Chairmans Monday Musings
From the pen of our Chairman, Lourdaiz Ah Chong...
Earlier this week, I was saddened to hear the news of Ray Smith’s passing whose son Paul is our current Treasurer. Ray was the President of Marist St Pats in 1989 and Chairman of the Management Committee during the 1990-1991 period. Ray was also the Secretary in 1990. Ray was the President of the WRFU in 1992. In 1973, Ray was voted Chairman of New Zealand Marist, a position he held for a staggering 45 years. Ray was a passionate advocate for Marist rugby and attended almost every Spillane tournament during that time, organising funding and assisting Marist clubs all over the country. Marist St Pats and NZ Marist are grateful for his contribution. We offer the Club’s sincerest condolences to the extended Smith family. A requiem mass to celebrate Ray's life will be held on Thursday 6 June at 11.00am at our Lady of Kapiti Parish, 1 Presentation Avenue, Paraparaumu.
The long-awaited J6 and Reserve Reunion was held over King's Birthday Weekend. The festivities kicked-off with a function at our MSP clubrooms on the Friday night which saw over 100 former players, management, and their families in attendance. Several had travelled from different parts of New Zealand, Australia and as far as the Philippines to gather for this historic occasion. It was wonderful to see people reconnecting and reminiscing. The architect behind this get-together was life member Michael Sood more commonly known around the traps as ‘Soody’. There were some great memories and stories shared. His organising committee of Chris 'Pinhead' Ryan, Mark 'Jefro' Jeffrey
Our players' involvement in club certainly doesn't end when they leave the grounds of Evans Bay Park or the clubrooms of Hataitai Park; indeed, our network of alumni remains at the heart of this community. There are countless ways to remain engaged, from reading the Red Machine newsletter, signing up to the 500 Club or contributing insight and advice to current players. Perhaps most importantly, those who have benefitted from being part of our community share a sense of responsibility for giving back. We are fortunate to have the likes of Soody and Stephen ‘Porky’ Jensen continuing as assistant managers of our Premier Men having done for almost the last two decades and Michael 'Mouse' Jensen who is coaching our Colts side this year.
On Saturday, our Premier Men defeated Poneke 25-12 in the ‘Battle of Kilbirnie’ to retain the Horan-Miller Trophy. The match was played in windy and gloomy conditions. MSP had the wind in the first half and led 13-0 at the break. With a 5-2 split on the bench and Springbok like ‘Bomb Squad’ tactic. The second half was an arm-wrestle, opting for a 5-2 split on the bench and ‘Bomb Squad’ tactic, our flood of fresh forwards kept the momentum and remained on top. The ‘Street Kids’ scored two consolation tries in the last five minutes, but it was too little too late. We managed to score four tries and secure a bonus point win. Try scorers were first-five Rique Miln, wing Viliame Saukuru, lock Nick Harrison and fullback Tomasi Connor who was making his debut after a lengthy stint on the sideline due to a hand injury he picked up during pre-season. It was a bad day at the office for our Premier Reserves who lost the earlier match on Kilbirnie Park to a well-drilled Poneke side by 62-10.
Congratulations to Ivan Fepuleai who came off the bench to make his Super Rugby debut for Moana Pasifika against the Crusaders on Friday night. This was a special moment for him and his family. Ivan joined Marist St Pats as a young prop in 2016 straight out of St Pat’s Silverstream. Following a successful club career in Sydney he returned to Marist St Pats this year. This is wonderful achievement, and our club is very proud of him.
It’s back to a full round of club rugby grades this coming weekend. Our Premier Men will contest the Bill Elvy Memorial Trophy against Petone with this being an important clash on the calendar of both clubs. Petone and MSP have contested many epic matches over the years.
For supporters wanting to represent the club colours, a range of supporters gear is now available through SAS, check out the range here (and more will soon be added).
Previous editions of the Monday Musings
This weekend's action - 8 June 2024
Note: Kick off times may change due to Hurricanes match at 4.30pm
| Grade | Opposition | Location |
|---|---|---|
| Premier Men |
Petone | Petone Rec at 2.45pm |
| Premier 2 Men |
Petone | Petone Rec 2 at 1pm |
| Colts |
Petone |
Petone Rec at 1pm |
| Reserve 'Internationals' |
TBC |
|
| Under 85kg Red |
BYE |
|
| Presidents 'MH Law Classics' |
Johsonville |
Mary Crowther Park 2 at 1.30pm |
| Netball 1 |
QMC 2 |
2.30pm at Akau Tangi Sports Centre |
| Netball 2 |
SMOG 10 |
11.15am at Akau Tangi Sports Centre |
MSP Supporters
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