Jubilee Cup and Hardham Cup previews

After 11 enthralling weeks of the Swindale Shield the eight contenders for Wellington club rugby's ultimate prize, the Jubilee Cup (pictured above), have been found. They, along with the eight teams each contesting the Hardham Cup and Colts Division 1 John E Kelly Cup, will be aiming for a place in their respective finals on 3 August but will be under no illusions as to the size of the task ahead over the next seven weeks.

Elsewhere the lower Senior grade competitions, the Senior 1 Ed Chaney and Senior 2 HD Morgan Cups, also commence, the remaining first round competitions near their conclusion, and college rugby continues.

Premier 1 Jubilee Cup

After securing the first trophy of the season, Marist St Pats begin their quest for the double and their 15^th Jubilee Cup crown when they travel to the Petone Rec to take on the home side. MSP hung on grimly against Tawa to win the Swindale Shield, playing the last 20 minutes after being reduced to 14 men for the second time in three weeks when No8 Pago Haini was sent-off. The Scarlets haven't been reliant one single player this season, though Fa'atonu Fili has been in vintage form with both ball in hand and the boot, and his combinations with Peter Sciascia and Isaia Petelo and the form of openside Isaac O'Connor will be crucial to their ambitions. They will be without Cardiff Vaega this week however, with Aviata Silago slotting into centre a week after doing the same at fullback for Andrew Wells who was a late withdrawal.

Petone struggled to find consistency early in the season, and following their last-minute loss to Norths on Good Friday some wondered if they would make the Jubilee Cup with both Tawa and MSP still to play at that stage. However they found form, inflicted the first defeat of the year on Tawa (claiming the Bill Brien Challenge Trophy in the process), and qualified for the Jubilee Cup with a week to spare. Much of that has been due to the influence of Riki Flutey and the steadying hand he has provided to the Villagers' young backline. Up front they will have the services of Brad Shields who had been named at blindside. Petone are looking to end one unwanted and largely unknown streak, having not won any of their last 15 Jubilee Cup matches since they toppled Hutt Old Boys Marist at home in the penultimate round in 2011. MSP won the first encounter between these sides at Kilbirnie Park by 39-29 with Petone scoring two late tries to narrow the margin, and the Bill Brien trophy will be at stake in this one.

Tawa start their second title defence of the year at home at Lyndhurst when they face Oriental-Rongotai, aiming for a different outcome to the Swindale, though no side has successfully defended the Jubilee Cup since MSP in 2001-02 (MSP also won in 2009 after sharing the title with Norths in the drawn final of 2008). Needing to arrest their now three-game slide, they will again be without captain Taniela Koroi. Ories were able to allay any nerves their supporters may have felt about qualifying when they beat Poneke and with it retain the Jim Grbich Shield, but will need to address the lack of consistency that has plagued them this year if they wish to make a fourth-successive trip to the final. They have named Hurricanes Motu Matu'u (hooker) and James Proctor (wing) in their starting lineup. Last year's two finalists last met only a month ago at the Polo Ground, where Tawa managed a come-from-behind 22-15 victory.

Old Boys-University and Hutt Old Boys Marist were two sides that couldn't afford to slip up last weekend, and both comfortably saw themselves through and they meet at the Basin Reserve. The hosts will be looking to overturn the 33-17 win to the Eagles in the Swindale match four weekends ago. OBU paid fitting tribute to the memory of Richard ‘Puddy' Newsome with their win over Wainuiomata, but like Ories consistency has been an issue. HOBM's young backline ran all over the Axemen last Saturday but may find a sturdier examination of their talents this time out in their first game away from the Nest since Easter Monday.

The fourth Jubilee Cup encounter is out at Maidstone Park, where the Upper Hutt Rams host Wainuiomata. Needing only a point to secure their place, the Rams were made to work by a desperate Norths side, before scoring their fourth try and then going onto win the game and ensuring that the merger club plays for the big prize in its first season. Wainuiomata had already qualified before last weekend and chose to rest a number of players, but despite the loss to OBU ending their unbeaten run and dropping them to 8^th on the Swindale table they will be difficult opponents for anyone. In Ben Tupuola they have the current Billy Wallace Best & Fairest leader, Highlander Frae Wilson starts at halfback while it's an all Va'a front row with David, Attila and Justin. Upper Hutt won the two sides' first round meeting by 17-13.

Premier 2 Hardham Cup

All four opening round Hardham Cup matches pit one of the promoted sides against a Swindale Shield opponent. One thing that will be absent from this competition this year will be the promotion/relegation drama, provided that WRFU sticks with its decision to? reshape the Premier and Senior grades ahead of next season.

The only early kickoff is between OBU and Norths at Ian Galloway Park at 1.00 pm. The Goats second-stringers return for a second successive tilt at the Hardham Cup and last year proved stubborn opposition; and this week will start a number of players with Premier experience. Norths will have to put the disappointment of missing out on the Jubilee Cup behind them and focus on defending the Hardham crown, where they will be the competition favourites.

The last two winners of the Harper Lock Shield meet at Fraser Park, with Johnsonville visiting Avalon. Johnsonville narrowly won their two meetings last year and for most of this year's Swindale Shield were difficult opponents for teams to break down, notably pushing Tawa and beating Ories. Injuries have however taken a toll on the Helston side, and they have conceded over 35 points in each of the past two weeks.

Conversely Avalon will be buoyed after sweeping to the first round Senior 1 title after winning 10 of their 11 Senior 1 matches and will fancy their chances of taking a Premier scalp early in the campaign. They will look to their experienced players, such as halfback Cameron Cross and outside back Liddy Ah Wong, and hope to repeat the effort of their 2010 team which made the Hardham Cup final from Senior 1. The matches against this year's Swindale teams will also provide a benchmark for their anticipated re-entry to that competition next year.

At Kilbirnie Park Poneke take on MSP's second side. The last time the home team were in the Hardham Cup (in 2012) they won it, and will set themselves the same goal this time around after a Swindale campaign where their results didn't match the level of endeavour put in. MSP bookended their Harper Lock campaign with two losses at each end, but their seven-game win streak across the middle of the competition showed what Scarlet's second side can achieve.

Just up the road at Hataitai Park Wellington takes on Paremata-Plimmerton.? The Axemen endured a trying return to the Swindale Shield, and will look to go one better than last year in this competition when the-then Senior 1 side fell to Norths in the final. Runners-up in the Senior 1 Ed Chaney Cup the past two seasons, Pare-Plim make their first appearance in the Hardham Cup since 1987, and shape as the competition underdog with little to lose. They will start three McMillan-Parata brothers - Tane at blindside, Taiaroa on the wing and Kewa in midfield - with a fourth, Apirana, on the bench. ?The Axemen won last year's Senior 1 meeting 37-26, while the contest between the two before that was the 2012 Ed Chaney Final, when Wellington won 15-13 after Pare-Plim missed a long-range penalty on full-time.

These last three matches are all 3.00 pm kickoffs.

Senior 1 Ed Chaney Cup

The five matches are all in the early timeslot and curtain-raisers for Premier matches following. Defending champions Tawa will look to put the disappointment of missing out on the Hardham cup behind them when they face Ories in a 1pm kickoff at Lyndhurst. At Maidstone the Upper Hutt Rams and Wainuiomata meet, as do Petone and Norths on the Rec.

Elsewhere, the two promoted sides start their campaigns at home. Wellington take on HOBM's Senior 1 side just a week after playing the Eagles senior 2's in the early game at Hataitai, while just down the road at Kilbirnie at the same time Poneke face the struggling Wests Roosters, who it is believed aren't playing in the Jubilee or Hardham Cup for the first time since their formation in 1983.

College Premier

The third round of the College Premier 1 competition is highlighted by the mouthwatering clash at St Pat's Silverstream between the host school and Scots College. The two have been the standout Wellington school sides so far this year, with last weekend Scots running out easy winners over neighbours Rongotai while Stream to a while to subdue St Bernard's. Expectations are that this will be closer than the 43-0 scoreline when the two met on a cold windy day last year, and amongst the clashes to look out for will be those between props Joe Apikatoa (Stream) and Alex Fidow (Scots), and Scots' classy centre Malo Tuitama and his abrasive opposite Jared Adams.?

In the other matches St Bernard's host unbeaten Hutt International, St Patrick's College and Rongotai meet in an eastern suburbs derby on Kilbirnie #2, and winless Wellington College and Naenae College face off at Wellington College. All Premier 1 matches are 2.30pm kickoffs.

Next Wednesday (11^th) is the Traditional between Silverstream and Wellington College, to be played at the Upper Hutt school.

Four of the five Premier 2 matches are 1pm kickoffs. Unbeaten sides Wairarapa and Tawa clash in Masterton, while Aotea hosts the Silverstream 2nds, Upper Hutt visits the Wellington College 2nds; and Kapiti and Paraparaumu meet in the local derby at Kapiti College. The sole 2.30pm game is between leaders Porirua College and Hutt Valley High School.

Other grades

The Senior 2 HD Morgan Cup will be contested by only nine sides, with the WRFU choosing not to ask any eligible club to fill the void left by Wests' withdrawal during the first round. At 1.15 pm Petone faces MSP at the Rec, while Avalon and Johnsonville meet at Fraser Park at the same time ahead of the two clubs Hardham Cup match. At 3.00 pm OBU takes HOBM at Ian Galloway, and Stokes Valley and Norths do likewise at Delaney Park.

The second round Division 1 Colts competition also commences this week, with the John E Kelly Memorial Cup the prize. All four matches are on Saturday starting with the champion OBU Green side facing HOBM for the second week in succession at 12.45 pm on the lower field at Prince of Wales, while their promoted Black counterparts take on Wellington on PoW's upper ground at 1.15 pm. The other two matches are also 1.15 pm kickoffs, with Oriental-Rongotai taking on Norths at the Polo Ground and Petone face MSP on the Petone Rec.

The Under 85kg Division 1 JC Bowl reaches its penultimate week. The mid-table Poneke Cavs take on Wellington at Kilbirnie Park and Stokes Valley host the MSP Reds at Delaney in a pair of 1.15 pm matches, while the Upper Hutt Rams and the OBU Spartans clash at Maoribank at 3.00 pm. In the other 3.00 pm kickoffs the Tawa Titans need a bonus point win over Eastbourne at Redwood to stay in touch with the leading MSP Blues - who play the OBU Bunnies at Prince of Wales - and give them a chance ahead of their clash next weekend. If they don't get that point then the Blues could all but wrap the title up this weekend.

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