Galbraith Shield final: Who wins and why?
Star and Pirates-Old Boys will clash in the 2024 Galbraith Shield final at the Les George Oval on Saturday.
We’ve reached the decider of Southland’s premier club rugby season with Star and Pirates-Old Boys to square off in Saturday’s Galbraith Shield final at the Les George Oval. Logan Savory hovers the microscope over the final.
GAME DETAILS
Who: Star v Pirates-Old Boys
Where: Les George Oval
When: 2.30pm, Saturday
Referee: Sam Nicholson
2024 MATCHUPS
May 18: Star 57 - Pirates-Old Boys 12
June 29: Star 62 - Pirates-Old Boys 8
GALBRAITH SHIELD
Star: 29 titles (first in 1908 - last in 2015)
Pirates-Old Boys: 2 titles (first in 2006 - last in 2023)
STAGS REPRESENTATIVES
Star: The competition leaders have three forwards locked in for the 2024 Southland Stags NPC squad. They are Jack Sexton, lock Josh Bekhuis, and No 8 Semisi Tupou Ta’aeiloa. First five-eighth Byron Smith is also contracted to the Stags.
Pirates-Old Boys: The defending champions will have first five-eighth Kaea Nikora-Balloch as part of the Stags squad this year but he has been injured for a good part of the season. He is touch and go to play in the final. Japanese fullback Kouta Oyabu is likely to be part of the Stags squad through preseason build up to the NPC.
KEY MATCHUPS
Hooker: Josh Harwood (Pirates-Old Boys) v Jayden Henderson (Star)
Josh Harwood might just be Southland rugby’s most underrated player. The Pirates-Old Boys hooker is a proven performer in premier club rugby and will again be a key figure in the Surrey Park-based club’s quest to beat Star and win back-to-back Galbraith Shield titles.
Interestingly Pirates-Old Boys will likely name three hookers in their 23 for the final with 2023 New Zealand secondary schools player Shaun Kempton and former Fijian international Talemaitonga Tuapati both also likely to spend some time at hooker off the bench.
Star is also well-resourced in the hooking department with Jayden Henderson in the ranks. Henderson is probably No 4 in the pecking order in terms of Stags hooking option.
Star’s reserve hooker Kaya Symon also offers plenty off the bench as well. Symon is one of the hardest hitters in defence in Southland club rugby.
First five-eighth: Greg Dyer (Pirates-Old Boys) v Byron Smith (Star)
It’s a battle of what appears to be a former Stags first five-eighth - Greg Dyer - and one of the guys who has replaced him in the Southland setup - Byron Smith.
Dyer first played for the Stags in 2016 and was part of the 2023 squad but has not been resigned for the 2024 NPC season.
He proved pivotal in leading Pirates-Old Boys to a Galbraith Shield title last year with an important performance in the grand final win over the Eastern-Northern Barbarians.
Dyer was also a key figure - through his kicking game - in helping Pirates-Old Boys to a semifinal victory over the Barbarians on Saturday.
Opposite Dyer in the Star No 10 jersey in Saturday’s Galbraith Shield will be Smith, a newbie to the Southland scene.
The 2022 New Zealand U19 player was last year part of the Auckland academy but made the shift south this year for a crack with the Stags.
Centre: Johnny Vaili (Star) v Jaye Thompson (Pirates-Old Boys)
Jaye Thompson has been a regular fixture for Pirates-Old Boys for over a decade now and is still probably the best back running around Southland club rugby. He has a skill set that many others can only marvel at.
Not surprisingly Thompson is a key to the Pirates-Old Boys attack and if he is allowed to showcase his abilities on Saturday it could cause Star some headaches.
Although Star itself will have a useful attacking prospect wearing its No 13 jersey in former Samoan 7s and 15s international Johnny Vaili.
Vaili made the shift south this year for a crack at the Stags. While it appears he hasn’t been able to capture the interest of the Stags selectors as he hoped, Vaili has proved to be a force for Star in club rugby and could be a key figure come the Galbraith Shield final.
The Lowdown
A quick look at past results in 2024 and without any further assessment you’d think Star will do this in a canter on Saturday.
After all, they’ve racked up 119 points in two outings against Pirates-Old Boys and conceded just 20. The latest matchup between the two teams - which was just a couple of weeks ago - was a demolition job with Star winning 62-8.
But don’t be mistaken. Don’t expect a blowout come Saturday.
The Pirates-Old Boys team that will take the field in the Galbraith Shield final will have a much different look to it. Pirates-Old Boys rested a host of players when the two teams last met.
The is no hiding the fact Pirates-Old Boys was physically beaten up by Star in the two outings to date this season. That will need to change on Saturday to allow the likes of Greg Dyer and Jaye Thompson work their magic.
For Star, the key will be to continue to push the line physically but without letting the discipline slip i n the final. Star’s success this season has been built on its ruthless defence.