Sideline Conversions 15 June (some rugby news and information to start the week)

Action from the Petone Rec on Saturday, during the latter stages of the first round Colts decider. Photo: Warwick Burke Visitors HOBM won the Paris Memorial Trophy, joining the Tawa Ducks (U85kgs) and Petone Women as first round winners so far. Will the Swindale Shield and Harper Lock Shield titles be decided in this coming weekend’s 12th round of 13? 

Updated Lunchtime: Two weeks to play in the top two grades of Wellington club rugby, and in both the Premier Swindale Shield and Premier 2 Harper Lock Shield first round champions and spots and seedings for the second round competitions will be confirmed over the coming two weekends.

Swindale Shield matches this coming Saturday (Harper Lock Shield draw the same, full preview on Friday):

• Avalon v Northern United (Yarrall Brothers Trophy), Fraser Park
• Hutt Old Boys Marist v Poneke (Roy Johns Trophy), Hutt Rec
• Johnsonville v Wainuiomata, Helston Park
• Marist St Pat’s v Old Boys University (Jack Lamason Trophy), Evans Bay Park
• Petone v Paremata-Plimmerton (Ken Gray Cup), Petone Rec
• Tawa v Upper Hutt Rams (Mexted Motors Cup), Lyndhurst Park
• Wellington v Oriental-Rongotai (Alby Jack Cup), Hataitai Park

More mid-week First XV rugby this week, in town and in Upper Hutt. The St Pat’s Town U15s and Second XVs host Manawatu’s Hato Paroa College in their traditional exchange on Tuesday. In the Premiership, St Pat’s Town and Wairarapa College play their catch-up game at Hataitai Park at 5.00pm. On Wednesday, St Pat’s Silverstream welcome Rongotai College to their school grounds at 1.30pm in the opening fixture of the fifth round of the First XV Premiership.

Also on Wednesday, Hutt Valley High School and St Bernard’s College meet in Lower Hutt – details of this match to be confirmed.

Spotlight on the 100th Quadrangular this week, with Wellington College playing at Whanganui Collegiate on Thursday and Saturday. They play the host school on day one on Thursday and then meet the winner/loser of the Nelson College-Christ’s College game on Saturday. Look out for Club Rugby’s Wellington College Quad Team of the Century over the next couple of days.

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How about moving all club rugby matches forward by 30 minutes this weekend, owing to the Super Rugby final? So afternoon kick-off times at 12.30pm and 2.15pm respectively? It is also the shortest Saturday of the year, so the extra light would be a bonus.

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A 75-12 loss to Northern United on Saturday against Tawa in the Swindale Shield. Has a Norths side conceded that many points at Porirua Park before? Has it lost by that many points (63)? Tawa led 19-12 at halftime, so the floodgates opened.

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All Blacks naming at Feilding Yellow club coming up this time next week. “Bolters“? There was even a note on X saying Callum Harkin could be in the mix. What about Brad Shields being picked as the ‘dirttrackers’ captain for those non-international games in South Africa?

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After over 200 Premier games for Marist St Pat’s, midfield back Isaia Petelo joined the Wellington Axemen on Saturday and was on their bench in their 40-38 win over Paremata-Plimmerton.

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Another try for Axemen lock Archie Treadwell, taking his tally this season to 11. A good return considering his team h 3/8 record.

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Ories women’s wing Abi Isaia crossed for five tries and kicked two conversions (29 points) in her team’s opening second round Division 1 51-0 win over Poneke on Saturday. She is a local player from Miramar and attends St Mary’s College.

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Maidstone Park is a top-drawer facility. Could it host WRFU Finals Day? Where do you think that could be this year?

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The Club Rugby Tipping Competition Top 10 and ties after 11 rounds:

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The final word on the Ories livestream on Saturday after Daniel Tafili had scored in the corner with the final play of the game and Jordan Soli’s conversion shaved the uprights leaving it a 34-34 draw: “That is like kissing your sister here at the Polo Ground. No one looks happy out there – both teams should be ashamed of themselves!”

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Four tries in a losing cause to Norths second-five Maka Ioane in this team’s 24-34 Premier 2 Harper Lock Shield match against Tawa on Saturday. Tawa centre Randall Paenga scored a hat-trick, so seven of nine tries in this match scored by midfielders.

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Jacob Kennedy goes joint top:

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“Spotted leaving Waikanae New World at approximately 9.23am last Thursday morning: HOBM Coaching Director Kent Harris. With a 16-pack of toilet paper under one arm. The person that saw him asked us if the Eagles Shi#ting themselves ahead of the McBain?”

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Another message received at the Sideline Conversions desk was that they spotted Ma’a Nonu playing for the Ories Premier 2s in photos. No, that would have been Paulo Aukuso (above). But will we see Nonu back? Not to be ruled out.

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Utility players are a useful asset to have. Utility players that can be forwards and backs even more so. Carterton’s Sekope Rova might line up on the wing but the lanky 6’4″ Fijian can also be found in the lineout at times, and on Saturday stole at least five balls against the throw.

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College First XV conversation

St Pat’s Town didn’t have it all their own way in a 60-10 mauling of Mana College on Saturday. The Porirua outfit was a challenging proposition for the third placed side for 20 minutes before the floodgates opened. Town scored 10 tries, converting half of them. Charlie Carter and Olu Siohane-Hune each bagged a double.

Rathkelae With “Bragging Rights” in the Wairarapa, edging Wairarapa College 17-7. Early tries by loose forward Brandon Matthews, camouflaging himself against the goal post padding and whitewash, and Jone Raulu trampling over the fullback in an unfair one-on-one lifted Rathkeale to a comfortable 12-0 lead.

It then became a grind, enlivened by Wairarapa centre Jared Collings with a try from halfway a minute before the interval. It remained tense and scrappy until halfback William Orsborn settled the outcome with a 68th-minute try from close range. In the summer, Orsborn was the First XI cricket captain and, against Wairarapa, scored a school record 214, becoming the second Rathkelae cricketer to achieve a double century. He also made 184 against Whanganui Collegiate.

Rathkeale retains the NR Stuart Family Cup, denoted by a Wairarapa College head boy in 1945 who sent his sons to Rathkeale. Wairarapa leads the overall contest since 1984 by 31-12.

Decadent sideline kai included creamed Pāua with fried bread.

In other Premiership matches, St Bernard’s College outlasted Rongotai College 22-15 to retain the Jim Ting Memorial Trophy, named after a teacher and rugby stalwart at both schools. Nate Sivewright was in scorching form on Waterloo Road, scoring twice. Lachlan Wallis and Mylachai Heve ensured the Lower Hutt Catholics banked a bonus point. TK Maladina and Aisha Johnson were among Rongotai’s best, and each scored tries.

Scots College blew away Hutt International Boys’ School 45-19, emptying the bench early in the second half and only conceding when that occurred. Zaiden Filemu (2), Toby McFarlane, Jimmy Favel, Andreas Focas, Joseph Sailo and Elye Matega were try scorers with Favel (2) and RJ So’oialo (3) adding conversions. Will Gardiner, Cooper Smith and So’oialo were presented with their caps which at Scots are rewarded to players after a dozen appearances.

Scots host Rathkeale on July 25, a fixture most likely to decide fourth place in the Premiership.

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Thanks to sponsors and supporters of this website and Club Rugby:

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A long feature on the NZ Herald on Friday about how NZRU are shutting down NZR+, their streaming and content app that launched in 2022.

How much has been spent on it? See this segment below from the article here – the bolding is our emphasis.

But the other major decision Kirk has made is that three years since it launched, NZR+ is being folded into the pre-existing All Blacks.com after anything between $25m and $38m could be said to have been spent on it.

The Herald has been told that about $5m was specifically allocated to the setting up, maintenance and running costs of NZR+, a further $20m on content production, and an unknown sum – but several millions – on marketing, promotion and management of NZR+.

The last of the $38m set aside to fund new initiatives will be spent by the end of this year, and other than NZR+, it’s not apparent what – if any – new ventures have been launched.

Do you think this has been good value for money and if you had $30 million to drop into rugby in New Zealand (in particular community rugby) where and how would you do this?

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We also listened to some (not all of it) podcast last week claiming that star England goalkeeper Gordon Banks was poisoned by the CIA during the 1970 Football World Cup in Mexico. Without him, the defending champions conceded a couple of goals that he would have saved  because he was the best stopper in the world and they lost the quarter-final and the defending champs were out. Interesting comparison perhaps to the All Blacks in 1995? Was Susie CIA? Perhaps there were bigger geopolitical forces in play promoting a Springboks win?

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Super Rugby Final Chat 

Shortly after the Super Rugby Pacific semi-finals started on Friday night, a fire broke out at Wellington airport. Are the Chiefs too hot to handle, a weary traveller asked. The Crusaders had their 18-game playoff winning streak snapped in a cathartic crushing in Hamilton.

The Chiefs’ 49-12 thrashing of the defending champions was the Crusaders’ biggest losing margin, surpassing the 52-16 loss to the Queensland Reds in Brisbane in 1996.

The Chiefs have had the most wins in Super Rugby since 2021, with 71 victories, followed by the Crusaders and Blues with 66, the Brumbies with 60, and the Hurricanes with 57.

Chiefs first five Damian McKenzie won his 100th Super Rugby match in his 150th appearance. Only Crusaders Daniel Carter (298) and Richie Mo’unga (244) have scored more playoff points than McKenzie’s 235.

Since the 2023 Rugby World Cup, Cam Roigard has scored 23 tries in 35 first-class matches, with 26 wins and only a single loss in his last 12 appearances.

If Warner Dearns wins this coming Saturday, he ranks alongside 121-Test Argentina international Pablo Matera as the greatest single-season New Zealand Super Rugby import. Matera joined the Crusaders from Stade Français in 2022 and basked in Super Rugby championship glory, earning three official man-of-the-match awards.

Rampant Asafo Aumua scored his best try since circling All Blacks winger George Bridge and scampering 75 metres in Wellington’s record 60-14 NPC win against Canterbury in 2017.

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