Bishop and Tawa primed for final on Saturday

When Tawa lost their third consecutive match in the bucqi Jubilee Cup to Oriental-Rongotai the prospects of a final looked bleak. Since the finals format was introduced in 1993 no side had dropped their first two games and reached the semi-finals.

Voices were mute and shoulders slumped in the Tawa dressing room when former coach and Hurricanes mentor Chris Boyd entered. Fullback Randall Bishop recalls what Boyd said.

"He told us we were in a great position. He stressed every game from now on is a final so we had to get more desperate. It was an inspirational rallying cry."

Tawa have won five games in a row to storm into their second final in four years. What specifically changed?

"Not a lot really. We have a great mixture of youth and experience in the squad. The young boys like Pepesana Patafilo and Sitiveni Paongo keep the veterans on their feet while us old fellas keep the younger guys grounded. In the pre-season we won four games in a row easily. A lot of the young boys got carried away and we were beaten by the Axemen in Round 1 of the Swindale Shield. It was 22-0 after ten minutes. That was a valuable lesson," Bishop remembers.

Bishop is used to big occasions. He attended Mana College and played three major finals at the school. In 2005 Bishop helped Mana make the Premier One final for the first time ever. Though they lost to Wellington College in the decider, the semi-final win over St. Patrick's College Silverstream was a herculean triumph.

"That was supposed to be Silverstream's year. They had a stacked side. Guys like Matt Luamanu and Simon Malaeulu were huge for schoolboys, but we dug so deep that day. I reckon it's still my favourite game of rugby," Bishop says.

Bishop made an even greater impression as a point guard in basketball. Mana only lost two games to two years and they were National finals to Avondale College in 2004 and Westlake Boys' High School in 2005.

"It was pretty disappointing to lose twice, but it was a huge achievement for a school like Mana to make a National final. We cleaned up Wellington which was a bit of a shock. I remember Westlake had Thomas Abercrombie in their team. They were great days," Bishop acclaims.

His time at Rochester Community Technical College in Minnesota on a basketball scholarship wasn't so rewarding. After a year Bishop returned to Wellington "homesick" and spent four seasons playing for the Saints. In 2010 he helped the Saints win the National Basketball League. Bishop played alongside several Tall Blacks including Terrance Lewis, Troy McLean and Lindsay Tait.

In 2011 Bishop returned to rugby. What prompted the change?

"I was playing touch with some mates in the park at Tawa and they told me the rugby club was after some new players. I was looking for a new challenge at this point so I went along in the pre-season and discovered I really enjoyed it. I got in the Prems more or less straight away and haven't looked back, "he says.

Bishop has played 108 games for Tawa and scored 687 points. He is the leading points scorer in Wellington Club rugby in 2016 with 182 points. He has impressed not only with his goal-kicking, but attacking flair and defensive dependability. Bishop played in the 2013 Jubilee Cup final won by Tawa 26-21 over Oriental Rongotai.

"After we won the Swindale Shield for the first time in the club's history there was a lot of pressure. People were saying the real rugby starts in the Jubilee Cup. We had a point to prove and did. I don't remember much of the final. It went so quickly and it's a bit of a blur to be honest. What I do I remember is taking a bus back to the clubrooms and seeing the clubrooms full. It was a special night," Bishop recalls.

Marist St. Pats have beaten Tawa in both games this season. In Round 9 of the Swindale Shield there were five yellow cards and two red cards as MSP prevailed 31-20. Bishop dismissed that game as an aberration with an "Auckland ref." Round 1 of the Jubilee Cup was a more typical encounter.

"MSP won 12-8. It was a tough game between two physical packs. Honestly games between us are always tight. I know it sounds boring, but Saturday will come down to the team which makes the least mistakes," Bishop says.

During the week Bishop works in the health industry. He has a degree in marketing and commercial law. His sister Lisa represented the Black Sticks.