Premiers, Colts unbeaten; Internationals open with a win

If round one's weather was perfect for the supporters, round two's weather was perfect for the purists. A weather bomb hit bang on kick off for the Swindale Shield match with the entire match played in driving rain and a strong southerly.

The weather didn't deter a determined Red Machine, eager to show they are building something at Evans Bay. Playing with the benefit of a strong wind in the first half, the team clearly had a game plan and executed it perfectly - forcing Oriental-Rongotai to play out of their own half. 

Continued pressure saw first five Rique Miln slot three first half penalties, capitalising on that territory that he had often found with the boot. Our only try of the match came 15 minutes into the first half when halfback Sam Connor punched on a sloppy Ories scrum, booting the ball along the ground to score from 40 metres out. A late Ories try, saw the home side take a 16-5 lead into the break.

They needed every one of those points they had accumulated as the Magpies would use the strong wind to their own advantage in the second half. With the score at 19-15 with 10 minutes to go, the final stages became a war of attrition. The MSP forward pack defended their line stoically, repelling waves of attack to secure the victory.

Earlier, in more favourable conditions, our Colts stayed unbeaten after two rounds with a 43-29 victory over Oriental-Rongotai. The team continues to build it's combinations and are an exciting curtain-raiser to the Premiers.

Over the road on Kilbirnie Park, the Premier Reserves fell by 12-20 to Ories; later on the same ground the Under 85's fought out a 6-10 loss to OBU in terrible conditions.

Elsewhere around Wellington, the Internationals kicked off their season after a first round bye - beating Paremata-Plimmerton by 24-7. The Presidents fell to Tawa by 10-35 at Polo Ground.

After the matches, most teams were represented at the clubrooms for Pasifika Night and we had the pleasure of three Oriental-Rongotai teams joining us. The big crowd was treated to a generous meal, cooked in the rain by Matt Calvert and John Spillane. A great first home weekend of the season!

A replay of the Swindale Shield livestream is linked below:
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