Love celebrates 150th game for the Green’n’Black
We are now getting into crunch time. In the Swindale Shield, Tawa and Poneke are both playing at home and must win to keep their respective seasons alive. MSP, Petone and Upper Hutt are caught up in a congested mid-table. Finally; OBU, Norths, Ories and Wainui will back themselves to stay unbeaten for yet another week.
It'll be a big day at Evans Bay Park where Wainui fullback Jason Love celebrates his 150th game. Expect his loyal teammates to put in a big performance for their try-scoring machine.
Round two of the Colts knock-out competition kicks off. Some great teams are fighting for places in next week's final round. Finally, Women's Rugby is here. Some great match-ups are confirmed for this week across both divisions.
Let the games begin!
Swindale Shield
Tawa v Wellington
Playing for: Murray & Alan Mexted Cup
Tawa simply must win this weekend against an unpredictable Wellington outfit. A lack of discipline and basic errors have punished last year's Jubilee Cup winners. The home side will be wary of Wellington whose mobile loose-forward trio and backline are capable of causing problems.
Northern United v Johnsonville
Playing for: Barlow Trophy
Norths have gone slightly under the radar and they'll be expected to continue their unbeaten run against Johnsonville. The home side will be looking for a more complete performance after a few errors crept into last week's performance.
Johnsonville- whose promising start came to a shuddering halt against OBU- will need to start strong to regain lost confidence.
Watch out for Norths flanker Antony Fox, a former Horowhenua-Kapiti star with talent to burn.
Marist St Pats v Wainuiomata
You get the feeling MSP are starting to come into their own. Last week's dominant display against a strong Rams side show they can control a game through accurate kicking and a strong lineout.
Wainui simply must find a way to reduce Sean Bridge's impact both at lineout time and with ball in hand. The away side do have the talent to win although they will again rely on their big pack led by barnstorming No.8 Ben Tupuola.
Poneke v Upper Hutt Rams
Playing for: Alby Makeham Shield
This match is intriguing. Poneke, at times, struggled against a big Wainui pack last week. They'll will be looking to get early ascendency up-front. Upper Hutt lacked a bit of punch against MSP and they'll need to show a lot more intensity to win this one.
Watch out for Wellington and NZ 7's representative Max Pearson who looked dangerous on attack against MSP. He is strong in the tackle and has pace to burn.
Petone v Oriental-Rongotai
Both teams will be looking for an 80-minute performance after slow starts last weekend. Ories have a great backline and they'll capitalise on any opposition mistakes. Watch out for Aukuso Tuitama (Ories) and Lester Maulolo (Petone) who have both dotted down for 3 tries each this season.
Expect a close encounter between two very strong teams.
Old Boys University v Paremata-Plimmerton
The Goats 64-11 thrashing of Johnsonville has sent a clear message that they are the team to beat this season. OBU have already beaten Poneke and Tawa through well-constructed and patient play. They are a well-organised team who know how to get over the chalk having already scored 18 tries this season.
Paremata-Plimmerton must get off to a big start to stand a chance.
Avalon Wolves v Hutt Old Boys Marist
Playing for: Billy Herbert Memorial Trophy
Before the whistle is even blown, the Wolves have received a big boost with the news that Asafo 'Trapz' Aumua will be back. The NZ Under-20 hooker is class and should have a big impact.
Marist have a dangerous backline led by Izzy Foai who consistently sliced through a soft defence last weekend. This one is difficult to call.
Colts Rugby (Division One and Two pre-season knock-out competition)
In this week's semi-final action, last week's round one winners' playoff against each other (in each division). The same applies to the first-round losing teams for each division.
Last week's winners will be fighting for an opportunity to play for the Eric Connelly/James Gilbert Cup next weekend in the final round.
Watch out for Tawa and OBU Green who were dominant in Round One.
Women's Rugby
The first round of the women's competition kicks off this weekend. As covered, Division One teams will play for the Fleurs Trophy while Division Two teams play for bragging rights.
In Division One, HOBM host Oriental-Rongotai while Norths host OBU. Division Two also sees some great matchups as Petone host Poneke and Paramata-Plimmerton host Tawa.
Good luck to all teams involved!
