Club Rugby: Who will it be, Pirates-Old Boys or Woodlands?
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We’ve found our 2025 Galbraith Shield finalists. Pirates-Old Boys and Woodlands have got the job done at semifinal time to advance to Saturday’s decide. Although their semifinal wins did come in contrasting fashion. Logan Savory wraps the semifinal action.
Pirates-Old Boys has set the pace in Southland’s 2025 premier club rugby competition for the entire season, and that didn’t deviate at all at Rugby Park on Saturday afternoon.
Marist threw plenty at Pirates-Old Boys, but the Surrey Park boys still managed to pile on 56 points in what was supposed to be a tightly contested semifinal outing.
In same parts Pirates-Old Boys have been the glamour team in 2025, given they have lost just the two games en route to the playoffs.
But in reality, that tag probably doesn’t fit.
The Stags squad will assemble on Monday without any current Pirates-Old Boys players. Every other premier club will be represented.
It highlights that this Pirates-Old Boys is a team built on hardworking club players with a good dose of important experience mixed in, when you factor in the likes of former Fijian international Talemaitoga Tuapati, and former Stags Craig Smith, Greg Dyer, and Jaye Thompson.
The two teams traded early blows on Saturday and at just 21-19 down at the 30-minute mark the Marist faithful believed.
But in a 20-minute period Marist’s hopes all come unstuck as Pirates-Old Boys took charge to book a place in its fourth straight Galbraith Shield final.
It started five minutes before halftime when replacement wing Isaac Rounds crossed.
Rounds was back in again for a second try minutes into the second half before soon after fullback Kaea Nikora-Balloch scored.
When the Pirates-Old Boys scrum produced a tighthead, which led to Jaye Thompson scoring, the semifinal was pretty much done.
Marist had gone from being right in the hunt at 21-19 down to trailing 49-19 just 14 minutes into the second half.
Marist second five-eighth Faletoi Peni brought it back to 49-26 with a try and conversion before replacement Pirates-Old Boys back Nick Munro scored late to make it 56-26.
Pirates-Old Boys piled on eight tries in total, and to make life that bit more difficult for Marist Nikora-Balloch had his goal-kicking radar on target converting all eight tries.
He finished with a 21-point haul with his try included.
Pirates-Old Boys was as usual solid from one to 15, although Sam McLachlan on the wing did impress, as did Japanese flanker Kosei Miki with his work rate in defence.
Hooker Talemaitoga Tuapati was important in the first half, before Pirates-old Boys were able to roll Alex Fraito off the bench at halftime.
While there will be some disappointment in how Marist’s 2025 season ended the fact they were able to claw their way back from some early season struggles to make the top four showed resilience.
Captain Jackson Bevin was one of Marist’s hardest-working players in a beaten cause on Saturday.
Faletoi Peni did, as expected, provide Marist with a genuine attacking threat on occasions on Saturday, but it wasn’t enough.
Woodlands coach Richard Jones says Saturday was far from a polished performance but quickly noted the most important thing is Woodlands has extended their season by a week.
They now have an 80-minute shoot out ahead of them to claim the club’s first Galbraith Shield title since 2022.
The Eastern-Northern Barbarians as expected put Woodlands under some decent pressure throughout their semifinal at Oreti Park, particularly at set piece time before Woodlands prevailed 15-5.
It was the Barbarians who actually opened the scoring with a try to lock Harrison Morton.
Barbarians coach AJ Aitken felt his team had played some of their best rugby of the season in the first 40 minutes.
It took a minute before halftime for Woodlands to hit the lead when prop Brian Tyrell crossed and the Flecther Morgan conversion made it 7-5.
Although in the lead up to scoring that try Woodlands hooker Nathan Va’atausili dished up what was deemed a yellow card offence from a clean out.
It meant Woodlands started the second half with 14 players.
Soon after he returned to the fiend in the second half, halfback Liam Howley was shown a yellow card which meant Woodlands had another 10 minutes down to 14 players.
But Woodlands stayed firm in the second half. On the back of a Caleb Karangaroa try and Morgan penalty Woodlands pushed out to a hard fought 15-5 win to set up a date with Pirates-Old Boys at Rugby Park.
Looseforward Karangaroa was one of Woodlands’ best on Saturday, with Tyrell another strong performer.
Despite the yellow card Liam Howley’s return from hamstring injury was a boost for Woodlands.
He came off the bench in the second half and had an impact.
“He did his hamstring against Marist a few weeks ago and I thought he was no chance of playing but he’s been rehabbing, and he got through 40 minutes, well he actually got through 30, because he got binned for 10,” Jones said.
Woodlands will have three players - Paula Latu, Alex Yallop, and Fletcher Morgan - go into camp with the Stags on Monday.
They will be released to play in Saturday’s Galbraith Shield final, but they will have probably had a fair bit to juggle this week, physically and mentally, with week one of an NPC preseason and a club final on their plate.
For the Eastern-Northern Barbarians there will be some disappointment they were unable to get past the semifinal stage again this year.
Although coach AJ Aitken said he and the rest of the management had learned plenty this season and would be better for it.
He felt the group connected well together this season and was hopeful will flow into next year.
(Division One)
Pioneer 28, Waikaka/Riversdale 25
Edendale 50, Albion 14
Wyndham 26, Bluff 15
(Division Two)
Riverton 34, Drummond-Limehills-Star 19
Midlands 23, Mossburn 15
Waikiwi 32, Marist 19
Woodlands 31, Otautau-Ohai-Nightcaps 24
(Division Three)
Star 78 - Wrights Bush 10
Central Pirates 23, Waiau Star 12
Pirate Old Boys 19, Wakatipu 10
Collegiate 36, Mataura 7
(Senior C/Presidents Grade)
Pioneer 24, Albion 0
Waikaka 10, Mataura 5
Waikiwi 19, Waikaia 17
Wyndham 15, Bluff 0
Balfour 31, Pirates Old Boys 5