’ Liam Slight is third with 82.

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A name on that list above is Archie Treadwell, Wellington Axemen lock, who scored a hat-trick in a losing cause on Saturday. His second hat-trick of the season.

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College Chat

St Pat’s Silverstream won their 21st successive competition fixture on Saturday, putting one past St Bernard’s College 94-10. The reigning champions scored 14 tries with talismanic first-five Fletcher Cooper back in form after his hand injury. He scored twice and kicked 12 conversions for 34 points. Troy Waldrom (2), Jahvaan Hunt (2), Tyron Tupou (2), Shae Taitua, Val Tufui, Issac Sanele, Leeron Aunese, Ryder Thompson and Jaxon Ropitini also kept the scoreboard attendant busy. As covered here on the day, Wellington College defeated Rongotai College 62-19 on Wednesday. Silverstream holds the Ken Gray Memorial Trophy after their 16-15 win in Wellington last year. Wellington beat Silverstream 27-24 in 2024.

Forwards were responsible for seven of 11 tries for St Pat’s Town, in their 69-19 easing past of Scots College. Captain Rémy Fitisemanu scored four times. Town and Scots compete for the Willie Leota Tangoa.

Disappointing to read in the alterations mid-afternoon on Friday that two college rugby grades had been blanket cancelled for Saturday. These were the U15 Division 2 and u65kg grades. Each of these grades has 10 teams so that is some 400 teenaged players who had their games pulled. Yes we get the fields in the modern era have to be protected from pesky people using them if they are not perfect at all costs, but rugby needs these players to be playing or they will go and do something else or go play basketball.  Then we lament the low playing numbers when they hit Senior club rugby age.

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Ponsonby had their 32-game win streak in the Auckland Gallaher Shield on Saturday, upset 25-10 by Grammar TEC, who replaces Ponsonby at the top of the table.

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Ruben Love and the Hurricanes weren’t the only ones enjoying record-breaking success in the Super Rugby Pacific quarter-finals. With two tries, two penalties, and five conversions,  Damian McKenzie scored a Chiefs playoff record 26 points in their 46-24 win over the Reds in Hamilton, passing his own record of 22 points in a 37-17 win over the Brumbies in a Hamilton semi-final last year. Meanwhile, Crusaders fullback and former Welsh international  Johnny McNicholl became the first Crusaders player to score a playoff hat-trick and collected his first trifecta for the Crusaders since an 85-26 win against the Melbourne Rebels in Christchurch on July 9, 2016, in their 52-31 win against the Blues in Christchurch.

The most points by an individual in any game against the Brumbies is 35 by Morne Steyn for the Bulls in a 50-35 win in Pretoria in 2009. The most points in any playoff game is 27, by the Bulls’ Derick Hougaard, in a 27-12 semi-final win in Pretoria in 2007.

From the Rugby Database website, the most wins by a player against a single team in Super Rugby is.

• 20/22 Codie Taylor (Blues)
• 20/23 David Havili (Blues)
• 18/22 Sam Whitelock (Highlanders)
• 17/18 Mitchell Drummond (Blues)
• 17/18 Scott Barrett (Blues)
• 17/27 James Slipper (Waratahs)

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Hurricanes Poua Chat

Super Rugby Aupiki starts this coming weekend. Two-time defending champions, the Blues, with 14 current or former Black Ferns, are the warm favourites to win. The Poua haven’t won a game since beating Matatū on March 9, 2024. In 2025, they were categorically the worst team, ranking last in points scored (81), points conceded (244), tries scored (13), carries (694), clean breaks (38), defenders beaten (128), metres gained (2,596), and offloads (65). They had the third-best lineout but the worst scrum. In 2026, the Poua have only two currently contracted Black Ferns; Chiefs Manawa have the next fewest with four. The Hurricanes’ task of lifting themselves from the bottom of the table seems nearly insurmountable.

However, the Black Ferns’ third-highest points scorer of all time, Renee Holmes, is a smart acquisition. She offers attacking flair and leadership, and is the best goal-kicker in New Zealand. Black Ferns winger Ayesha Leti-I’iga is pure fire, and any game plan will focus on getting the prolific try scorer as much ball as possible.

Mo’omo’oga Ona Palu is another big addition. She played 18 of a possible 21 games for Matatū, winning a championship in 2023. In April, she debuted for the Black Ferns in their 40-5 win against Australia. Tegan Hollows and Greer Muir have been loyal servants of Otago. Hooker Hollows has played 72 games for the Spirit while centre or loose forward Muir holds the Otago records for most games (77) and tries (33).

Canterbury first five Te Rauoriwa Gapper, 34, has won four FPC Premierships and was appointed co-captain alongside Manawatu and Black Ferns XV lock Sam Taylor, 23, who is rapidly ascending and ranked among the top ten lineout forwards in the competition last year.

The absence of powerhouse Black Ferns loose forward Layla Sae due to injury is a massive blow. In 2025, Sae ranked in the Top Ten of Aupiki for carries (71), defenders beaten (20), lineouts won (9), and tackles (110).

Former Manawatu and Māori All Black lock Hayden Triggs is the new head coach, alongside Black Ferns Rugby World Cup winners Emma Jensen and Mel Bossman. If the Poua can win a game and show improvement and growth, then the season will be a success. Pre-season has already hinted that it’s a possibility with a competitive 36-26 defeat against Matatū while the Blues were tamed 26-14 at NZCIS on Friday. Palu. Gapper, Lily Murray-Wihongi and Kokako Raka scored tries.

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A successful recent series for the New Zealand Universities side in Hamilton against Japan Under-20.

New Zealand Universities: 74 (Oscar Koller, Hunter Kennedy 2, Noah Rogers 2, Harry Irving, Tiaki Fabish, Reuben Nelley, Nehemiah Su’a 2, Jonty Riley, Mitch Tinnock tries; Koller 7 cons) Japan Under-20: 12 (Sota Miura 2 tries, Takeru Niwa con) HT: 36-7

New Zealand Universities: 57 (Reuben Nelley 2, Rico Muliaina, Tyler Beary, Dylan Hall, Aaron Christensen, Brian Lealiifano, Hunter Kennedy, Charlie Wallis; Muliaina 4, Oscar Koller 2 cons) Japan Under-20s: 26 (Shinnosuke Uchida 2, Sota Miura, Takeru Niwa tries; Niwa 3 cons) HT: 19-19

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In Tomasi Cama’s 150th tournament as a player and coach with the All Blacks Sevens, the 2012 World Rugby Sevens Player of the Year guided the team to their first final since the Dubai Sevens in November.

Unfortunately, host nation France ended a 21-year drought without a local Cup title by defeating the All Blacks Sevens 14-5 in a tense Bordeaux final. The boisterous home crowd acted as the eighth man, with rugby riding high in the famed wine-growing region in the southwest. The fifteen-a-side team was recently crowned European champions.

The Black Ferns Sevens were beaten by Australia 26-19 in their final. Maddison Levi, returning from injury, scored two tries. She scored 65 tries this season and has 270 for Australia.

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The NZRU have announced on Monday morning that the All Blacks will be going downtown with Tony Brown as assistant coach…in 2028.

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