Wellington grassroots review
Adam Julian of www.clubrugby.nz details the big match temperament of an Ories club and Wellington Pride rep.
ORIES WIN WOMEN’S TITLE
Oriental Rongotai flipped a 10-point halftime deficit to defeat Norths 26-15 in the final of the Tia Passi Memorial Trophy at Jerry Collins Stadium.
Black Ferns No 8 Joanah Ngan-woo showcased her big match temperament, winning the Dawn Patelesio Medal as the player of the final with two tries. Both tries involved bursts off the back of the scrum traversing 20 metres.
Norths conceded a brutal 18 penalties and lost two forwards to the bin as their brave resistance crumbled in trying weather conditions.
Prolific Ories wing Ayesha Leti-i’iga (playing fullback) also scored twice while Norths’ tries were scored by Te Amohaere Ngata-aerengamate, Xavier Tusa and Paige Misky.
STUDENTS WIN SWINDALE SHIELD
Old Boys-university won the Swindale Shield as first round champions for the third time since 2016.
Tied on points with Marist-st Pat’s, the students took honours by virtue of their victory over the Catholics in May. The top eight clubs were the same as 2020, though there was some movement among those eight with Ories jumping from seventh to third.
OBU TAKES EPIC COLTS FINAL
It took 100 minutes, two hailstorms, and a serious battle of attrition to decide the winner of the John E Kelly Memorial Cup, but once again OBU is Colts king following a meteoric 25-21 victory over Petone.
OBU has won 131 out of 152 games and eight Colts titles in the last decade but was stretched to the limit by Petone.
The last of five lead changes occurred 15 minutes into extra time and, with Petone leading 21-18, OBU won a scrum five metres out from the line. Initially the students buckled before regrouping and pushing over the line in a maul. The try was scored by Soane Fakahau and the conversion added by fullback Tomasi Connor.
Petone led 8-6 at halftime before the students scored 15 unanswered points to lead 18-8. Petone rallied to tie the scores 18-18, its last try being scored with the final play of regulation time.
A unique feature of the Wellington Referees Association is the wide range of age groups represented.
Trevor Walker is in his late 70s but still seen with a whistle. David Walsh, Ian Dallas, Mark Fairmaid and Gordon Noble-campbell are in their 50s and regulars. At the opposite end of the spectrum, Tomas Roche is a premier referee at 21 and Ethan Jefferson is a promising Level 2 official in his last year at St Patrick’s College, Wellington.
All Black No 550 Colin Loader passed away aged 90 in June.
Loader played four Tests on the 1953-54 All Blacks tour of the UK and France. The Hutt Valley High School product featured in 21 games for Wellington between 1951 and 1955 and was a member of the University and Hutt clubs.
Old Boys-university winger Te Wehi Wright was part of a historic Te Reo Maori language radio broadcast of the Maori All Blacks v Samoa international in Wellington on Te Upoko O Te Ika (1161 AM). Te Upoko O Te Ika is the oldest iwi station in New Zealand and has broadcast grassroots rugby since 2016.
Jonathan Fuimaono has called time on his club career, amassing 185 appearances for OBU and each of them in the uncompromising environment of the front-row.
An immense physical presence on the field, the fourtime Jubilee Cup champion – three of those as captain – is also one of Wellington rugby’s most respected figures and an outstanding person off it. It remains a mystery to many that full representative honours eluded him, but he has been a loyal servant of Wellington Maori.