Silverware Beckons for HOBM in 2007

This week’s Club Weekly feature match sees 2006 high-flyers Hutt Old Boys Marist take on Poneke at the Hutt Recreation Ground. The impressive Eagles defeated Wainuiomata 45-6 in round one, running in six tries against the competition newcomers

HOBM finished second to Northern United in last year’s Swindale Shield, playing through unbeaten for the first seven rounds and leading throughout eight of the first nine rounds, before losing to Norths in week ten in what transpired to be a virtual final. They qualified third in the Jubilee Cup, losing to Poneke 15-13 at Kilbirnie Park in the semi-finals.

Their supporters will be hoping they can go one better this season and lift the Swindale Shield title they last won ten years ago in 1997. They will also be hoping that they can do so in a manner more akin to last week’s scoreline than in several of their games last year.

Four of their opening seven wins were achieved with last-gasp comeback victories, beating Upper Hutt and Marist St Pats after trailing 27-29 and 26-28 respectively, scoring a late try to break a 17-17 deadlock to topple Old Boys-University, and pipping Tawa 22-20 courtesy of another converted try in injury time. Additionally, their loss to Norths later in the round was by 26-24.

This will be close too, after the red and blacks scraped past MSP by one point in the first round in a typical gritty display. In an expected forward dominated battle, the edge could come out wide, with two of the competition’s best finishers on the wings in HOBM’s Jonathan Manu and Poneke’s Ambrose Plaister. Another key battle will be between two tigerish halfbacks in Hutt’s Nick Risdon and Poneke’s Blair Bradley, who impressed against MSP.

Elsewhere, Wainuiomata are likely to have the services of star halfback Piri Weepu in their match against Norths at William Jones Park. Weepu is one of three Wellington Hurricanes players who played against the Bulls last Saturday available for club rugby in round two – the other two are Norths players Tamati Ellison and Anthony Perenise.

In another anticipated match, Petone will be seeking to open their 2007 account against Old Boys-University at the Petone Recreation Ground, with Petone pipping OBU for a place in the Jubilee Cup semi-finals when they last met eight months ago. Petone were well beaten by Norths in the first round, while OBU overcame Western Suburbs. Other second round matches see Wests take on Tawa at Ian Galloway Park, Avalon host Upper Hutt at Fraser Park and MSP encounter Oriental Rongotai at the Polo Ground. All matches are at 3 pm.

Meanwhile, other grades are underway over Easter. The Senior One Harper Lock Shield and Senior Two National Mutual Cup kicked off last Saturday, while the Women’s Premier Grade season kicks off this weekend with games at Kilbirnie Park.