The Jim Brown Medal for the Player of the Final

In 2004 the Jim Brown Memorial Medal and Plate was first awarded to the Player of the Jubilee Cup Final, and since won by several players including Hurricanes halfback TJ Perenara (pictured above) in 2010.

Jim Brown was a stalwart of the great Petone teams of the 1960s and 1970s , playing over 200 matches for the club and many for Wellington. He made his debut for Petone just a couple of weeks before future All Blacks captain Andy Leslie who this week described the former centre as “one of the best players I played with, and a player with a great rugby brain.”

Leslie added that Brown went within a whisker of being selected for the All Blacks and was measured up for an All Blacks suit the day before the team was named. He just missed selection and then subsequently broke his leg and never made the national side.

Brown died of cancer in 2004 and his family donated the Jim Brown Medal that year. His son is 2013 British Open golfer Mark Brown, while an interclub trophy in his name is also played for between Petone and Ories each year in the Swindale Shield.

The Jim Brown Medal winners and their contributions to the finals between 2004-2012 are detailed below:

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2004: Tamati Ellison - Northern United

The 2004 Jubilee Cup final started in stunning fashion, even before the kick-off. Poneke coach Ross Bond named a rookie at first-five. Brad Cooper, son of Hurricanes coach at the time Colin Copper, was thrust into his Premier debut. Meanwhile Norths changed pivots too with regular midfielder Tamati Ellison moved into the 10 jersey to direct play and take the goal-kicking duties away from Peato Lafaele. Lafaele had kicked 1 goal from 14 attempts in North’s previous two games! Ellison (later an All Black) but only 21 at the time rose to the occasion best. He kicked four goals, set up a try for former Poneke player Lafaele and played an assured all-round game to guide Norths to their first Jubilee Cup title. Cooper was replaced by Tongan international and halfback David Palu when Poneke was down 17-8. Despite a late rally by Poneke, Ellison’s men held onto win by 20-18. Ellison’s celebrations on Sunday evening were somewhat reserved. He had a university examination the following morning. ?

2005: Earl Va’a - Petone

Earl Va’a is the oldest winner of the Jim Brown Medal, aged 33. The 28-test Samoan international was instrumental in Petone’s dramatic revival to beat Northern United, 21-20 at Westpac Stadium.? Playing into a stiff southerly, Petone was down 6-20 early in the second-half. An error by Va’a was responsible for a Norths try. Leading 6-3 at the time, Petone were hot on attack inside Norths’ 22. Awarded a penalty, a kick for goal would have given them a 9-3 lead,but a spilt ball following a quick tap saw Norths counterattack and another Samoan international, prop Anthony Perenise, score a try. Va’a collected his composure after this setback and produced a masterful display of tactical rugby. Marshalling his forwards expertly and occasionally taking the ball to the line, Va’a helped Petone gradually gain the ascendency. A try to Wellington Saints basketballer and New Zealand Sevens representative, Tu Umaga-Marshall narrowed the gap. Then winger and Tongan Sevens representative Willie Moala ran down a Temanu Martin chip kick to make it 20-16. Va’a’s goal kicking would be the difference! He nailed the sideline conversion of Moala’s try in the 70th minute and then in the 75th minute, when Petone was pressing again, he kicked a 25 meter-angled penalty to edge Petone ahead and ultimately win the game.

2006: Lua Vaoloaloa - Northern United

Northern United became the first team in several years to achieve the coveted Swindale Shield-Jubilee Cup double in the same season by beating Poneke 25-12 in the 2006 Jubilee Cup final. Fielding a team with several household names, including All Blacks hard-man Jerry Collins at blindside flanker, Norths were all over Poneke like a rash from the get-go. They took control in the opening 50 minutes of play with pressure in the set-pieces, a strong defensive effort around the fringes and much more penetration than Poneke when they moved the ball. Halfback Lua Loaloaloa was front and centre of their operations, directing much of their play and marshalling their troops. Norths led 20-0 at halftime. They had the Cup in the bag seven minutes into the second spell when Vaoloaloa fired a bullet pass from an attacking scrum across to wing Peato Lafaele who scored the game winning try. Vaoloaloa later played ITM Cup rugby for Tasman and internationals for Samoa, and played club rugby in Melbourne and Sydney.

2007: Nick Risdon - Hutt Old Boys Marist

The 2007 Jubilee Cup final between HOBM and MSP was a battle of attrition for the most part, with HOBM slowing wearing down their opposites to eventually break through and score two tries over the final quarter to win 18-10. HOBM’s director in the trenches was halfback Nick Risdon, who together with his forwards, maintained relentless pressure on MSP before the dam finally broke. Their forwards picked and drove and Risdon sniped and organised proceedings in conjunction with his first five-eighth Jonathan Bentley.? Scores were locked up at 6-3 after 50 minutes, before tries to second five-eighth Malakai Kisinia and centre and future Tasman Mako Mike Pehi sealed victory for HOBM.? Risdon, who scored a try in Saturday’s 27-30 heart stopping loss to Ories in last Saturday’s Jubilee semi-final, also represented Buller and Wairarapa-Bush in the Heartland Championship.

2008: Chris Middleton - Northern United

This was the Jubilee Cup that was drawn 10-10 between Norths and MSP. Played in icy conditions, the Jubilee Cup itself went missing afterwards but was eventually found safe and well several days later and was shared for six months each between Norths and MSP as agreed. In a dramatic second half, Norths came storming back to draw level with just seven minutes on the clock, scoring two unconverted tries after MSP halfback Peter Sciascia had seemingly delivered a decisive blow to their chances with a converted try on halftime for a 10-0 lead. Norths had made much of the running in a rain soaked opening 40 minutes but came up short on several occasions, lock Chris Middleton prominent throughout. Middleton, a former NZ Secondary Schools and U19 player, subsequently moved to Hamilton and is a current member of the Waikato ITM Cup squad.

2009: Peter Sciascia - Marist St Pat’s

Following the previous year’s draw, MSP won the title outright, for the first time since 2002.? Halfback Peter Sciascia was the conductor and centre Chris Slade kept the scoreboard ticking over off the kicking tee as MSP defeated Norths in this rematch. Slade's seven penalties carried his side to a decisive come-from-behind victory over Norths, who scored the game's only two tries but let themselves down through ill-discipline and a spate of handling errors. In general play, Sciascia was the standout performer in a superb team performance, laid down by the tight five and carried by the loose forwards and the well organised backs. Sciascia, who won the Billy Wallace Best & Fairest competition playing for Avalon in 2006, spent 2010 and 2011 playing in Ireland. But he returned to MSP in 2012 and helped guide them to another Jubilee Cup and captained them this season and he has finished second on the 2013 Billy Wallace competition.

2010: TJ Perenara - Northern United

The 2010 Northern United side was one of the most dominant and exciting teams to win the Jubilee Cup. In 20 games they achieved a 17-win, one lost and two-drawn record, scoring 819 points and 123 tries.New Zealand Sevens representative Buxton Popoalii ended the year with a season record 23 tries and Samoan International James So'oialo finished the season with a record 281 points.In the Jubilee Cup final Norths thrashed Poneke by 24-5, scoring four tries to one and achieving the biggest win in a final since Wests beat Tawa 53-21 in 1998. Popoalii scored two tries, but the Jim Brown medallist was a schoolboy sensation. TJ Perenara, out of Mana College, was a regular starter for Norths in 2010, never playing in a losing team. The qualities that have defined his play more recently for the Hurricanes like snappy passing, abrasive defence and an incisive running close to the ruck were all on display in this game as North’s overpowered a brave, but limited Poneke. Later in 2010 Perenara would score 15 points in helping the New Zealand Schools beat the Australian Schools, 30-21.

2011: Iani Pahulu - Oriental-Rongotai

Simply dynamic. That was the verdict by all present who witnessed Oriental-Rongotai stun Northern United 40-18 and their No. 8 Iani Pahulu had a blinder. He was the everywhere man as Ories came back from 6-13 behind to scored five tries to blitz two-time defending champions Norths. They scored four of these tries in succession and led 33-13 after 50 minutes.? All four of these tries had the huge crowd on its feet - after the weather had turned windy, wet and cold from the south just before halftime after bright sunshine all day up to that point. Pahulu played a leading support and linking role and also scored one of these tries himself after a break by right wing Ambrose Curtis. Ories set about protecting their big lead in the final 25 minutes of the final as Pahulu and his teammates turned his focus to a big defensive effort. A well-deserved maiden Jubilee Cup final win for Ories.

2012: Jeffery Toomaga-Allen – Marist St Pats

The 2012 Jubilee Cup final was played on a rain-soaked Hutt Recreation ground. It featured no less than five capped internationals and an array of grizzly club veterans. The game itself was a desperate struggle, won 11-8 by Marist St Pats after Oriental Rongotai had two players sin-binned for fighting on the hour mark, when the score was 6-3 to MSP.? In such a tense and tough environment, experience usually prevails, but it was outstanding youth that was the talking point after this final. Ories 19 year old openside Ardie Savea was outstanding in a lost cause, but the Jim Brown Medal was awarded to prop Jeffery Toomaga-Allen. Always strong in the scrum, the 21 year old Allen had his renowned running game suppressed by the conditions. However his work in tight was tireless as he helped MSP win the arm wrestle for territory. The Jim Brown medal was just another accolade in Allen’s stellar few years in rugby. In 2008 he helped the Wellington College First XV reach the National Top Four finals and was named in the New Zealand Schooboys team. In 2010 he won a World Championship with the New Zealand Under 20’s side. In 2011 he was named MSP sportsman of the year and in October of 2012 he was named Wellington Rugby’s player of the year, after being a standout for the Hurricanes in all 16 games of Super 15 rugby. A late season injury in the ITM Cup possibly cost Allen a place on the All Blacks tour to Britain.

Note: Fellow Prop and Manu Samoan international Kas Lealamanua scored the winning try and Captained MSP to victory in this game. It was Lealamanua’s fifth Jubilee Cup win and 140th and final game for the Scarlets.

2013: Steven So'oialo (Tawa)

In 1998, Steven So’oialo helped Wests destroy Tawa, 53-21 in the Jubilee Cup final. Fifteen years later the veteran of 38 tests for Manu Samoa returned as a player/coach for Tawa in their second Jubilee Cup final against Oriental Rongotai. The halfback had a profound influence! Besides his sharp passing, astute tactical kicking and abrasive defence around the ruck, So'oialo scored a crucial try when his side was down 13-7 just before halftime. Toby Robson reported in the Dominion Post.
“Steve So'oialo scored the try of the match…minutes before halftime after a sweeping 80 metre movement. It started when wing Alfred Pelenise took a mark from a (Fa'atonu) Fili cross kick. (Randall) Bishop made inroads from the quick tap before James So'oialo fended his way into the open and found Pelenise on his outside. The wing then turned the final pass into his halfback for the try and a 14-13 halftime lead, which Tawa would not relinquish.”

Tawa went onto to win the game 26-21. They finished the season with a record of 16 wins from 20 games and won the Swindale Shield, Andy Lesile Trophy and Jubilee Cup for the first time in their history. Steven, aged 36, immediately announced his retirement after the game. Co-coach, Former All Black, Dion Waller described Steven as “inspirational.”

Note: Steve’s Brother James, also a Samoan international, scored 16 points in the final to win his third Jubilee Cup. In 60 matches of Wellington Club Rugby, James has scored 764 points (21t, 181c, 97p, 2dg) and outscored the opposition by himself 28 times.

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