When the Swindale Shield has gone down to the wire

This Saturday Tawa and Marist St. Pat's will square off in a ‘virtual final' to decide this year's first round Swindale Shield champions. What other close finishes in the Swindale Shield have there been over the years? Below is a compilation (by no means a definitive list) of tight endings to the first round competition.

Petone and Wellington shared 1972

Petone and Wellington share the lead going into the last round, five points clear of the next side, Marist St Pat's. Petone is drawn to play University and the Axemen are up against Taita. In a much-criticised scheduling arrangement, the Wellington representative side is also drawn to meet Auckland on the same afternoon at Athletic Park, taking out now fewer than six Petone players.

As expected, the Axemen coast to a 24-6 victory over Taita at Fraser Park, leaving the depleted Petone side fighting heroically to tip over University in the representative curtain-raiser. Leading 9-7, on the back of two Richard Cleland penalties and a Cleland dropped goal, Petone survive a withering late University assault. First, wing John Greenwood crosses for a disallowed try. Second, University's forwards pummel the line right up until fulltime. Through it all Petone holds on desperately and shares the title with Wellington.

Athletic 1978

A ‘virtual' final on Athletic Park between the team bearing the park's name (Athletic, on 22 points) and the defending first round champions (Marist St Pat's, on 21 points). The big news from MSP's camp going into this decider is they will be without suspended flanker Paul Quinn, following an altercation last week with Petone's Andy Leslie. Despite losing Quinn, the match is billed as a battle between MSP's powerful forwards and Athletic's backs, featuring English international Jamie Salmon and Wellington fullback Brian Cederwall.

But the hero of the game is an Athletic front ranker - Kevin ‘Butch' Phelan. Big Butch breaks from a MSP-fed scrum, charges down a Tu Wylie kick and sprints 40 metres to score the try of the match, giving Athletic a 22-18 victory.

Petone 1981

1981 is a momentous year for Wellington sport, not least rugby with the Lions winning the Ranfurly Shield - NPC double for the first and only time. The Swindale Shield ‘virtual' final between Petone and MSP is a fitting taster for the upcoming representative season. Petone and MSP are clearly the best two teams at present. Petone famously ended MSP's 42-match winning streak in their last meeting in the wet in the previous year's Jubilee Cup final.

Both sides also have slippery customers on their wings. Last week MSP wing Wayne Gray scored four tries against Ories to take his season tally to 17 tries in 12 games. Petone's Mike Clamp scored one try last start against Poneke to take his tally to 20. In a tense Swindale Shield decider, it's Petone's super-wing Clamp who comes out on top, crossing for the only try of the match to give Petone a 10-6 win.?

Wellington Axemen 1982 and 1984

Wellington Axeman captain Jim Morgan and new All Black lock Murray Pierce jointly hold the Swindale Shield aloft after trumping rivals MSP 22-21 in the final round in 1982. Wellington fullback Evan Hopkin has kicked a 72^nd minute penalty to give his side the lead for the final time in a see-saw struggle that has seen the lead change hands several times.

The stars align in the last week for Wellington to win their next Swindale Shield two years later. Heading into the final round, Wellington, Petone and Hutt Valley Marist are all in with a shot of at least sharing the title with one or more of the others. Wellington is favoured to beat Wainuiomata, and they do so 29-13. But they also claim the Swindale Shield on their own when both Petone (3-3 with Poneke) and Hutt Valley Marist (10-10 with University) are both held to draws.

Hutt Old Boys 1989

Hutt Old Boys (on 46 points) and Poneke (44) are fitting ‘finalists' in their last round decider. Hutt have won 10 and drawn one and Poneke have won 10 and lost one (10-20 to MSP). In a gripping conclusion to the first round, Hutt lead 9-3 at halftime.? Two John Jackson penalties level the scores up to 9-9. Poneke flanker Amico Tovia is sent off for a head high tackle, leaving Poneke competing with 14 players. As well as losing Tovia, Poneke are already missing big-game players Richard Watt and Scott Keith to injury. Hutt first five-eighth Steven Pokere adds two vital penalties and flanker Mark Shaw scores a decisive try and Hutt pull clear to win 21-9.

Marist St Pat's 1994

In the early 1990s there was a fair bit of tinkering with Wellington's club rugby competition. A contentious change was the changing of the Jubilee Cup's name to the Lion Brown Trophy. The Swindale Shield was also played in two Pools with a midweek final played under lights. This Swindale Shield is one of the classic deciders - and Petone and Marist St Pat's have played a few of those in the 1980s and 1990s. MSP flanker Gordon Simpson is the star in MSP's 18-15 win at the Hutt Recreation Ground. Simpson leads MSP to victory with a storming match and to their first Swindale Shield since 1988. For Petone, it's their second consecutive narrow loss at the end of the first round after being pipped by Avalon 21-22 the previous year.

Avalon 2001

It's a tough final fortnight of the Swindale Shield for both MSP and Avalon supports whose teams both lose their penultimate round games by a solitary point. MSP now just need to win or draw with Petone to win on the last day, while Avalon must beat strugglers Wellington and hope MSP stumbles. What transpires is a dramatic 22-23 loss for MSP against Petone and a 49-5 win for Avalon over the Axemen.

The biggest cheer of the day at Fraser Park comes seconds after fulltime when the result from the Petone Recreation Ground is heard and the grandstand erupts. It is the third time that Avalon had won the shield. MSP has had their chances, first five-eighth James O'Reilly missing both a late penalty and death-knock dropped goal. Avalon finish on top on 42 points and MSP second on 41.

Northern United 2003

Northern United win the first of their five Swindale Shields in 2003, but unlike a couple of their subsequent wins, winning their maiden title is far from a foregone conclusion heading into the last day. Norths hold a three-point lead to second placed Ories who are hosting mid-table Upper Hutt and expected to win. Norths thus need to beat the Wests Roosters, who themselves are desperate to make the top eight.

The pre-game tension at Porirua Park can be cut with a knife, but in the end its twinkle-toed Norths fullback Tainafi Patu who carves up Wests and Norths win 35-21 with a bonus point. Across town, Ories lose 23-26 to Upper Hutt Norths end up finishing seven points clear at the top.

Petone 2004

Both Petone and Poneke go into the last round with high hopes of winning the title outright or at least sharing it with the other. Both sides need to win with bonus points against mid-table opposition to make sure of this. Poneke host Tawa at home and Petone face Avalon at Fraser Park.

Poneke wing Evan Belford scores his second try of the match and Poneke's third on 65 minutes but a fourth try proves elusive and they have to settle for a 22-17 victory. Petone, however, have scored their third try and lead 21-13 after 50 minutes. They aren't to know it at this point, but when wing Willie Moala sprints away to score soon after to put them ahead 26-5 he has given his team the Swindale Shield on their own. Petone finish on 43 points and Poneke 42.

Petone and Northern United shared 2009

?In a last round humdinger, four teams are still alive to win or share the title heading into the last round - and two of the four leading contenders are playing each other. Petone are best placed to?take?the spoils, needing a bonus point win over Ories to win the title outright and just a win to share it. Norths can share it but they need a bonus point win over MSP at the least. Ories and Poneke are also?still mathematically alive should the other two stumble. Norths beat MSP 39-13, leaving Petone hammering away at Ories' line at the end searching for a fourth try. But they can't cross and they must settle for a 20-10 win and a share of the title with Norths, just the third time the Swindale Shield had been shared since 1969

Hutt Old Boys Marist 2012

?With some close wins behind them, including a 27-22 win over Upper Hutt and an 18-15 toppling of Poneke, Hutt Old Boys Marist go into the last round needing to beat Wainuiomata at home to win the title ahead of Marist St Pat's who are breathing down their necks. Third placed Wainuiomata are already safely through to the Jubilee Cup and have nothing to lose so this is no march to glory. MSP face old rivals Petone who are desperate to secure their top eight place. In a tight contest, HOBM clinch their 24-11 win over Wainuiomata with 15 minutes to play when the competition's leading points scorer Glen Walters dives over to score under the posts. At Petone, the home team beat MSP 22-16.

About the Swindale Shield: The Swindale Shield was first played for in 1910 when Oriental won it, and Athletic then won it three times in succession. The shield was mislaid during World War 1 but was found at the back of an Athletic Park broom cupboard at the end of 1968 and re-introduced in 1969. It has been contested every year since as Wellington cub rugby's first round trophy.