Henry in top form for Petone in McBain Shield win

Henry gets his pass away on Saturday. Photo: Andy McArthur.

• By Adam Julian

It was a boisterous night on Udy Street as Petone foiled Hutt Old Boys Marist 29-16 to regain the McBain Shield from the Jubilee Cup champions and move within a whisker of winning the Swindale Shield for a record 16th time.

The Villagers can beat Paremata Plimmerton at home this coming Saturday and claim first-round honours for the first time since 2022 with a week to spare.

Veteran halfback Logan Henry was part of that 2022 team and, in such good form, played his solitary Super Rugby match for the Hurricanes, scoring a try in a 21-14 win over the Highlanders in Wellington that season.

On Saturday, it was his 50-metre try, three conversions and a penalty that helped Petone earn their eighth consecutive win in 2026, despite trailing 16-12 at halftime.

“It was a typical McBain, won by little moments,” Henry says. “I’m proud of our boys for the shift they put in. We did everything we trained for.”

Seizing the moment was one of those priorities. Henry’s first-half try was a spectacular run away.

“I wouldn’t say spectacular. It was right place, right time,” Henry modestly observed.

“I’ve had a few runaways in the past where I haven’t made it. This time I closed my eyes, bit my mouth guard, hoped and prayed.

“Connor Tuifao made a little one-on-one break. Like any good halfback, I tried to be in support.”

The fierce northerly wind supported Hutt in the first half, with Khya Wilson landing one of his three penalties from 55 meters out. This even surprised Henry, who suggested Petone, after leading 12-0, might have been advised to kick more and back their height. Instead, Petone “overplayed” and became ill-disciplined.

“We gave them easy piggybacks into our half. They’re very good in the 22. We need to be more disciplined on defence. We got done for sternum tackles a couple of times. We’ve got to chop lower,” Henry said.

“The wind was a real challenge. Into it, you could score points from anywhere; against it, you bloody knacked. Stanley Solomon kicked that 50/22 before the Kafa Katoa try. I thought he only brushed it.”

Loosehead prop Katoa drove low and stretched out his right arm under six Eagles’ legs for a try that put Petone 17-16 ahead, an advantage they didn’t surrender. On the tighthead side, Harry Rankin ploughed through almost 75 minutes.

“Our props are outstanding. We have a lot of depth in the club in that position, and when everyone is fighting for a place, it creates healthy competition,” Henry said.

“Kafa is special, a wrecking bull with white-line fever. He takes a lot of hits but keeps getting up and giving it back”

Sam Thomson is the biggest lock Petone have had for some time. Henry praised his physicality and appetite to learn, and suggested that only injury had prevented him from being selected for the New Zealand Under-20s.

It was only a quick victory in a game of paper, scissors, rock against fellow halfback Cam Ferreira that prevented Henry from having to move to the wing to accommodate backline injuries for Lester Maulolo and Jermaine Pepe.

“It was best of three,” Henry laughed. “He’ll feel like a Koro now. He was complaining about his sore back.”

“We’re lucky we’ve got experienced players who can slot in and do a job.”

Petone’s next job is to beat Paremata-Plimmerton for the Ken Gray Cup on Saturday. The Hammerheads are fifth in the Swindale Shield standings with a 7-4 record. They were surprised 40-38 losers to Wellington (3-8)  in round 11.

Meanwhile, it’s worth noting that All Blacks legend Ken Gray was a Paremata-Plimmerton player before shifting to Petone, where he won five Jubilee Cups in an era between 1959 and 1969 when Petone won 126 of 177 games.

On another note, we got our first dropped goal of the season the Premier and Premier 2 grades, with Rory Woollet kicking a late pot to help his team against Hutt Old Boys Marist in the Harper Lock Shield curtain-raiser.

Below: Henry was also our Performer of the Week for round seven in May.

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