Wellington club rugby season review Part 2

Above: Poneke supporter Sheryl exchanging pleasantries with sin-binned Northern United halfback Adam Vardey in their Hardham Cup round-robin match at Porirua Park. Sheryl had the last say when Poneke went on to beat Norths 19-9 in the final.

Part 2 of 3 below below of our 2014 Wellington club rugby review, including Northern United, Poneke, Petone, Tawa and Old Boys University.

Northern United

Record: Swindale Shield 9^th W5 L6 / Hardham Cup Runners-up W6 L1

What happened: For the second year in a row Norths missed out on the Jubilee Cup, and unlike last season there wasn't even the consolation of Hardham Cup success. The halcyon days must seem further in the past than just five years ago.

Their Swindale Shield campaign started with a narrow win over Johnsonville bracketed by losses to MSP on opening day and a then-rampant Tawa. Easter proved a fruitful period, on Good Friday they beat Petone beat Perry Hayman tiptoed in in the last minute, then four days later Hayman completed a comeback against OBU with a 50m penalty on fulltime. There was a last-minute loss to HOBM a few weeks later, and with their hopes on the line they squeaked out a death-knock win over Poneke. Going into the last round they needed to beat the Upper Hutt Rams and hope for results to go their way elsewhere, but neither did going down 25-27.

The Hardham Cup could barely have started any worse, shocked 24-25 by OBU B. Stung into life they then dispatched the opposition in the remaining games, with the closest margin being 28-20 over Poneke. In the semi-final they ran out to a 24-3 lead over Avalon inside 20 minutes, but had to endure a fight-back before winning 34-20. In the final they ran into a fired-up Poneke, who's defence proved too tough to crack and they lost 9-19.

Who stood out: Norths perhaps used more players than any of the other sides. Jackson Garden-Bachop moved out to midfield this season and was a standout in the backs; his absence while on NZ U20 duty came at a time his club could least afford. He was joined in that tournament by wing Aukuso Tuitama, who turned out for Samoa. Perry Hayman was an ever-present and bustling runner, halfback Adam Vardey a threat around the fringes, and Perofeta Silva a midfield presence before missing most of the Hardham Cup. In the pack captain Aiden Cains was a tireless worker whether at hooker or flanker, and Api Naikatini was, when available, a constant handful for opposing defences.

The rest of the club: The Senior 1 side got off to a perfect start with wins over MSP and Wests before ultimately finishing ninth, but accumulating 26 competition points. In the Ed Chaney they only won two games, finishing ninth and in any normal year would be relegated. The Senior 2's finished second bottom in the National Mutual Cup, enduring a 5-127 hiding by Poneke along the way, before being withdrawn by WRFU during the second round owing to defaults. More promisingly, the Colts side won 10 of their 14 competition games in Division 1 before dipping out to HOBM at the semi-final stage, while the Women were again one of the class sides of their competition, finishing runners-up to Ories after losing the final 24-32. They did however provide four players to the Women's RWC in Sanita Levave (Black Ferns) and Brenda, Helen, and Mac Collins (Manu Sina)

Poneke

Record: Swindale Shield 10^th W2 L9 / Hardham Cup Winners W6 L1

What happened: It was a season of two halves for the Kilbirnie side, with plenty of toil for little reward in the Swindale Shield, followed by a far more satisfying Hardham Cup campaign.

The season started with a hard fought win over Johnsonville, though they were unable to cross the Helston sides' tryline. A spin of six straight losses followed, including one to OBU on Good Friday where they turned down the opportunity to kick a penalty for the draw and went for the win instead. The slide was finally ended in round 8 when they came back from 9-20 down against Wellington with 12 minutes to play to score two tries and prevail 21-20. While that gave them some hope for Jubilee Cup qualification, it was seriously dented the following week by a loss to the Upper Hutt Rams before their fate was sealed by a last-minute loss to Norths. The final round match against Ories proved largely academic despite the fact they could have consigned Ories to the Hardham Cup as well with a win.

In the Hardham Cup they overran MSP B first up, then accounted for Paremata-Plimmerton, Wellington and Johnsonville without much difficulty. A second loss to Norths proved the only blemish on the record and both OBU B and Avalon were eventually subdued in the last two rounds. In the semi-finals they ground out their third win of the season over the Axemen by 18-8, earning the right to face Norths in the Hardham Cup final.

There they produced a vintage Poneke defensive display, holding Norths to three penalties, while halfback Edwin Ainley scored all 19 points including the only try of the match in claiming the Hardham for the second time in three years, following their 2012 success.

Who stood out: The loose forward group, including captain Galu Taufale, Nathan Iro, Joe Scheres, Ray Treviranus and, when available, Greg Foe led the way, ably supported by lock Sam Johnson and veteran prop Judd Baker as Poneke stayed true to their traditional style of play. Edwin Ainley's mid-season return sparked the backline, while wing/fullback Ben Huntley moved into the vacancy at 12 and performed manfully against often much bigger opponents, though one wonders how different their season may have been had they been allocated Cardiff Vaega rather than their neighbours across Evans Bay Parade. Of their young contingent Tauasosi Tuimavave earned a place on the NZ U20 team, Pakai Turia showed flashes of what he can do but was sometimes guilty of overlaying his hand, while hooker Connor Maddix-Wikaera looked a player of some ability before missing several weeks with a leg injury.

The rest of the club: After their relegation last year, the second side began the year in Senior 2. There they won 9 of 10 games to claim the National Mutual Cup and with it promotion to the Senior 1 Ed Chaney Cup. In that competition they won their first seven matches before dropping their last two, before beating Tawa 32-5 in the semi-final to book a place in the final, where they went down to Petone 6-9. The Colts started the year in Division 1, but were relegated after a winless first-round. They found Division 2 more to their liking, winning 9 of 10 matches in the round-robin before going on to beat the Upper Hutt Rams and Wainuiomata to claim the Vic Calcinai Trophy. The Under 85 Cavs continued their rise in the grade as the successor to the Dogs of War side of the past decade, going out in the semi-finals of the Division 1 competition. The club's women again combined forces with MSP, while there were no fewer than three Reserve grade sides. The Division 1 Ruffnuts lifted the Johnsonville Centennium Cup after beating the Rams' J8's in the final, while the Rats finished sixth. The Division 2 Panthers had a few more struggles, trailing home the field. In terms of titles won across both rounds, Poneke was Wellington's most successful club with four.

Petone

Record: Swindale Shield - 3^rd W7 L4 / Jubilee Cup - 8^th W2 L5

What happened: Petone's squad combined a number of youthful newcomers together with several experienced campaigners, under the guise of coach Peter Green and assistants former All Black Rodney So'oialo and former Hurricane Alex Telea.

The Swindale campaign got underway with a win over Wellington, but had an inauspicious home start when they were trounced by OBU. They bounced back to claim the McBain Shield off HOBM 20-19 the next weekend, but after their round 7 loss to MSP there were some doubts if the team would qualify for the Jubilee Cup. Three weeks later they had run off wins over the Upper Hutt Rams, Tawa (inflicting the first defeat on Tawa at home for nearly two years and claiming the Bill Brien Challenge Cup at the same time), and Ories, and had qualified with a week to spare. A 36-0 romp over Johnsonville ensured the momentum would be carried over to the Jubilee Cup.

The Villagers got one monkey off their back in that first week. Having not won a Jubilee Cup match for over two years they hassled and harried an off-colour MSP to prevail 27-19. Losses to HOBM, Tawa, and the Rams followed - all reversals of the Swindale results with Tawa also reclaiming the Bill Brien in the process - ahead of their round 5 clash with Wainuiomata. After 77 minutes it seemed that a fourth defeat in succession was likely, but late tries to Keanu Moran and veteran rake Eugene Smith saw them pull off a 27-25 victory. Losing the next week to OBU left them with only a mathematical chance of qualifying, and their season ended with a 20-33 defeat to Ories. However the future looks bright at the Rec.

Who stood out: Loose forwards Josh Hrstich and Mateaki Kafatolu provided plenty for the side, with Hrstich particularly impressive in the Jubilee Cup; Eugene Smith kept doing what he does and young lock James Blackwell showed plenty of promise in his return from two injury-blighted years. The pick of the back division was the squat figure of midfielder Nick Grigg, young outside backs Sam McNichol (last year's NZ Schools fullback) and Aleks Noble-Campbell will be much with a season at this level under their belts. Carne Green was a solid performer in the halves, playing both 9 & 10 alongside Jared Kahu - whose return to the side sparked their mid-season run - and Riki Flutey.

The rest of the club: The Senior 1 side finished mid-table in the Harper Lock Shield, coming up a win short of a Hardham Cup place, before topping the Ed Chaney Cup round-robin and going onto beat Poneke 9-6 in a hard fought final.? The Senior 2nds also finished the first round mid-table before going out in the semi-finals. The U21 (Blue) side finished fourth in both rounds of the Colts division 1 competitions, bowing out to eventual champions OBU Green in the semi-finals, while the U20 (White) team competed in the lower grades of the age-grade competition. The Under 85kg Vipers withdrew before the start of the season due to a lack of numbers, but the Reserve grade Brotherhood won their first round trophy before going out at the semi-final stage in the second-round.

Tawa

Record: Swindale Shield 2nd W8 L3 / Jubilee Cup 7^th W2 L4 D1

What happened: There's probably been plenty of head-scratching going on at Lyndhurst Park at was really a season of two-halves for the defending Swindale Shield and Jubilee Cup champs.

Tawa started in ominous fashion for the competition, racking up 50 points on HOBM on Opening Day, then sweeping aside Wainuiomata, Norths, Wellington, and Poneke as they put the record of the dominant 2010 Norths side under threat. There was a rather large blip when they almost went down to Johnsonville at home on their Old Timers' Day with a late Kalim Kelemete try in the corner saving their blushes, but normal service resumed with wins over the Upper Hutt Rams and Ories. Then came the slide; beaten at home for the first time in two years when Petone managed the feat, a last minute loss to OBU the next weekend, and then going down to MSP 28-21 in the Swindale decider despite MSP being reduced to 14 men for the last 20 minutes.

It continued into the Jubilee Cup, albeit starting with an Ories side that could call on most of its stable of professional players owing to the international break, before being arrested with a 19-all draw with Wainuiomata and a win over Petone, claiming back the Bill Brien Challenge Cup in the process. That was lost to OBU the next week however, and despite toppling MSP their season petered out with a narrow loss to HOBM and a wider one to the Rams.

Who stood out: In a case of knowing when they weren't there with talismanic captain and prop Taniela Koroi's absence correspondents with the team's dip in form, though when on the park he was his usual mobile destructive self. He was ably supported by fellow front-rowers Lotu Nuku and Tolu Fahamokoia and others, chiefly Joketani Koroi, Fili Kolomatangi, Pati Gaualofa and Sam Blair as Tawa tried to stay to the same script that served them so well last year. The back division was less settled, though fullback Randall Bishop was an ever present, delivering solid composed performances and handling goal-kicking duties in James So'oialo's absence; and 200-game veteran Junior Togia filled-in admirably across the park when called upon.

The rest of the club: The Senior 1 side looked to build on its Ed Chaney Cup success of 2013 and were strong contenders for promotion to the Hardham Cup. However a pair of untimely losses to Petone and OBU proved too much to overcome. In the Ed Chaney Cup they won seven of nine matches, but their defence ended in the semi-finals when they were handily beaten by Poneke. The Colts side lost the first-round division 2 ‘final' and with it promotion to OBU Black, but slumped at the start of the second round and only late wins saw them qualify for the division 3 finals where they lost in the semi-finals at home to the Rams. The Under 85kg Titans were once again the chief challengers in the grade, with their only losses all year being to the MSP Blues side, who edged them 6-3 in the final.?

Old Boys-University

Record: Swindale Shield 5^th W7 L4 / Jubilee Cup 6^th W3 L4

What happened: A year after making the Jubilee Cup semis, OBU came up just short of reaching the same stage. The Goats led a somewhat nomadic path during the Swindale Shield rounds owing to the unavailability of Nairnville Park for the season and the Basin Reserve until later in the year, and opted to play home games at both the Polo Ground and Porirua Park, as well as at Wellington College.

OBU alternated wins and losses to open the Swindale. A lacklustre loss to the Upper Hutt Rams was followed by a comprehensive beating of Petone. Narrow results against Ories (loss), Poneke (win), Norths (loss) and MSP (win) - the latter two involving last minute penalty goals - came after that before a win over Johnsonville and loss to HOBM. With Tawa and Wainuiomata still to play it looked like it could be another one of those years for the club, but after Wellington was beaten, so was Tawa in the first game of the year on the Basin Reserve. The club then suffered a loss with the passing of stalwart Richard ‘Puddy' Newsome, and after Wainuiomata sportingly agreed to move the game to the Basin Reserve a win saw passage to the Jubilee Cup assured.

There the theme of alternating, narrow results returned; with wins over Ories, Tawa, and Petone following losses to HOBM, Wainuiomata, and the Rams respectively, though bonus points were secured in each loss. A win in their final match against MSP would see them through; otherwise they would be looking at results elsewhere. A poor start left them playing catch-up, though had one pass stuck near the end and they had scored under the posts, the combination of a four-try bonus and another for a loss within seven would have seen them progress at the expense of Ories.

Who stood out: Greg Mullany arrived at the club from overseas before the season (along with brother Matt who joined from Wests) and delivered a series of composed performances at 10 before moving out to 12. Halfback Matthew O'Connor earned a spot with the representative side, while outside backs Jesse Johnson and Te Wehi Wright both worked hard. Up front props Finbarr Kerr-Newell, Jonathan Fuimaono and Con Williams (who brought up his 100^th game during the season) were difficult opponents at scrum time complemented by the industry of hooker Zeke Sopoaga, while the Kennedy brothers, Ross and captain Ian (also a centurion this year) delivered lineout ball. Touted youngsters Teariki Ben-Nicholas and Wes Goosen both showed glimpses of their class and ability in their first seasons out of school.

The rest of the club: By number of teams, OBU is Wellington's largest. The Senior 1 side qualified for the Hardham Cup for the second successive year, finishing the Harper Lock Shield in second and being the only side to beat winners Avalon. Their Hardham Cup started with a shock win over Norths, but their only other success was against MSP B and they finished sixth. The Senior 2nds finished fifth in the National Mutual Cup, before making the final of the HD Morgan Cup where they were beaten by HOBM in defence of their title. The Women's side also finished fifth in their first round, before going out at the semi-finals stage of the championship Victoria Tavern Trophy.

Of the three Colts sides the Green's won both Division 1 titles, the Paris Memorial and John E Kelly Cups; the latter for the third year-in-a-row, in going unbeaten for the second straight year and running their winning streak to 36 games. The Black side won the Division 2 first round and promotion to Division 1, where they won two of seven; while the White team played in the lower divisions both rounds. The two Under 85kg sides - the Spartans and Bunnies - played in Division 1 both rounds, finishing third and sixth in the first round, before both going winless in the second and fighting out a draw between themselves. They lost some of their stable of Reserve grade teams, with the Righteous Brothers merging with the Therapists and the Dead Ants with the Pink Ginners, and the Bergs folding altogether. The Ginners would claim the Reserve Grade Division 2 title.

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