Key round seven clash for Ories and Wests at the Cage

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This weekend's round seven Swindale clash at Ian Galloway Park between Oriental-Rongotai and the Wests Roosters shapes as a key clash for both sides. For home team Wests, this match is a must-win or their 2010 Jubilee Cup hopes could be gone, while for in-form Ories another bonus point victory would keep the pressure right on Northern United with a month to play.

With tougher matches to come including dates with Hutt Old Boys Marist and then the big one against Norths in round 10, Ories will be eyeing up five points this week against Wests and hoping Norths slip up against neighbours Tawa in their match at Porirua Park for the inaugural Sammy Saili Memorial Trophy.

Languishing near the foot of the points table, the Roosters can keep their top eight aspirations alive with an upset win over Ories. But, with just a lone win to date, defeat could spell the end of the line for last year's beaten Hardham Cup finalists.

As was also the case last year, the Roosters haven't been far off the pace in most of their matches losing several close arm-wrestles, such as in round two against HOBM (29-37) and Poneke (20-36) and last week to previous winless Upper Hutt (7-21).

Against Ories they face a team high on confidence with four bonus point wins out of five victories and just one loss, to Poneke, back in the opening week (18-20). They are coming off a 55-24 win over Johnsonville, their second half century score of the season.

This match is for the Keith Mettrick Memorial Cup. Keith Mettrick was involved with the Oriental-Rongotai RFC from 1957 until he passed away in 1986. When Mettrick retired from Ories rugby in 1968 he had made a name for himself as a nuggety hooker, representing Wellington A and B between 1959 and 1963.?After his playing days were over Mettrick began a successful coaching career in Senior Club Rugby before taking over the Wellington Colts and Wellington B.

Ories are the holders, after defeating Wests 34-28 the last time they met in last year's Swindale Shield match at this same venue. In a typically abrasive encounter, Ories held on in the second half after leading 12-10 at halftime. This match was also notable for the career ending injury suffered by long-serving Wests fullback and Dominion Post rugby writer Toby Robson. Robson has since take up the assistant coaching reins.

Elsewhere, Norths will be eager to keep their foot on the pedal when they host neighbours Tawa who will leave nothing in the tank in what could be an exciting game if the visitors' backline stars come out to play. Tawa's stinging? 24-15 win the last time these two sides met in round one of the 2009 Jubilee Cup will also be fresh on both of their minds, although Norths won each of their previous seven clashes going back to the 2005 Swindale Shield.

This match takes on special significance as being played for the inaugural Sammy Saili memorial Trophy, who passed away suddenly last year. This trophy has been

donated by his wife Rachel and family to both clubs to be played for each year in the first round of Premier rugby.

Sammy played over 200 Premier games for Norths between 1992-1995 and from Tawa from 1996-2008. He coached junior rugby for Tawa RFC and Tawa College and was a dedicated volunteer at club and in the community. He was a leader in the church and in the Samoan community and recruited many Pacific Islanders (from Porirua) to the Tawa club.?

It's Old Timers' Day at Evans Bay Park, where home team Marist St. Pat's and Petone play for the Bill Elvy Cup, after the late Bill Elvy who was originally from Canterbury but played for Petone soon after seeing the light and arriving in Wellington. He was a Wellington representative in the late 1920s and made the North Island and New Zealand XV teams (1929). Bill's son Norm played for both the Marist and St Pat's clubs and his grandson Martin played for MSP

This is an important clash on the calendar of both clubs. Petone and MSP have contested many epic matches down the years. In recent times, MSP have won three of their past five encounters including two Jubilee Cup semi-finals in 2007 (24-23) and 2009 (15-8).

Petone prevailed in two of their three clashes last year, including a 37-11 win in this corresponding Swindale Shield and Bill Elvy encounter at EvanS Bay Park.

Across the road at Kilbirnie Park, Poneke will be out to put last week's epic last-gasp defeat to Petone behind them and resume their winning ways against Old Boys-University.

These teams will be playing for the Beet Algar Rosebowl, which Poneke won last year with a 76-0 swamping at this same venue - Charlie Ngatai bagging four tries. Beet (short for Beethoven after the musician) Algar was heavily involved with the Poneke club. He was the captain of the senior side from 1919-22. When he retired from the game he was a key administrator of the club. Up until his passing in 1978 he was the club's patron. His brother Doug also represented Wellington.

Poneke will also be playing for the unofficial City Slam - wins in one Swindale Shield over all the other three Wellington City-based clubs (plus a fourth, Wellington, when applicable). Poneke have so far overcome Ories (20-18) and MSP (19-14).

Hutt Old Boys Marist, Wainuiomata, Stokes Valley and Eastbourne are all also holding their Old Timers' Days this Saturday.

At the Hutt Recreation Ground, the home side hosts Johnsonville in a do or die clash for the visitors who need to at least win four of their last five games to make the Jubilee Cup round. If HOBM can beat Johnsonville with a bonus point and other results go their way they could leap from fifth to third this weekend and be in a position to challenge both Ories and Norths in the following fortnight.

Ninth placed Wainuiomata can climb up to four places on the points table if they can overcome Upper Hutt and score four or more tries. One of three teams equal on 13 points, alongside OBU and Tawa, Wainuiomata can also leapfrog sixth placed MSP if they lose to Petone.

Wainuiomata and Upper Hutt also play for the Peter Jones and Dave Ritchie Cup. Information on this is welcomed.?

Stokes Valley will be trying to win the Snow Buchanan Memorial Trophy off Rimutaka on their Old Timers' Day clash at Delaney Park. This trophy was donated by Lou Buchanan and family and is played for at the first meeting of the year between any of the two clubs' teams.

This clash is also hugely important for the faint chances of each of these teams finishing inside the top four and making the Hardham Cup at the end of this Senior 1 Harper Lock Shield round.

Both are sitting near the bottom of the table, with ninth placed Rimutaka still in with an outside chance of reaching the Hardham Cup for the third year in succession if they win this and at least three of their remaining four matches that follow. Bottom placed Stokes Valley would need an astonishing form injection and five straight wins for this to happen.

At the top of the Senior 1 table, Hutt Old Boys Marist will be confident of banking the five competition points on offer against eleventh placed Paremata-Plimmerton in their home clash at the Hutt Rec at 1.15pm.

Northern United host eighth placed Tawa at Porirua Park, while third placed Ories and fifth placed Avalon clash at Fraser Park at 3pm.

Elsewhere, fourth placed MSP meet tenth placed protagonists Petone at Evans Bay Park and sixth and seventh placed OBU and Poneke meet at Kilbirnie Park at 1.15pm.

In the Senior 2 National Mutual Cup, leaders Norths meet eighth placed HOBM at Porirua Park at 1.15pm and second placed Avalon host eleventh placed Paremata-Plimmerton at Fraser Park at 1.15pm.

Third placed Wellington travel to Ian Galloway Park to play seventh placed the Wests Roosters at 1.15pm, fourth placed OBU play Poneke at Kilbirnie at 1.15pm, sixth placed Upper Hutt play ninth placed Wainuiomata at William Jones Park at 1.15pm and 10^th placed MSP entertain winless Petone in Poneke country at Kilbirnie Park at 1.15pm.

In the Premier Women's Grade, Norths will lift the first round Fleurs Trophy aloft on Saturday if they can defeat Eketahuna away in their last round match. With one round to go, Norths are on 25 points and Eketahuna 24. Norths have also yet to concede a point all season, while scoring 215 in five matches to date.

Petone have the bye in the last round but are guaranteed third place, with a six-point buffer to Stokes Valley and OBU on nine points.

In the rounds other two matches, Wainuiomata hosts OBU at Mary Crowther Park and Stokes Valley welcomes Marist St. Pat's on to Delaney Park.