Norths expected to keep unbeaten run alive as battle for Jubilee Cup spots heats up

The expected continuation of Northern United's unbeaten run and the intensifying battle down the points table for Jubilee Cup berths are two key features of this weekend's eighth round set of Swindale Shield matches.

Top dog Norths are this week gunning to become the first team since Upper Hutt in 2005 to start the season with eight consecutive wins when they line up against winless Johnsonville at Helston Park. If they overcome Johnsonville, as the formbook strongly suggests they might, then Norths will exceed the accomplishments of Hutt Old Boys Marist in 2006, Poneke in 2007 and Petone last year, who each won their opening seven games of the season but tripped up for the first time in week eight. Of this trio, only Petone (shared with Norths) went on to win the Swindale Shield three weeks later, so if Norths can beat Johnsonville they should have at least one hand on the title.

Norths meet Johnsonville for the Barlow Trophy on the home side's Old Timers' Day, which they won comfortably at Helston Park the last time these sides met at Premier level in 2006. Bert Barlow played senior club rugby as a winger for Johnsonville before moving to Titahi Bay. Once settled in the Bay, Bert became active at the local Titahi Bay Rugby Club where he became a lower grade coach before moving through to help coach the club's top team. After coaching Bert later became Club Captain and also had a big input in the completion of the upgrade of the old Onepoto Park clubrooms.

As well as hoping to recapture the Barlow Trophy, Johnsonville are one of at least six teams with everything to play for this weekend as far as their top eight Jubilee Cup aspirations are concerned. The Club Weekly is predicting a rogue result or two this Saturday, with just four points separating seventh position to tenth and the bottom two sides the Wests Roosters and Johnsonville also still in with a mathematical chance to make the all-important top eight for the second half of the season.

These teams, Wainuiomata (on 15 points), Tawa (14), Old Boys-University (13), Upper Hutt (11) and Wests (5) and Johnsonville (3) are all now in desperation mode. Recent history also points to there being few changes to the composition of the top eight after this week's round - only once in the past seven seasons has a team climbed out of the bottom four over the last three weeks of the Swindale Shield to make the Jubilee Cup round (Tawa in 2005).

Over the past seven seasons the average number of points required to finish eighth is 23, meaning Wainuiomata could just be a bonus point win away from making the Jubilee Cup round for the first time since their reintroduction to Premier rugby at the start of 2007.

This week Wainuiomata play the Wests Roosters at Ian Galloway Park against a Wests side who has won just once at the start of the season against Johnsonville and then fallen over six weeks in a row. In contrast, Wainuiomata has won three and lost four, most recently going down 34-37 to Upper Hutt last week on their Old Timers' Day. However Wests won both their encounters last year (26-19 and 20-13) and Wainuiomata has won just once against them in five matches since 2007 (19-15 in 2008).

Upper Hutt, Tawa and OBU all promise to be dangerous opponents this week for the current top six teams they are playing.

Ninth placed OBU play fifth placed Marist St. Pat's for the Jack Lamason Memorial Cup, fittingly at the Allied Nationwide Finance Basin Reserve.

Jack Lamason was a legendary figure in Wellington sport before and after the Second World War. He played senior cricket for WCOB for 20 years, represented Wellington and toured England with the New Zealand team in 1937.

He also played senior rugby for WCOB, being captain and later coach. He represented Wellington from 1929-36 and was part of the 1930 Ranfurly Shield winning team coached by the renowned Norman Millard. Also of note, Lamason was never in the 1st XV or 1st XI whilst at Wellington College.

This trophy was originally established for competition between St Patrick's College Old Boys and Wellington College Old Boys. Following amalgamations, the contest is now between MSP and OBU. MSP are the holders, having won 27-12 last year. OBU previously won this clash 20-10 in 2008, which was MSP's only defeat that season.

Fresh from their 37-34 win over Wainuiomata last week, ninth place Upper Hutt host sixth placed Petone at Maidstone Park for the Connelly Cup. The Connelly 'boys' played for Upper Hutt many years ago and one of them, Ted Connelly, presented the cup for competition between Petone and Upper Hutt. Elsewhere, placed Tawa host third placed Poneke at Lyndhurst Park.

Poneke won this game at the same venue last year 40-13, although the game was delayed by up to half and hour on account of the Lyndhurst Park sprinkler system staying on.

This weekend's remaining Swindale Shield match is a battle of the birds, with the fourth placed Hutt Old Boys Marist Eagles hoping to prey on the second placed Oriental-Rongotai Magpies at the Hutt Recreation Ground. With Norths expected to move further ahead after this round, this match is a vital one for the first round title aspirations of both sides who each meet Norths in the following fortnight and can still win the Swindale Shield.

Elsewhere, the Senior 1 Harper Lock Shield is set to step up a gear this week as well as the competition to finish inside the top four and reach the Hardham Cup strengthens.

Like their top team, joint leaders Northern United will be favoured to win with a bonus point this week and extend their lead to the chasing pack. Norths play bottom placed Paremata-Plimmerton on their Old Timers' Day at Ngatitoa Domain at 3pm.

Norths and Paremata-Plimmerton play for the Ivan Hargreaves Trophy after the man who was avery active club rugby administrator for the old Titahi Bay RFC then the Northern United RFC until recent years.Ivan was also a Porirua City Councillor for many terms and put up this trophy to be played between the local Western Bays RFC's of Porirua, Titahi Bay, Paremata-Plimmerton and Tawa. Paramata-Plimmerton are the holders, having beaten Norths 25-17 last year.

Fellow frontrunners Hutt Old Boys Marist have a difficult final month to come and will have to keep playing well to stay on track for a Hardham Cup berth. Of the other five sides currently in the top six, HOBM have only played fourth placed Avalon so far (losing 29-14 - their only loss). This week they play fifth placed Ories at the Hutt Rec at 1.15pm, followed by Norths, Poneke (sixth) and then MSP (third).

Poneke, who play HOBM and Norths in the last two rounds, will be hoping for a strong showing this week against Tawa at Redwood Park at 1pm as they push to make the Hardham Cup round for the fourth time in the past five years.

Of note, the Poneke versus Tawa and Hutt Old Boys Marist Senior 1 matches will be refereed by visiting Japanese whistle blowers, the pair part of WRFU's referee exchange system that will also see visiting Queensland referees in the coming weeks.

Defending champions MSP will be trying to continue their surge up the table when they play ninth placed Old Boys-University at Nairnville Park at 1pm. After two losses in the opening three weeks (to Ories and Norths) MSP have since won five in a row and another win against OBU would cement their place inside the top three with three weeks remaining.

Fourth placed Avalon and ninth placed Stokes Valley meet at Fraser Park at 3pm for the Roger Mildenhall Cup, donated by the Mildenhall family in 1995. Roger Mildenhall was a Life member of the Avalon Rugby club and a long-term resident of Stokes Valley.

In the other Senior 1 match this weekend, Rimutaka host Petone at Maoribank Park at 3pm.

In Senior 2 National Mutual Cup action, leaders Northern United tackle eleventh placed Paramata-Plimmerton at Ngatitoa Domain at 1.15pm, while second placed Avalon meet fourth placed Wellington at Fraser Park at 1.15pm in this week's feature game

In other games, third placed Poneke travel to play tenth placed Hutt Old Boys Marist at 1.15pm, the fifth placed Wests Roosters battle it out against eighth placed Wainuiomata at Ian Galloway Park at 1.15pm, sixth placed OBU host MSP at Nairnville Park at 3pm and seventh placed Upper Hutt entertain winless Petone at Maidstone Park.

Unbeaten Petone meet fourth place MSP on neutral ground at Kilbirnie Park No.3 at 3pm in the fifth round of the Paris Memorial Division One U21 competition, while over on the same ground at the same time Poneke will be searching for their first win of this grade against fifth placed Ories. In other U21 games, Norths and Upper Hutt meet at Porirua Park at Porirua 2 at 1pm and OBU and HOBM clash at Martin Luckie Park at 3pm.

The first round of the Victoria Tavern Women's Trophy gets underway this weekend, with Fleurs Trophy winners Norths hosting MSP at 11.30am, Eketahuna hosting Petone soon after the bus arrives and Wainuiomata and Stokes Valley squaring off at William Jones Park at 11.30am. Old Boys-University has the first round bye.?

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