Exciting afternoon expected in lower grades this Saturday

While there will undoubtedly be much focus on the events taking place in the Swindale Shield from 3.00 pm onwards on Saturday afternoon, there is still plenty to be decided in the lower grades with promotion places and trophies very much at stake.

Senior 1 Harper Lock Shield

With Hurricanes player Marty Banks steering the ship from first five-eighth, Avalon secured the first-round title last weekend when they defeated second-placed Marist St Pats 27-11; with both sides having already secured Hardham Cup places beforehand.

The race for the remaining two spots to join them in going forward is well on though, and with six teams still theoretically in the mix it shapes as both an exciting and nerve-wracking set of early afternoon games.

Old Boys University (33 points) are in the box seat and would be favoured to get the win over second-bottom Wainuiomata in a rare outing at the Basin Reserve for the Goats second-stringers to grab one place - ?though what happens with their Premier side afterwards may alter their fate. Behind them are HOBM (31), Paremata-Plimmerton (31), Tawa (30), and the Upper Hutt Rams (29).

Paremata-Plimmerton is the only one of these sides that controls their own destiny, as a bonus point win away against 10^th-placed Ories will see them go through regardless of whatever else transpires, but a loss will scupper their hopes unless the others all do the same. If they finish in a tie for fourth with either HOBM or Tawa, or both, then they will progress by virtue of their wins over both those sides in the round-robin.?

Complicating matters for both HOBM and Tawa are who they face; Avalon (on the Hutt Rec) and MSP (at Kilbirnie) respectively. The scenarios for the Eagles vary widely; they could score a bonus-point win and still miss out if Pare-Plim does the same and OBU win; or could advance with a bonus-point loss if Pare-Plim (without a bonus point), Tawa and Upper Hutt all lose. They hold the tiebreaker over the Rams.

Tawa realistically must win and hope that at least one of Pare-Plim, OBU and HOBM to lose, though potentially two competition points could be enough if other events fall their way. They hold the tiebreakers over HOBM and Upper Hutt. The Rams can still force their way in when they visit Norths, but need three of the sides ahead of them to lose, and if needed they hold tiebreakers over OBU and Pare-Plim. Petone (26) are still alive ahead of their 3pm away game against lowly Wests at Ian Galloway but need plenty of circumstances to go their way in the early matches first and then for either OBU or HOBM's Premiers to fall into the Hardham Cup.

If three teams are tied for qualification then their head-to-head results are the first tie-breaker. If that doesn't resolve it then their competition for and against are used.

National Mutual Cup Senior 2

Poneke and Wellington (38 points) share the lead heading into the last round of matches, two points ahead of Avalon (36). At stake is not only the trophy, which is shared in the event of a tie, but also the two promotion places into the Senior 1 Ed Chaney Cup.? Poneke figures to have the inside running on both and will surely pick up five points in their 1.15 pm game at home against the bottom-placed Upper Hutt Rams. Wellington have a tougher task when they face fourth-placed HOBM at the Hutt Rec at the same time, needing to at least match what Poneke do to get a share of the title and to win to ensure promotion.?

If either Poneke or Wellington fail to win, then that would open the door for Avalon to go past them, and they have the advantage of a 3pm game at home against OBU, so will know at about kickoff if they can steal one of the promotion places. In the other matches Johnsonville and Petone play the curtain-raiser for their Premier sides at Helston, while Stokes Valley hosts MSP at Delaney Park at 3.00 pm.

Other grades

The second round of the College Premier 1 competition started early on Wednesday when St Patrick's College won a somewhat turgid encounter 19-17 with a last-minute try over Wellington College in the annual Traditional match, sending the defending champions to their second straight defeat after being upset by Hutt International last Saturday.

In the games to be played on Saturday Hutt International make the trip to Naenae College fresh off that historic win , Scots College make the short journey around the airport to take on Rongotai College, while Premier 1 returnees St Bernard's hosts St Pats Silverstream in a battle of the two Hutt Valley Catholic schools. All three games are 2.30 pm kickoffs.

The five Premier 2 grade matches are Paraparaumu against Porirua, Silverstream 2nds against Kapiti, and Wellington College 2nds against Wairarapa all at 1pm, while at 2.30 pm are Upper Hutt and Aotea, and Hutt Valley HS against Tawa.

The Womens competition takes a three-week break before the start of their second round, but that doesn't mean the teams are idle. As covered here on Club Rugby on Monday the Wellington clubs are involved in a series of matches against their counterparts from the Manawatu competition. In action are Old Boys University, who travel to play former Wellington champions Eketahuna, Tawa and Wainuiomata play Foxton and Feilding Old Boys Oroua respectively in Levin, Norths host Kia Toa at Porirua Park, and Ories and Poneke play each other at the Polo Ground as part of the two club's joint festivities.

OBU Green wrapped up their defence of the Colts Division 1 Paris Memorial Trophy with a week to spare when they beat Wellington 26-10. They finish this half of the season with a trip to the Hutt Rec to face HOBM. Elsewhere Norths host Petone at Porirua Park, Ories and Poneke continue the day's events at Polo, and Wellington and MSP meet at Hataitai. All matches are 1.15pm kickoffs.? There are also two first-round finals in the lower divisions. OBU Black and Tawa will play the Division 2 game at 12.45 at the Ian Galloway cage, while at 1.15 pm at Mary Crowther Park Wainuiomata and Paremata-Plimmerton will contest the Division 3 match.

Finally in the Under 85kg Division 1 JC Bowl the MSP Reds and Poneke Cavs meet on the St Patrick's Artificial at 1.30 pm, and in 3.00 pm games Wellington and Stokes Valley clash at Hataitai, Eastbourne hosts the MSP Blues at HW Shortt, the Tawa Titans are at home at Lyndhurst against the Upper Hutt Rams; while bragging rights are at stake when the OBU Bunnies and OBU Spartans face off at Te Whaea.

?