Rams’ Jubilee Cup dreams dashed
Upper Hutt rugby’s Jubilee Cup campaign ended in bleak circumstances on Saturday at Maidstone Park.
Playing in mud, wind and rain for the first time in a 20-game season, the Rams will feel unlucky about not claiming a third win in the top-eight Cup.
Tawa emerged 17-15 victors to go through to finals play but Upper Hutt scored three tries to two and led 10-0 at halftime.
Arguably, they were undone by their goal kicking with Joyner Key unable to split the uprights on the toughest of afternoons.
While landing a final sideline conversion would have ended Tawa’s finals hopes it would not been enough to bring life to Upper Hutt’s.
Tawa, Wainuiomata and Oriental-Rongotai join a runaway Marist St Pats in semi-final plays while Upper Hutt are left to take stock on their 2016 season.
With one win in five games, it all started so poorly.
Off-season injuries and the late movement of key players to provinces or overseas had hurt the season build up.
‘‘We had a crappy pre-season, a lot of things went wrong really,’’ coach Adam Campbell said.
It meant the Swindale Shield, a competition which hit midway before the end of April. was as much about player development as anything else for a young Upper Hutt.
It came good though. The team lost just one of its next eight game s and, with 31 competition points gathered along the way, did enough to push through to the coveted Jubilee Cup.
They rocked there too, before they were rolled.
A first-up win over the defending Old Boys-University and a raucous dismantling of Ories were high points in a round where Poneke and Tawa could and should have been beaten.
‘‘The side’s inexperience was a factor,’’ Campbell said.
‘‘Nineteen players had a first premier start for us. That’s a huge amount, incredible, but it all bodes well for next year.
‘‘The players always had a great attitude at training, they were always honest and will have gained a lot of confidence in themselves.’’
Campbell is excited about Upper Hutt rugby and wants to return for a second year.
‘‘That will all be dependant on a club review but my intentions are all for coaching again,’’ he said.