Chairman's Monday Musings

From the pen of Marist St Pats Chairman, Lourdaiz Ah Chong...

The challenge laid earlier in the week to our Premier Men, Preserve Reserves and Colts by Director of Rugby, Sean Horan, was for each of them to go out to Fraser Park and win with a bonus point against Avalon in order to collect five valuable competition points. With three wins from three and pocketing some important competition points, it was mission accomplished.

Our Premier Men enjoyed a clinical 62-17 win to retain the Joe Aspell Cup and also secure a coveted top eight spot for the Jubilee Cup. First-five Rique Milne with two tries and 22 points over the weekend is now the Swindale Shield’s leading points scorer with 120 points for the season to date followed closely by Brandyn Laursen from Hutt Old Boys Marist on 114 points.

Our Premier Reserves beat Avalon by 54-27 and the Colts were victorious by 48-19 and now sit third on the table. It was almost a clean sweep for Marist St Pats at Fraser Park on Saturday but unfortunately our Under 85’s went down to Avalon by 5-54.


The undefeated Reserve Grade ‘Internationals’ had a recorded a 41-14 win over Wainuiomata to extend their run this season. The Presidents lost to Northern United by 26-44. Netball Team 1 and Netball Team 2 beat Wellington High School by 42-27 and Victoria University of Wellington by 29-22 respectively.

My goal unashamedly is to make Marist St Pats the “best community rugby club” in New Zealand, something which I genuinely believe we can become. Now, as determining the “best community rugby club” in New Zealand is in many ways subjective and is dependent on so many factors, it’s obviously a bit hard to definitively define, but I believe the pursuit of this ‘title’ is the most important thing.

I think we’ve got things quite right at Marist St Pats at the moment although like all aspects it really is a case of ongoing continuous improvement. We have worked very positively on the character of the club both on and off the field. There is a hard working and committed team to ensure that Marist St Pats prospers and with a few tweaks to suit the evolving needs of our club, we’ve got in place a well-oiled machine going forward.

Our MSP Juniors are hosting a Quiz Night on Tuesday 2nd July from 6:30pm at Parrotdog in Lyall Bay to raise funds to send an Under 11 & Under 12 team to the annual New Zealand Junior Rugby Festival at Owen Delany Park in Taupō taking place in September. There will be raffles and auction items throughout the evening. This is a fantastic opportunity for our players, management, and their families to experience a weekend filled with competitive spirit, friendship, and the shared passion for rugby with 100 domestic and international teams participating. By investing in our MSP Junior Club to enhance the skills and knowledge of our players, we ensure a sustainable and successful future for Marist St Pats. To purchase tickets email mspjuniorrugby@gmail.com.

MSP Shamrock Club Day is this Saturday 22 June when we host Old Boys University. This is a special occasion to acknowledge the tremendous support the club has received since 1991 from a number of companies and individuals.


Our Year 2, Year 5, Year 6, Year 7/Year 8, Under 21 Colts (1:00pm kick-off) and Premier Men (2:45pm kick-off) are scheduled to play on Evans Bay Park. Across the road at Kilbirnie Park are the Premier Reserves and Under 85kg’s. The Kosmos coffee cart and Mr Whippy ice cream van will be down at the MSP gym from 9:00am. The aftermatch function at our MSP clubrooms is from 5:00pm. All are welcome. There is going to be a free BBQ with breads rolls and salads. The Super Rugby final between the Blues vs Chiefs will be shown live on the big screen. Also ladies will receive a complimentary glass of bubbles on arrival. 

Join us at Evans Bay Park and our Hataitai clubrooms for a fun and unforgettable day of rugby, camaraderie, and spirited support for our teams!

Previous editions of the Monday Musings



This weekend's action - 22 June 2024 - Shamrock Club Day

Grade Opposition Location
Premier Men
Old Boys-University
Evans Bay Park at 2.45pm
Premier 2 Men
Old Boys-University
Kilbirnie Park 2 at 1pm
Colts
Old Boys-University
Evans Bay Park at 1pm
Reserve 'Internationals'
Western Suburbs
Ian Galloway Park at 2.45pm
Under 85kg Red
Johnsonville
Kilbirnie Park 2 at 2.45pm
Presidents 'MH Law Classics'
Stokes Valley
Delaney Park at 2.45pm
Netball 1
TBC
TBC at Akau Tangi Sports Centre
Netball 2
TBC
TBC at Akau Tangi Sports Centre
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