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The Red Machine
No 4. September, 2005

ON THE ATTACK: The MSP 80/80 A team in full flight in their grade final against Poneke in front of a good crowd at Kilbirnie Park on 3 September - the first time an MSP team has made an A division final in the 80/80s. Although they lost 28-16, the team was competitive all the way and two intercept tries to Poneke made all the difference. The side is coached by Tom Cook snr and captained by Tom Cook jnr. (Photo: Trevor Walker)

A good pool of talent coming through MSP's ranks
by John Spillane
MSP chairman

As the rugby slowly finishes for the season and I prepare for the 80/80 final on Saturday, I am left to contemplate a year that was hugely successful on the social front, financially acceptable (thanks largely to the efforts of Eugene and Kalolo and the work done around the touring Lions), and a year of great promise within the rugby ranks.

This year our young premier team showed glimpses of the power we will unleash in the 2006 season. The other senior teams proved we are a club with real depth, and the age-grade teams showed we have a good pool of talent coming through the club ranks.

The 80/80s did what the 80/80s do and played highly entertaining rugby week in week out.
The presidents defied nature and the advice of the medical fraternity and played their own unique brand of slightly smarter, slightly slower but no less enjoyable rugby again this year.
The junior club amazed with enthusiasm and energy and, from what I witnessed, everyone had a great time.

So, in NCEA terms Season 2005 gets a pass mark. I recall many of my school reports had the phrase “could do better” and I can’t help but think that the report card for MSP in 2005 may utter the same sentiment.

I believe we failed to reach our ­potential and that we must do ­better next season, and I can confirm there are people working towards that goal now! MSP is a championship club and we have the coaching and playing talent to achieve next year.

I believe this young and talented coaching and playing group will lead this club to success, but I also believe it will be on the back of some hard work, and achieved by looking into our rich history and taking the hard-learnt lessons from the past and applying them to our 2006 season and beyond.

See you at the prize giving on Friday 9 September, and thanks for all the support.
Keep fit and get ready for a huge 2006.

Lions' dinners were great occasions
The two ­dinners hosted at the MSP clubrooms during the British and Irish Lions tour were among the season’s highlights.

On Thursday 30 June, Alan Woods led the organisation for a supporters’ dinner with Colin Meads and Keith Quinn as guest speakers. The visitors had a great time and thoroughly enjoyed the opportunity to mix and mingle at a New Zealand rugby club.

The following evening, the Shamrock Club hosted a dinner with Welsh journalist Stephen Jones and former All Black John Gallagher topping the bill. Both occasions were brilliantly supported and a tribute to the organisers.

THREE RUGBY LEGENDS: (from left) Mike Renouf from the premier 2s, Colin Meads and colts coach Chad Smith enjoy a catch-up.	MSP life member Dan Kelly (right) points out to Welsh rugby journalist Stephen Jones that New Zealanders do in fact know something about the game.

PRESIDENTS’ CLASSICS team members Ken Ah Kuoi (left) and Perelini Coffin, pictured here at the Boatshed which the club hired on Test day, put on their best moustaches.	FAMOUS RUGBY COUPLES: Club captain Bryce Tietjens and wife Catherine with Verna and Colin Meads.

MSP’s sevens teams off to a strong start
Anyone wanting to watch some late-season club rugby should get along and support MSP’s teams in the Local Point sevens tournament ­running during September. The club had two teams in the first round of the tournament on 3 September, with premier wing Dan Stemp organising the MSP team that made it through to the final.

The tournament has two ­Saturdays to run, with games to be played from 11am to 4pm on:
• 10 September at Martin Luckie Park, and
• 17 September at Trentham Memorial Park.

Dan’s sevens background includes the Wellington 7s and NZ Marist 7s teams, and this year he was also the second top try scorer in Wellington premier club rugby with 10 tries.

On 3 September his sevens team won four games on the way to a final against Ories. Although they lost, they acquitted themselves well given that they have none of the club’s rep players to draw on.

The side included Ciaran O’Brien, Ben Mocewai, Theo Waterhouse, Aaron Davies, Peniase Tokacece, Pio Savali, Mike Renouf, Edwin Meachen and Glyn Woodhouse. In the semi-final they played against MSP’s other team which is made up of senior 3 Red players.

No luck for Reds in semi-final
The 80/80 Red team enjoyed a very successful season under new coach Geoff Stretch and captain Jared Crawford, although luck didn’t go their way in the grade semi-final against Petone at the Petone Rec on 27 August.

Thanks to two smart tries to fullback Tim Sterne, the team looked to have a finals berth sewn up when they led 12-7 with time up on the clock and a strong southerly at their backs. However, Petone scored in the corner to force the draw, so five minutes’ extra time each way was played. In that time Petone kicked a goal after a highly dubious penalty decision to take out the match 15-12.

Wellington rep selections
Congratulations to the following MSP players who have been selected in various Wellington representative teams:
Wellington Lions:
Lome Fa’atau, Kristian Ormsby.
Wellington B:
Matt Egan (c), Fa’atonu Fili, Jamie Parkinson, Ged Robinson, and Joe Wright (Toese Lealamanua, Craig Bradshaw, Ene Fa’atau and Peniase Tokacece have also played for the team).
Wellington Maori:
Mark Simeon, JP Tocker.
Wellington Colts:
Arden David, Pehira Huwyler, and Chris Slade.
Wellington under-19:
Dane Coles, Marc Le, Julian Tupai, and Victor Vito (c).

Top points' scorers

JOHN SPILLANE had the camera out late in the season to catch the under-19s and colts’ games at Cobham Park, where a good crowd had turned out to watch the under-19s semi-final.

MARCUS SLADE crosses the line and heads for the goal posts in the colts 53-7 win over Avalon.

THE UNDER-19s were desperately unlucky in their semi-final against HOB Marist. Julian Tupai looked to have won the game when he dashed 40 metres for a try to give MSP a 15-13 lead with minutes on the clock. However, HOB Marist kicked a drop goal in the last play of the match to take the game 16-15.

	THREE WISE MEN: Premiers (from left) Toese Lealamanua, Fa’atonu Fili and Joe Wright wonder where the colts get all their energy from.

MORE WISE MEN (from left): Alan Woods, Dan Kelly and Barrie Smith wonder the same thing.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

JUNIOR CLUB

Thanks for the photos!
A special thanks from MSP’s Junior Club to professional photographer Margo Bremford for taking the end-of-season photos for 16 junior teams. Margo, whose son Hunter Stent plays in the under-7 Hurricanes, generously gave her services free at a juniors’ photo session on 3 ­September.

Anyone who has tried to photograph children know what a challenge it can be - thanks Margo! Thanks also to those coaches who organised their own team photos - your efforts are appreciated.

Wintry end
Junior club rugby ended for all players on Saturday 27 August, a day most will remember as being the worst conditions to play in all year. Thanks to all coaches, managers, parents and players for your efforts - we hope most of you will be available next year to help in some way.

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