Highlander Treeby looking forward to Tawa?s Swindale Shield defence

The Treeby brothers, Shaun (left) and Matt and their father with the Jubilee Cup last August. Photo supplied.

If he can't be there in person, Highlander and Tawa local Shaun Treeby said he'll be at Lyndhurst Park in spirit for the start of the Wellington club rugby season on 29 March.

The Tawa RFC is planning a club open day to kick-start the season next Saturday.

The day will start with a traditional game between the Tawa Colts and the Tawa College First XV for the Furry Cup, kick off 11.30 am.? The Senior 1sts play against the Hutt Old Boys Marist senior 1sts at 1.00 pm in round one of the Harper Lock Shield, and the Tawa Premiers take on the HOBM Eagles at 3.00 pm in their Swindale Shield opener, live on Tawa TV.

There will be entertainment for young and old, with bands, bouncy castles, dance performances, sausage sizzles and more.

Rugby's rarely strayed too far from Shaun Treeby's thoughts since he first donned the Tawa jersey as an 11-year old in 2000.

The hard running second five-eighth is currently in his fourth year with the Highlanders, who are this week preparing for Friday night's crunch Investec Super Rugby match with the Hurricanes.

?"I've enjoyed my time down here in Dunedin with the Highlanders a lot and they've been awesome to me," he told Club Rugby.

Treeby is starting off the bench this week against many of his provincial teammates after scoring his sixth Super Rugby try of his career in last week's narrow loss to the Force.

"If I do get on the field I'm looking forward to playing the Hurricanes again," Treeby explained, "my Super Rugby debut was against the Hurricanes at the start of 2011 and I've played them a couple of times since and its always a tough game."

Treeby's Wellington and Highlanders teammate Lima Sopoaga scored a try and kicked vital goals in that 14-9 win for the Highlanders in 2011. In their four matches since then, head-to-head honours have been shared two apiece, while each of the last 10 Hurricanes-Highlanders meetings have been decided by winning margins of seven points or fewer.

While the rugby journey has taken him down south, Wellington and indeed his home suburb and club Tawa are very much home for him.

Last year the Tawa RFC won just about every Wellington club rugby prize going in the top grades, including capturing the coveted Swindale Shield - Jubilee Cup double.

For a player who grew up across the road from Lyndhurst Park and who spent many hours in his youth playing and watching rugby there, this is an immensely proud achievement.

"It's awesome to see Tawa doing so well at the moment, especially from when I started in the senior club and played there consistently for a few years. We struggled for a while there and went down to the Hardham Cup for the second half of the season a few times."

"I think with Dion Waller and Steven So'oialo there, they've slowly grown, and each year has been better and better and it all went well in 2013. I was down in Dunedin last year following them and it was pretty cool hearing them beat all these teams, and I was lucky to be part of it at the end there."

Treeby re-joined Tawa at the tail-end of last year's campaign, starting at second five-eighth in both their 29-13 Jubilee Cup semi-final win over Old Boys University at home and their 26-21 final win over Oriental-Rongotai at the Hutt Recreation Ground.

Professional demands aside, Treeby is dead keen to play for them again this year and to try and help them defend some of their silverware. "If I do get the chance, I will be happy to play for them; I always love coming back to Tawa and playing club rugby."

After spending his formative years in New Plymouth, Treeby grew up a stone's throw from Lyndhurst Park. "My brother Matt and I spent a lot of time down there growing up playing together and with our mates kicking balls and mucking around."

Older brother Matt Treeby was a key player for the Tawa Premiers last year. A former flanker at school his usual position these days is hooker.

Shaun explained that he started on the wing when he was younger and played a bit at first five-eighth but mainly in the midfield all through his secondary school years at Tawa College and through to representative and club sides.

The brothers' great uncle, 1949-50 All Black Roy Roper, was also a midfielder. Roper played five Tests and played in the 3-0 series win over the British Lions in 1950 at centre, outside second five-eighth and captain Ron Elvidge.

"My dad tells me that he loves watching me play whenever he can," Shaun said. "He's still going pretty strong [aged 90]. I met him a few times when I was growing up and it was great for me to know someone in the family had been an All Black."

Of note the halfback in that All Black side was Vince Bevan, Shaun's former Wellington and Highlanders teammate Tamati Ellison's grandfather.

Two other players in the current Tawa squad have brothers playing Super Rugby at the moment. Lock and last year's co-captain Filisione Koloamatangi's brother Tevita is part of the Chiefs squad and wing Tito Ioane's brother TJ is one of Shaun's teammates at the Highlanders. Similarly, Taniela and Joketani Koroi's brother is All Blacks Sevens player Lote Raikubula.

Out of the WRFU Rugby Academy in 2008, Shaun was a member of the New Zealand U20s in 2009, making his debut for the Wellington Lions in the red-hot cauldron of Masterton's Memorial Park in mid-2009, in a Ranfurly Shield defence against Wairarapa Bush.

The Lions won easily that day, but Treeby stood up to much tougher challengers over the next couple of seasons and was selected in the Highlanders for the first time in 2011.

Since then he's had his fair share of injury setbacks as well. "Every year I've been in Super Rugby I've had an injury, which has been frustrating. I've had a couple of good runs for Wellington in the ITM Cup."

Injuries have included both knees, a hamstring and a smashed in cheekbone whilst playing for the Highlanders a couple of years ago.

"The body is feeling pretty good at the moment, so it would be good to get through a season without injury for once."

He's got a few memorable highlights thus far.

"Debuting for Wellington and for the Highlanders is a special memory, as is winning the IRB U20 tournament for New Zealand in 2009, and lifting the Jubilee Cup for Tawa last year."

As for next Saturday, he'll probably be with the Highlanders, as they prepare to play the Blues later that night, but he'll be keeping close tabs on their season opener. "I'll be wishing them well and following them on twitter and Facebook and keeping myself updated throughout the day."