Wellington club rugby finals 2009 previews

Update 9am Friday: Teams are now published. To view the four starting XV's for Sunday please see Games & Results across the top of this page.

Jubilee Cup: Northern United v Marist St. Pat's
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If the 2008 Jubilee Cup final between Marist. St Pat's and Northern United is anything to go by Wellington club rugby fans will be on the edge of their seats throughout?Sunday's re-run. Last year's season finale was so tight that they battled to a 10-10 draw and the Cup was shared for the first time since the playoff format was introduced in 1993.
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This year extra time has been written into the script should scores be tied again at fulltime, so one of these teams will walk away as sole champions. But only the most enthusiastic of pundits would wish to pick which one given the nature of the occasion and fierce pride that both teams have in their jerseys. In the scarlet corner is MSP, Wellington's best performing club over the past three decades with a glittering 12 Jubilee Cup titles since their first in 1978, while in the blue and white corner is Norths, Wellington's new club rugby powerhouse and winners in 2004, 2006 and 2008 and one-point beaten finalists in 2005.
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Despite both teams missing several of their frontline stars to Vodafone Wellington Lions duty, fans can expect another torrid final similar to last year's season finale that was played in bitterly cold conditions but quickly heated up when Norths came storming back from a 10-0 halftime deficit to draw level. This followed a pattern of tight finals that saw the widest winning margin in the first six at Westpac Stadium between 2000 and 2005 just five points and Norths' 25-12 win over Poneke in 2006 a comparative blowout.
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Look out for big name players and individual heroics to play prominent parts. No one will forget the superb tactical play and goal kicking of David Holwell (Poneke), Tamati Ellison (Norths) and Earl Va'a (Petone) that won finals in 2003, 2004 and 2005 or the Jerry Collins-inspired Norths win in 2006. Past finals experience will also be crucial, with many players in both teams returning from last year and from previous finals in 2006 and 2007 and earlier.
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If Norths win they will become the fourth side in 11 years to capture the Swindale Shield-Jubilee Cup double in the same season, a feat achieved by MSP teams in 1999 and 2008 and by Norths in 2006. Norths co-won this year's Swindale Shield title with Petone, while MSP finished fifth. Both have timed their Jubilee Cup campaigns well, MSP winning their last four round-robin games and then beating Petone 15-8 in their semi-final, Norths finishing fourth and toppling top qualifiers Poneke 30-10 in the other semi-final. Head-to-head this year, Norths beat MSP 39-13 in the first round and MSP won 19-12 in the return fixture four weeks ago.?
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Hardham Cup: Old Boys-University v Wests Roosters
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A return to finals rugby has been a long time coming for both Old Boys-University and the Wests Roosters who each return to Westpac Stadium for the first time in several seasons. The last time Wests were there was in 2003 when they stormed to a 31-15 win over Tawa in the Hardham Cup final, while 2001 Hardham Cup champions OBU last played for any silverware in 2002 when they went down 13-18 to Marist St. Pat's in that year's Jubilee Cup final.
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As such both will be especially eager to end their 2009 seasons on a high and recapture Wellington rugby's greatest consolation prize, so named after a Boer War Victoria Cross recipient and Wellington representative Ranfurly Shield winner. Both OBU and Wests??arrive there having overcome testing opposition in last week's semi-finals, unbeaten OBU having their second tough game of the season against Johnsonville in winning 18-13 and the Roosters overcoming 2006-2008 Hardham Cup finalists Wainuiomata 25-19.
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OBU have had a cracking second round after finishing eleventh of 12 sides in the Swindale Shield. OBU were unable to win any of their first ten matches and appeared destined for the wooden spoon. But they turned a corner in their last Swindale Shield outing by beating Jubilee Cup side Upper Hutt - and haven't been beaten since in a winning streak that now stretches nine games.
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It is for this reason that they must be considered favourites for this clash against a Wests team that promised much at the start of the year but failed to deliver and eventually finished ninth in the Swindale Shield with just two wins in 11 games. However plucky is a byword associated with this Wests team, who also won their last Swindale Shield game and then prevailed in five of their seven Hardham Cup round-robin encounters. Head-to-head this season, these sides fought out a 10-10 at the start of the year and OBU won 20-5 when they met most recently six weeks ago. Though inconsequential to today's meeting, it is nevertheless compelling that of their last 10 encounters OBU have won seven, Wests one (in 2005) and there have been two draws.
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In this year's Hardham Cup, OBU and Wests both have excellent defensive records, Wests conceding just over 12 points per game and OBU even fewer at under 9 points per game. At the attacking end of the park, OBU have scored 23 tries in eight games and Wests 20, although 11 of OBU's tries came in one match against Poneke. OBU have kicked 19 penalties and Wests 11, all pointing to patience and discipline being the likely keys to Hardham Cup glory. OBU also have the top try scorer in both the Jubilee and Hardham Cups in winger Troy Bramley with 7 tries.