Wellington club rugby week two preview

A giant second round of 2010 Swindale Shield rugby this Saturday sees Petone host first round bonus point winners Tawa on their Old Timers' Day, traditional rivals Poneke and Marist St. Pat's square off at Evans Bay Park and opening home games of the season for Oriental-Rongotai, Upper Hutt, the Wests Roosters and Wainuiomata.

The Petone Rugby Football Club is holding its Old Timers' Day this Saturday ahead of its 125^th anniversary celebrations over the weekend of 7-9 May. The afternoon kicks off with a luncheon in the clubrooms and the official opening of their state-of-the-art memorabilia lounge followed by Senior 1 Harper Lock Shield (1.15pm) and Premier Swindale Shield (3.00pm) matches against Tawa.

Petone's top two teams will both be searching for first up season wins against their Tawa opposition who started their 2010 campaign off with bonus points in both the grades. Petone lost to Old Boys-University 9-20 in Senior 1 last week and drew 20-20 with OBU in the Premier fixture. Tawa's Senior 1 team defeated Stokes Valley 34-16 and their Premiers overcame Wainuiomata 39-14.

With their stable of potentially lethal backs, including veterans Willie Lafaele and Junior Togia and representative players Nigel Hunt, Shaun Treeby and David Smith (if available) Tawa present a tough challenge for the Villagers and a second successive victory ?for Tawa would put them in great stead for a top finishing first round. Despite losing key players, hooker Matt Treeby (overseas) and openside Tivaini Fomai (Hawke's Bay) in the off-season, they also have a core group of well-performed forwards who Petone's experienced pack will need to contain.

The points generally flow when Tawa and Petone meet and the head-to-head ledger from their past five Swindale Shield clashes stands at three wins to Petone (in 2005, 2008 and 2009 one draw (21-21) in 2007 and one victory to Tawa in 2006. Tawa's 2006 win was a memorable 46-21 one in which Togia (2), Lafaele and Hunt all scored tries in an eight try extravaganza. Petone won 68-7 at home the last time they met in last year's Jubilee Cup round, although Tawa were hit hard by injuries.

This match is also the first Bill Brien challenge Cup match of the new season, after Petone won it off holders Oriental-Rongotai in the final Jubilee Cup round-robin match last season. This interclub prize takes on extra significance this year following the recent death of the former WRFU President and Wellington Publican Bill Brien after a long illness. Brien donated the then named Rose and Crown Cup following his Presidency at the end of 1992.

Another big clash of the second round sees Marist St. Pat's host near-neighbours Poneke in both the top two grades in the battle of Evans Bay.

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Poneke's Senior 1 team is coming off a draw (24-24 with Ories) and MSP's a loss (15-18 to Norths), while for both Premier teams it's the second of two big clashes for each to start the 2010 season, after MSP met Norths last week and Poneke faced their other local rival Oriental-Rongotai. In tough first-up clashes, MSP couldn't contain Norths in conceding seven tries and losing 26-54 and Poneke squeezed past Ories with a penalty on fulltime to win the game 20-18.

Expect MSP to bounce back quickly on their home track, although Poneke will draw on their win there in this corresponding clash a year ago (18-8) , which broke a two-season, 16-match winning streak for MSP at Evans Bay Park. Poneke also won there in the first round of 2007 (18-17), but before that MSP beat Poneke six years in a row in all Swindale Shield clashes.

This match is also for the Horan-Millar Trophy, first played for last year between the two clubs after former Poneke legend of the 1950s-1970s and life member Ken Millar who passed away in 1982 and former MSP coach and Marist hooker Mick Horan who played 175 Senior consecutive between 1955-1965 and passed away in 1982 aged 47. ?Both Ken and Mick were great club men who locked horns over many seasons in Wellington club football and were good friends off the field who had great respect for each other.

First round winners Norths travel to Maidstone Park to play Upper Hutt for the Terry Farrow Memorial Cup, which was donated by the Farrow family in memory of Terry Farrow, Past Life Member of Norths RFC who passed away in 1999. Terry was instrumental in the amalgamation of the Titahi Bay and Porirua clubs, which formed Norths in 1990. Terry's father, George was the first life member of the Upper Hutt club. Other family connections with Upper Hutt include Kerry Farrow, who was a long time player and captain of their premier side.

Other round two Swindale Shield matches this Saturday see Ories host OBU at the Polo Ground, the Wests Roosters entertain the Hutt Old Boys Eagles at Ian Galloway Park and Johnsonville and Wainuiomata lock horns at William Jones Park.

In the Harper Lock Shield, Avalon will be hoping for their second bonus point win of the new season on their journey for Premier promotion against HOBM. This encounter is for the Billy Herbert Memorial Trophy after the former HOBM prop who shifted to Avalon in 2005 but suffered a heart attack on the last training night before the first competition game.

In the Senior Two National Mutual Cup, Wellington plays Old Boys-University at Hataitai Park and the Wests Roosters and Avalon contest the Wayne Fraser Memorial Trophy, which was donated by the Naenae Hotel to be contested between the Western Suburbs Club and Avalon Club in 1994 after the tragic death of Wayne Fraser. Wayne played for Wests from the age of 21 before transferring to Avalon where he played until his death. Up until this season it has been played for at Premier level.

Eketahuna kick off their Premier Women's season against Wainuiomata at William Jones Park after having the bye last week, while Norths host Stokes Valley and Petone host OBU and MSP have the bye in the women's grade.

This weekend also marks the first round of all grades of club rugby for the new season, following the start of Premier, Senior 1 and 2 and women's grades last week. The Senior 3 JDR Cup kicks off, while the 85kg Restricted and Reserve Grade have their first round of grading games and the presidents wander out for their first Saturday afternoon outing of the year.