1988 Premiers reunite 30 years after Jubilee Cup triumph
At Past Players and Supporters Day this Saturday there will be a gathering of some of the great players to have adorned the famous Marist St Pats jersey as the 1988 Jubilee Cup winning side meet 30 years on.
This side also won the Swindale Shield that year and featured All Black John Schuster along with a host of Wellington representative players Neil Sorenson, David Hansen, Dennis Tocker, Damien O’Brien, Chris Welch, Peter O’Shaughnessy, Brian McGrattan (captain and a former All Black), and Mike O’Leary. The coaches were Maurice Standish and Brian Coulter, and the managers Ian Litchfield and the late Tino Fidow.
Marist St Pats beat Petone 16-12 in their semi final to earn a place in the Jubilee Cup ‘grand final’ the following week against Wellington - who had beaten us 6-26 the week before. Fullback Matt Smith scored the key try of the match late in the first half, giving us a 13-6 at the break.
Given the result a fortnight before, the Red Machine had even more motivation to perform in the final at Athletic Park. We raced out to a 24-0 and held on for a comprehensive 44-19 victory. This was the club's fifth Jubilee Cup title.
This weekend's reunion, organised by Denis Tocker, will see about 20 of the team members get together. They kick off with team drinks on Friday night before joining the Past Players and Supporters Day celebrations on Saturday.
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