HOBM hoping to avoid more McBain pain in third round

The season’s just a fortnight old, but the pressure’s right on Hutt Old Boys Marist to beat Petone this Saturday at home at the Hutt Recreation Ground. Vital Swindale Shield points are at stake, as are the hopes and expectations of their supporters to lift one of Wellington rugby's most noted interclub trophies, the McBain Shield.

The Eagles have yet to leave the roost this year. With losses in the opening fortnight to defending champions Northern United (17-34) and Oriental-Rongotai (10-14), HOBM have a solitary bonus point to their credit so far. Not only do they need to get their season rocking and rolling, but three losses on the trot will undoubtedly spell the end of their first round challenge. In recent years, Norths have twice come back from losing their opening two games of the season to win the Swindale Shield (2003 and 2009). But no team has lost three times this early in the year and recovered for first round success.

Also on the line is the McBain Shield, HOBM’s annual interclub trophy fixture with their cross-river rivals Petone, which they haven’t been able to put back in their trophy cabinet since 2006.

For both clubs, the McBain Shield match takes on special significance. First played for in 1935, it commemorates the memory of Alexander McBain who was the first headmaster of Eastern Hutt School when it opened in 1915. He was a life long supporter of rugby and a loyal member and Past President of the Hutt Club and elected a life member in 1928.? McBain was also vice-president of the WRFU.

Petone has generally had the better of this contest, winning it 58 times, and both recent McBain Shield history and current form suggests their grip on it could extend for another season.

Petone will be gunning for five McBain Shield wins in a row when they venture over the bridge for this year’s clash. In last year’s match Petone beat HOBM 41-22 in front of a large and expectant crowd. Petone raced to a forwards-dominated 29-5 halftime lead. Other recent wins for Petone were 27-16 in 2007, 16-13 in 2008 and 15-0 in 2009.? Of the last eight at Premier level since HOBM's promotion back up from Senior 1 in 2003, HOBM have won three and Petone five.

Like HOBM, Petone will be anxious to fire their season into life in this clash after a determined 24-20 win in their season opener against Poneke for the Fred Tilyard Shield and a surprise one-point loss to Upper Hutt in their first home of the year at the Petone Recreation Ground. Despite having late chances with the boot to snatch victory, Petone went down 26-27 to Upper Hutt. They also lost another interclub trophy, the Connelly Cup, so won’t want to give up the McBain Shield easily.

The HOBM – Petone McBain Shield isn’t the only hugely anticipated match of this Saturday’s third round of New Zealand’s toughest club rugby competition.

In another mouthwatering match-up, big guns Marist St. Pat’s and Northern United step on to Evans Bay Park in a contest that could prove key at the business end of the first round in several weeks time. Both are unbeaten after two rounds and the winner will be looking good at the top of the table after this weekend. 2009 champions MSP have so far beaten the Wests Roosters 19-10 and Tawa 48-40, while Norths have accounted for HOBM 34-17 and Wainuiomata 64-12.

Norths will be playing to extend their unbeaten Swindale Shield run to 23 matches and to record their third consecutive win over close rivals MSP. Norths beat MSP 54-26 in this corresponding match at the start of last year, and also won 20-3 at Evans Bay Park in their subsequent Jubilee Cup fixture. MSP’s last win over Norths was their 21-16 Jubilee Cup final victory in August 2009.

Yet another significant early season match-up will be between early season surprise package Upper Hutt and a solid looking Oriental-Rongotai at Maidstone Park. Again, both these teams are unbeaten and the winner will remain ahead of the pack after the opening three weeks.

Upper Hutt will be out to break a four-game losing streak to Ories in all matches going back to their 13-12 win un the 2008 Jubilee Cup round. Last year’s corresponding clash between these teams was one of the thrillers of the first round, with Ories first five-eighth James Proctor kicking the match winning penalty at the death for a 27-25 win. Previously, Upper Hutt wing Ofa Pongi had scored his second try of the match to give his side a 25-24 lead with just minutes remaining.

Ories also won their Jubilee Cup clash against Upper Hutt last year 17-11, and prevailed 34-32 and 41-27 in their two matches in 2009.

In another encounter of potentially high significance for the fortunes of both teams, winless Tawa and Wainuiomata meet for the Chris Stirling Cup at William Jones Park.

After big losses to Upper Hutt and Norths, Wainuiomata will be hoping to turn home ground advantage for the first time this year into their first win. Tawa’s two losses have been contrasting, going down just 23-21 to Old Boys-University on Gala Day and by 48-40 to MSP in an 11-try sizzler at Lyndhurst Park last week.

These teams play for the Chris Stirling Cup, which was presented by the Wainuiomata Premier’s of 2009 in appreciation of the excellent work Chris Stirling did for Wainuiomata as Club Coaching Co-ordinator from 2005 to 2007. Stirling also has very strong connections with the Tawa Rugby Club where he played over 200 premier games for them and was their Club Coaching Co-ordinator from 2008 to May 2009.

Tawa are the current holders having won 39-23 last year, while their inaugural clash in 2009 saw the cup shared with a 20-20 draw.

Old Boys-University and the Wests Roosters play for the Omar Cup at the current home ground of OBU and former home ground of Wests, Nairnville Park. OBU have had a close win and a close loss against Tawa and Poneke respectively so far, while Wests have two losses to MSP and Avalon.

Last year’s corresponding clash between OBU and Wests saw OBU pip Wests 36-35, with OBU first five-eighth and now Highlander Lima Sopoaga kicking the match winning penalty near the end to make it 36-30. Wests then scored a late try to close to within a point, but failed to land the conversion that would have given them the win.

The Wests Roosters have lost seven and drawn one (10-10 in 2009) of their previous eight games in all competitions against OBU, and need to go back to 2005 for their 19-9 win for their last victory over the students at Premier level.

Avalon, who host Poneke at Fraser Park in their first home game of the season, will want to continue the good form they showed in last week’s 31-3 win over the Roosters. After being well beaten by Ories in round one they bounced back well against Wests.

They meet expected sterner opposition this week in Poneke though, who responded to their first round loss to Petone with a gritty win over OBU.

Similar to Wests against OBU, Avalon will have to snap an eight game losing streak at Premier level against Poneke that goes back to the end of the 2004 Jubilee Cup round-robin when they won 18-15. Poneke then turned around and beat Avalon 17-6 in the semi-final and then won the next seven between 2005 and 2009 when they last met.

In the Senior 1 Harper Lock Shield, MSP, HOBM and Poneke are the three unbeaten teams after the opening fortnight.

In their third round matches, HOBM and MSP play teams with a win and a loss in Petone and Northern United respectively, while Poneke meets winless Stokes Valley.

In Senior 1 matches between teams with a win and a loss, OBU and Johnsonville meet at Nairnville Park and Rimutaka and Ories do battle at Maoribank Park.?????????????

Paramata-Plimmerton and Tawa will be searching for their first wins when they meet at Ngatitoa Domain.

In the Senior 2 National Mutual Cup there’s five unbeaten teams after the opening two rounds, each of whom play teams this weekend with losses– meaning if they were all to win again a clear gap on the points table to open up after just three rounds.

The five unbeaten teams after two rounds are MSP, OBU, Avalon, HOBM and Upper Hutt.

In third round Senior 2 matches, MSP, OBU play winless Norths and Wests respectively, while HOBM and Upper Hutt also meet winless opposition after the first fortnight in Petone and Wellington.

Elsewhere, Avalon play Poneke who have a win and a loss so far and winless Wainuiomata and Johnsonville clash in the other game.

In week two Fleurs Trophy women’s action, defending champions Northern United host Petone, Eketahuna host Wainuiomata and OBU host MSP. Stokes Valley has the bye.