Time for Jubilee and Hardham Cup strugglers to step up in fifth round

This week's fifth round sets of Jubilee and Hardham Cup matches are key for the several teams across both competitions who need to win or their semi-finals hopes and dreams for 2009 will be over for another year.

Jubilee Cup strugglers Tawa and Upper Hutt find themselves in must win situations, needing to win their last three matches and also having to rely on other results to go their way to have any hope of making the playoffs. Sixth placed Hutt Old Boys Marist can still most probably make the top four on their own without having to sweat on other results providing they can win in the last three weeks.

HOBM conceded a late converted try to be pipped by Poneke last week, a heartbreaking loss that if reversed would have seen them drawn level on the points table with fifth placed Marist St. Pat's and Oriental-Rongotai on 10 points who are in turn? just four points adrift of new leaders Petone on 14.

With the leading five teams thus separated by four points on the points table with three rounds to go and with at least three teams needing to win this week to keep their Jubilee Cup alive this weekend's set of matches could be the most important of the season for many.

Of the bottom trio,?two have away games this week making their obstacles all the more difficult. In these games, Upper Hutt?host Petone at Maidstone Park, Tawa play Poneke at Kilbirnie Park and HOBM meet Ories at the Polo Ground.

HOBM encounter an Ories team coming off a 9-30 loss to Norths after playing much of the second half with 14-men, but will be looking to bounce back in just their second home fixture of the round against the Eagles after beating Upper Hutt 41-27 at the Polo Ground in bitter conditions in round two. Ories then travel to Petone in round six before hosting old rivals Poneke in the last round so they will see this as being just an important game.

Upper Hutt were the only team to beat Petone in the Swindale Shield, winning 22-19 . If they want to stay alive in this year's Jubilee Cup they will have to do it again on Saturday.

Poneke are a formidable opponent at home this time of year, although they were beaten at Kilbirnie Park by Norths three weeks ago, 18-10. Tawa's 2009 chances were seemingly struck a mortal blow when they were stripped of their points for beating Norths in the first round for fielding an ineligible player. That decision put them back to zero on the table and they have since conceded 120 points in two heavy losses to Ories and Petone. Poneke also beat Tawa 40-13 when they met in the Swindale Shield, pulling away with a late flurry of scoring from a 13-13 score midway through the second half.

This game was also notable for the Lyndhurst Park sprinklers coming on and causing havoc to the curtain raiser and the immediate build up. Tawa will be hoping the sprinkler system remains unemployed for this on an already puggy Kilbirnie Park if are to have any show of beating the red and blacks with a bonus point.

Meanwhile, the heavyweight clash of the round is just across the road at Evans Bay Park, where Marist St. Pat's entertain the Norths roadshow. A win for Norths would probably assure them of their place in the semi-finals and victory for MSP would keep them firmly in the top half of the field with two rounds to play.

It's been a roller coaster season for MSP fans whose team has been very much the inconsistent side of the leading Swindale Shield and Jubilee Cup contenders. But last week they earned an excellent 46-14 win over Upper Hutt to make it two from four in the second round.? Apart from their comprehensive last round Swindale Shield loss to Norths (13-39), they also have a good recent record against Norths who have now won three in a row.

Life in the Hardham Cup is just as intense for at least half the field in round five, particularly current Swindale Shield teams the Wests Roosters (fifth) and Avalon (seventh), both also battling to retain their Premier status in 2010.

Avalon are the one side really treading water this week, while The fortunes of three of the four current Premier teams are still up in the air with only unbeaten Old Boys-University assured of their place again in the Swindale Shield next year. With three weeks remaining, seventh placed Avalon realistically needs to win all their last three matches to make the playoffs and avoid relegation at the likely expense of either Johnsonville or Rimutaka - or both.

It doesn't get any easier for Avalon this week, hosting their no doubt fired up Hutt Valley neighbours Rimutaka at Fraser Park. They then meet OBU away at the Basin Reserve and an in-form Johnsonville at home in the last week in what could yet become a virtual promotion-relegation encounter.

This week Wests play Poneke in the early game at 1.15pm at Kilbirnie Park, knowing that the previous two visitors there, Avalon and Johnsonville, required the full 80 minutes to grab the four competition points. The inconsistent Roosters' record of loss, win, loss, win in their first four games is a pattern that rolls off the tongue well for their rivals.

Johnsonville should earn their semi-final spot and also regain their Premier status if they beat MSP B at Helston Park or at least snatch a couple of competition points through a draw or close loss. Johnsonville are coming off a 9-16 defeat to OBU and MSP drew with Rimutaka 13-13 last week. This should be a cracker, with MSP keen to keep playing their spoiler role for the other teams and also push for the semi-finals themselves. MSP beat Johnsonville 29-5 when they met in the first round Harper Lock Shield.

With the job of retaining their Premier status for next season safely negociated, OBU can now turn their attention to winning their remaining three games and qualifying top for the semi-finals. This week the students do battle with Wainuiomata at William Jones Park, against a home side who will also likely book their semi-final spot and avoid the relegation trap if they can win this one. Wainuiomata beat OBU 17-9 when they won in the first round.

In other grades, unbeaten Petone will be hoping to extend its lead in the Senior One Ed Chaney Cup when they take on second to last Upper Hutt at Maidstone Park. Upper Hutt will have their work cut out trying to sneak past their tryline, Petone having conceded just 27 in their four second round games so far.

The big match of the Ed Chaney round is between second placed Ories and third placed HOBM at the Polo Ground at 1.15pm, the curtain raiser to the Jubilee Cup game between the same clubs. Both have won three from four and will be primed for this clash.

Fourth placed Stokes Valley will move up the ladder alongside or ahead of one of these teams provided they can overcome bottom placed MSP at Evans Bay Park.

The HD Morgan Memorial Senior Two Trophy is evenly poised, with Wainuiomata and Paremata-Plimmerton both unbeaten and level pegging at the top on 18 points. Wainuiomata meet mid-table Norths a Porirua Park, while Pare-Plimm are up against the third placed Wellington Axemen who have won three from four at Ngatitoa Domain.

It's the last round of the women's Victoria Tavern Trophy this weekend, ahead of next week's semi-finals. With a six-point lead at the top, first round champions Norths are already assured of qualifying first, but there's a mad scramble this weekend for the minor placings this weekend with only winless Old Boys-University out of contention in the six-team competition.

Effectively five teams are playing this week to decide the remaining three places for the playoffs and, importantly for Eketahuna and Johnsonville who will be returning for next week's playoffs, the order of finishing.

This week's final round draw sees fourth placed Stokes Valley playing top dog Norths at Porirua Park, potentially opening the door for fifth placed Ories to sneak past them if they can score four or more tries and beat second placed Eketahuna away.

A win without a bonus point wouldn't suffice for Ories, which would see them draw level with Stokes Valley on 8 points but then Stokes Valley would qualify ahead of them for a likely second consecutive meeting with Norths on the basis of their 8-0 win against them in round robin play.

Meanwhile, third placed Johnsonville will at least retain their position provided they beat OBU at Prince of Wales Park.