While the Premier 2 side were doing their best to spoil Rimutaka's big day, the Premier 1 team secured a place in the Jubilee Cup semifinals, with a 22-5 win over Upper Hutt. A review of the match has been prepared by our own Eagle Eye, scroll on down. Your webmaster went to see the final outing for the Premier 2 side, against Rimutaka at Maoribank, and watched the home side take the penalty goals when they were on offer, while our boys kicked for the corner. Hindsight, as they say, is a wonderful thing, but in the end it was two converted tries each, and Rimutaka's winning margin, 26-14, came from the four penalty goals they slotted, while we kicked our chances to touch. However, we must always remember that these boys won the Harper Lock Shield, a supreme performance that elevated them to the much tougher Hardham Cup competiton.

I'm sure all members of Hutt Old Boys Marist will congratulate Rimutaka on reaching Premier status, as we look forward to doing battle in the Swindale Shield 2012. I know how much our players and officials enjoy the food and hospitality laid on by Rimutaka each time we journey there, and we look forward to reciprocating next year.

As we prepare to head to the Polo Ground for the Jubilee Cup semifinal, may we first join with Oriental-Rongotai in mourning the death of Don Bond, an Ories stalwart, but also a former Chairman of the Wellington Rugby Union, and a true friend of all club rugby. There's "Bondie" watching the Swindale Shield match versus the Eagles on April the 2nd, on his favourite perch above the Ories clubhouse. Just a few days before his death on July 16th, he told me that Ories coach, Phil Proctor, had told him they'd go all the way this season. I didn't have the heart to tell him that Adam Campbell had told me the same thing about Hutt Old Boys Marist. RIP Don Bond.

And now the Premier match review, versus Upper Hutt, from the Eagle Eye:

Our Premier side came into this seventh round Jubilee Cup match holding on to fourth spot on the table and it was a must win to secure a place in the semifinals. The park was very wet and slushy under foot with a cold steady south-easterly wind and light rain to greet both teams at the 2:15pm kick off time.

Hutt Old Boys Marist played into the weather in the first half and produced some inspiring play in the first quarter by gaining some excellent field position. Our forwards set up a number of drives close to the Upper Hutt line with good ball retention and control. After a number of unsuccessful charges at the try line, Simon Malaeulu finally broke the shackles by scoring after twelve minutes. HOBM continued to dominate lineouts with Luke Gibb finding Steve Bradshaw and Dan McCool regularly which allowed us to dictate much of the play. Nick Risdon, Brandyn Laursen and Kahu Tamatea continued to keep us in the attacking zone with some very astute kicking.

Mid-way through the first spell Brandyn kicked another close penalty, followed by the try of the match which started from inside our own half. A counter attack down the grandstand side with some inter-passing skills by our backs resulted in Rueben Colquhoun scoring under the posts to allow a simple conversion to give us a 15-nil lead. We continued to enjoy a wealth of possession and long periods of forward drives at the Upper Hutt line. Showing great patience with a number of close calls and five metre scrums Simon Malaeulu scored his second try, followed by an excellent conversion to take a score of 22-nil into the halftime break.

In the second spell Upper Hutt started to gain some ascendency in the possession stakes which created a number of opportunities. However the ground conditions had deteriorated and the slippery ball made for many handling errors from both sides and much of the game was played between the twenty-two metre lines. A rare defensive lapse in our backline allowed Jarrad Churchwood to score Upper Hutt’s only try, in the grandstand corner.

At the final whistle all players, who were now difficult to identify with mud covered jerseys moved quickly to the hot showers.

There was a feeling among our supporters that if we could repeat our first half performance next week for eighty minutes, we will make it to the Jubilee Cup final. They felt the weather and ground conditions will be no different at the Polo Ground and today's first forty was a good dress rehearsal.

GO THE EAGLES!

Thankyou Mr E. Eye. (Wonder why he's wearing a Southland jersey?) In other results, The Senior Thirds and Rimutaka fought it out to a 13-all draw at the Hutt Recreation Ground, while the Colts were at home to OBU, emerging triumphant, 33-nil. Our weight grades were both at home to MSP, the Robots going down, nil-53, the Howlers going up, 20-10! The Presidents journeyed to Tawa, and succumbed, 7-70.

Some photos from the Premier Two match at Maoribank, the end of the season for Dave Merritt and the team, may be found here:

http://hobm.co.nz/photo-gallery/album-77/72/